Proactive Instead of Reactive
One of the most powerful ways to improve the quality of your life and your ability to reach your goals is to be proactive instead of reactive.
Unfortunately, most people today live in reactive mode. They start their day checking social feeds, messages, and emails. Reading and responding to these posts, emails and messages is being reactive – you are quite literally reacting to what other people (or companies) are pushing on you. Reading the news is reactive, too.
And then the day begins: More emails come in, notifications fire, and more messages arrive. And of course constant social posts on all the platforms that you just “have” to check on. This all keeps you in reactive mode. Some people stay in reactive mode all day long – busy but not productive.
Being reactive means you’re playing defense. You’re responding to what shows up instead of deciding ahead of time what you will do and sticking to that plan.
Over time, that creates stress, frustration, and a sense that life is happening to you. It also means that you’re not making much, if any, progress on your goals.
Being proactive feels very different. When you’re proactive, you feel in control, and you make rapid progress on whatever matters to you.
I plan my day ahead of time using my Happiful Planner so I know exactly what my priorities and key actions are, and the order in which I’ll do them. I follow my Ideal Day Checklist, which tells me all the recurring actions I’ll take each day. I work from my calendar, not my inbox. These 3 things – the Happiful Planner, the Ideal Day Checklist, and my calendar – tell me exactly what I should be doing at all times, every day. I always have a specific plan for the day. That’s being proactive.
And then I keep email closed, I put my phone in Airplane mode and in a drawer, and I keep ALL notifications turned off so I won’t be distracted and pulled away from my plan. (And I never consume social media or news at all.)
I like the phrase “create before you consume.” When you start the day reacting, you hand over control immediately. When you start the day creating, you’re in charge and making progress. None of this requires heroic discipline. It just requires structure.
Being proactive also operates at a longer time horizon.
Long-term proactivity is your vision for your ideal future life. It’s your 5-year goals, your 1-year goals, and the planning system that connects those goals to what you do each quarter, each week, and each day.
Here’s how it all ties together:
Your values shape your vision.
Your vision drives your 5-year goals.
Your 5-year goals drive your 1-year goals and annual plan.
Your quarterly plan breaks down your 1-year goals.
Your quarterly plan drives your weekly plan.
Your weekly plan drives your daily plan.
Your daily plan, your Ideal Day Checklist, and calendar tell you what to do all day long, and it’s all driven by your vision and values. (The best way to define your vision and values is to take our Design Your Ideal Life course. Email me at paul@behappiful.com and I’ll send you a coupon to take it for free.)
Reactive living feels busy. Proactive living feels calm, purposeful, and productive.
That’s why productivity, done correctly, doesn’t add pressure. It removes it. It gives you back control of your time and attention.
You don’t need to overhaul your life to become more proactive and productive. You need a few simple systems that help you decide ahead of time what matters, and protect that time once the day begins.
Changing from reactive to proactive is fundamental to productivity and making rapid progress toward living your ideal life. And it feels a lot better, too.
