How

to Become a Proactive
Person
The 7 Habits of Proactive People
Harold Taylor
 

HAROLD TAYLOR

HOW TO BECOME A
PROACTIVE PERSON
THE 7 HABITS OF
PROACTIVE PEOPLE

2
How to Become a Proactive Person: The 7 Habits of Proactive People
1st edition
© 2020 Harold Taylor & bookboon.com
ISBN 978-87-403-3476-0

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Contents

CONTENTS
About the author 6

Introduction 7

1 How proactive are you? 8

1.1 Determine your proactivity quotient 8
1.2 Proactivity self-evaluation instrument 8

2 What it means to be proactive 11

2.1 Proactive vs. Reactive 11
2.2 Do not get behind in your work 12
2.3 “Before” beats “after” every time 13

3 Example of a proactive approach 14

3.1 Being proactive when seeking employment 14
3.2 Networking can further your career 14
3.3 Networking is more than a job-seeking tool 17

4 Habits of proactive people 18

4.1 What makes a person proactive? 18
4.2 Habit # 1: prepare for all future events, projects, and tasks 18
4.3 Preparing requires planning 19
4.4 The mental walk-through 19

5 Habit # 2: keep ahead of your commitments 21

5.1 Catch up and get ahead 21
5.2 Build an inventory of completed work 22
5.3 Develop your own system 22
5.4 The “work ahead” concept 23

6 Habit # 3: do not wait, anticipate 24

6.1 Anticipate your needs 24
6.2 Anticipate what your customers will need 24
6.3 Anticipate what your boss will need 26
6.4 Anticipate what your employees need 27
6.5 Anticipate what your equipment will need 27
6.6 Anticipate what you need personally 27

7 Habit # 4: take control of your time 28

7.1 Stay on top of your job 28
7.2 Those who think ahead get ahead 28

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Contents

7.3 Proactivity defeats procrastination 30

7.4 Keep it simple 30
7.5 Take the initiative 31

8 Habit # 5: improve your power of recall 32

8.1 How memory works 32
8.2 Remembering the future 33
8.3 Memory influences proactivity 33
8.4 Memory techniques that capture the experiences of your past 34
8.5 How to boost your recall 34

9 Habit # 6: enhance your life with value-added experiences 36

9.1 The greater the input, the greater the output 36
9.2 Seek variety in your life 36
9.3 Read as much as possible 36
9.4 Let your mind wander 37
9.5 Engage in lifelong learning 37
9.6 Build and maintain relationships 38

10 Habit #7: maintain a proactive attitude 40

10.1 Develop a proactive mindset 40
10.2 Patience and proactivity go hand in hand 41
10.3 Build resilience 41
10.4 Positive thinking always leads to positive doing. 42

Books referenced in “how to become a proactive person” 43

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON About the author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Harold Taylor, currently owner of TaylorInTime, has been speaking, writing, and conducting
training programs on the topic of effective time management for over 40 years. He has
written over 20 books, including a Canadian bestseller, Making Time Work for You,
originally published in 1981.

He has developed over 50 time management products that have sold in 38 countries around
the world. His time management newsletter, now in electronic format, has been published
for over the thirty-five years and he has had over 250 articles accepted for publication in
various magazines.

A past director of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Harold received

their Founder’s Award in 1999 for outstanding contributions to the organizing profession.
He received

CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation in 1987 from the National Speakers
Association. In 1998 the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers inducted him into
the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame. And in 2001, he received the Founder’s Award from
the Professional Organizers in Canada. The award has been renamed the Harold Taylor
Award in his honor.

Prior to his speaking and writing career, Harold held management positions in industry
for twelve years at Canadian Johns Manville and American-Standard and was a teaching
master in the business division of Humber College in Toronto for eight years. He has been
an entrepreneur for over forty years, incorporating four companies during that time.

His first company, Harold Taylor Enterprises Ltd., established in 1967, was a multiple
association management company that also published four magazines and a line of greeting
cards, and sponsored public seminars and management training programs. Since 1981, when
he incorporated the time management company, Harold Taylor Time Consultants Inc., he
has personally presented over 2000 workshops, speeches, and keynotes on the topic of time
and life management.

Harold lives in Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada. He writes e-books for Bookboon.com (35
to date), publishes a weekly blog article at his website (also posted on Facebook & Twitter),
a free quarterly time management newsletter for his 2000 plus subscribers, sends out regular
tweets, and speaks to seniors and other groups on “growing older without growing old” in
addition to “time and life management.” His website is www.taylorintime.com.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Introduction

INTRODUCTION
Not only has our work environment changed during the past decade or so, our work habits
have changed as well. Just because technology now allows us to work any place at any time,
does not mean we have to do so. If you choose to be available 24/7, you will lead a hectic
life with little chance of keeping up with your full-time job.

We tell people how to treat us by how we manage our time. If we send business emails on
Sunday, we will receive emails on Sunday in turn. If we answer our business phone after
normal working hours, we will receive phone calls after working hours, and so on.

We can get more accomplished, not by working longer hours, but by being selective and
focused during the hours we have decided or contracted to work. Whether you work for
someone else or are self-employed, it is essential to balance your “work” time and your
“personal” time.

