Alex Shalman.comPractical Personal Development

This article is part of the How To Become An Outstanding Person In Twelve Weeks series. I strongly urge that you read the first article in order to get a sense of what is going on here.

Industry (Week 6 of 12)

Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. Benjamin Franklin was part of many facets of government, society, and relationships within the state of Pennsylvania.

Neighbors would often see Benjamin working the printing press from sun up to sun down, earning him much admiration. Such industrious behavior kept him busy, out of trouble, and ahead of all competition. He eventually secured the number one printing agency around, and syndicated his feed (…err paper) into several other states.

It’s easy to stay industrious and work hard when you have goals that you are passionate about. You can always reflect on them, and realize that frivolous activities just aren’t rewarding compared to achieving your dreams.

When I wrote about Resolution two weeks ago, I mentioned that I use to-do lists and most-important-thing lists to get the most out of each day. This also applies to Industry, but can be taken a step further.

This week I have been big on blocking out periods of time to get work done. I would give myself, say 30 minutes to write up a post, and if it wasn’t done I would walk away from it. This kept me working hard, because I knew I only had a limited time before I had to do the next task.

Setting these types of blocks also allowed me to concentrate on the task at hand, without getting sucked into the internet. If I gave myself 30 minutes to respond to all the conversations I had going on around the blogosphere (CoComment is great for this), I would not have it on my mind while answering e-mails. Likewise, if I gave myself 30 minutes to answer e-mails, they would have my full attention, before I went onto my next task.

The best way to go about this is scheduling. The night before, armed with my to-do list, I make a plan for the following day. Make it a habit to stick to your plan, and allow no interruptions. Schedule in times when you are accessible and let all the most important people in your life know when those times are.

Becoming Outstanding Series

• How To Become An Outstanding Person In Twelve Weeks

• Week 01 – Temperance

• Week 02 – Silence

• Week 03 – Order

• Week 04 – Resolution

• Week 05 – Frugality

• Week 06 – Industry

• Week 07 – Sincerity

• Week 08 – Justice

• Week 09 – Moderation

• Week 10 – Cleanliness

• Week 11 – Tranquility

• Week 12 – Chastity

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