4 Things All Overachievers Do
After a decade of working in high-paced businesses and in the software industry in general, which is all about *achieving more and more*, I learned a thing or two about getting things done.
Some might actually argue whether being an “overachiever” or “overperformer” is a good or bad thing.
I found an interesting definition for the word “overachiever”:
Overachiever — noun
1. Someone trying extremely hard to be successful
A lot of people get burned out by their work and the desire to “achieve” more, and this is why the above definition is just plain wrong.
Something like this sounds much more correct:
Overachiever — noun
1. Someone who achieves success over and above the standard or expected level.
2. Someone who achieves more in less time.
I suggest everyone assess their achievements from time to time, and check up on how to improve — but don’t get carried away, as the line between achieving and burning out is thin. Slow and steady, wins the race.
Nevertheless, here are 4 easy and simple things that all overachievers do to boost their productivity, and you can too.
1. Planning and Managing Time
What all successful people have in common, is organizing themselves and good time management.
Organizing your day or week is key. Plan your time ahead, with simple goals and what, how, and when you’ll do something — you’ll find yourself actually achieving more in less time.
2. Focus on clear goals
Define and focus on your goals and tasks, whether it’s just for the day or for the long term.
Put them on paper; write a to-do list. Work, emails, groceries, taking your dog out, cleaning up the house, education —literally everything and anything.
And this builds on time management — if you plan ahead, and define clear goals and tasks, you’ll set up yourself for success. Once that’s done, focusing is actually easy as it’s just about the execution and working on what you already prepared for.
3. Define possible blockers
Think about the goal you want to achieve, but think about what is actually needed to get it done.
Define if you have a dependency, blocker, an issue; or even any risk that might impact getting your task done.
Clearing this up will make you much more precise on what needs to be done in order to say the goal is accomplished.
4. Rest and have fun
Once you have your planned goals (again a simple to-do list will do), allocate time for resting and having fun as well.
Being an overachiever is one thing, but being a workaholic is something different.
Once you have your to-do goals and tasks in place, add “2h of *insert activity that you enjoy*, whether it’s Netflix, gaming, going for a walk or a drink, or just about anything you enjoy.
Having fun and resting is crucial for your brain, health, and performance. This is so important that it might as well be the first thing on the list.
Final thoughts
If you start working on these four points, you also start working on yourself. Incorporate time management, planning, clear goals, refine tasks and possible risks, and have the deserved rest and fun — and I guarantee your productivity will skyrocket.
A tip
I strongly suggest reading Atomic Habits, by James Clear. It’s a bestseller for a reason; it will definitely help you sort your priorities, tasks, and goals and in general, help you build habits that will in turn help you perform.
If you ended up here, I want to say thank you for reading this article! 🎉
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