Make sure your expectations line up with the expectations of the company. Does the
company measure your performance by the number of hours you put in or by the results
you achieve? Successful companies measure performance by the latter, and that is the kind
of company I would rather work for. Management by results involves having targets of
performance. These targets could be such things as volume of sales, number of subscribers,
quality measurements, employee turnover or whatever, depending on your position in the
company and the nature of the business.

Seldom would you have targets based on the number of hours worked in a week, the amount
of overtime you can put in, the quantity of emails handled in the evenings and so on.

Many people work for companies that value and measure results; but feel they must work
longer hours to achieve those results. That is not the fault of the company if the expectations
are reasonable. It is the fault of the workers by not managing their time well. It is a simple
case of not keeping on top of the job during the hours allocated to the job.

There are many strategies that you can use to manage your time effectively, including getting
organized, delegation, focus, the use of technology and so on. But the most important one,
the one discussed in this book, is being proactive. By being proactive, you cannot only
avoid working overtime and playing the “catch up” game all the time, you can actually keep
ahead of your job as well – and lead a balanced life in the process.

This book will show you how to become a proactive person and provides many examples
along the way.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON How proactive are you?

1 HOW PROACTIVE ARE YOU?

1.1 DETERMINE YOUR PROACTIVITY QUOTIENT

Perhaps you are proactive already. If so, you could skip this book and read one of my other
books that discuss other strategies that also impact the management of time. These include
goal setting, planning, and scheduling, procrastination, delegation, getting organized, and
so on, and are all available on the Bookboon website.

In the meantime, take the following test to determine the current extent of your proactivity.
If you score low, be sure to read the following chapters carefully and put as many of the
suggested strategies as possible into practice. I suggest you do not skip this self-evaluation
instrument since it may prompt ideas or new perspectives on how you might become even
more proactive than you are now. In fact, I believe there is something in this book for
everyone, regardless of their score.

1.2 PROACTIVITY SELF-EVALUATION INSTRUMENT

For each of the first 18 statements, assign the following points for your answers.

Always – 3
Sometimes – 2
Seldom – 1
Never - 0

1. I am on time for meetings. ___

2. I organize my work area before I leave work. ___

3. I keep a weekly “To do” list rather than, or in addition to, a daily “To do”
list. ___

4. I schedule the important activities and tasks at a specific time in my

planner. ___

5. I put deadlines on all my planned tasks and activities. ___

6. I finish projects and tasks before they are due. ___

7. I leave work by the normal quitting time. ___

8. As soon as I learn of the dates of events I plan to attend, I mark them in ___
my planning calendar.
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9. The work I do is important and relates to company goals. ___
 5. I put deadlines on all my planned tasks and activities. ___

6. I finish projects and tasks before they are due. ___

HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON How proactive are you?
7. I leave work by the normal quitting time. ___

8. As soon as I learn of the dates of events I plan to attend, I mark them in ___
my planning calendar.

9. The work I do is important and relates to company goals. ___

10. I am happy with the hours I currently work. ___

11. At night I prepare what I will need for the next morning, including the ___
clothes I will wear the next morning.

12. I mentally walk through upcoming activities such as presentations, ___

networking events, conferences, training sessions and so on.

13. I book hotel rooms, car rentals etc. well ahead when I travel. ___

14. I prepare checklists for coming events for which I am responsible. ___

15. Before I leave work in the afternoon, I confirm what I will be working on ___
the next day.

16. I take notes at all meetings and enter into my planning calendar any ___
actions requiring my attention.

17. I have personal goals as well as business goals, both in writing. ___

18. When an unanticipated problem occurs, I take action to see if such a ___
problem can be prevented in the future.

For each of the last 18 statements, assign the following points for your answers.

Always – 0
Sometimes – 1
Seldom – 2
Never - 3

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON How proactive are you?

19. I do company work on personal time. ___

20. I answer business emails after work and on weekends. ___

21. I work on Sundays and holidays. ___

22. When I am working on a project I am interrupted. ___

23. The tasks are urgent by the time I work on them. ___

24. I have trouble focusing on my work. ___

25. I have trouble saying no even when I am busy. ___

26. Other people say I am spending too much time at work. ___

27. I forget birthdays of family members, relatives, and friends. ___

28. I run out of supplies such as computer cartridges, printing paper, pens ___
etc.

29. I forget functions and activities that I intend to attend. ___

30. My backlog of work is overdue & would take over two hours to ___
complete.

31. I hate my job. ___

32. I fail to put my goals in writing. ___

33. I struggle to stay on top of things and find myself playing catch-up. ___

34. I wait until problems occur before I take action to address the underlying ___
causes.

35. I feel overwhelmed by all the things I must do. ___

36. I procrastinate on unpleasant or difficult tasks. ___

___

Total points obtained for all 36 statements _____

108 is a “perfect” score, which is unrealistic. 0 is a complete failure, 60 is a pass, and 75 is

good. The higher your score, the more proactive you seem to be. Regardless of your score,
you will improve if you take heed of the information in the following chapters. You will
also recognize why the points were assigned as they were.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON What it means to be proactive

2 WHAT IT MEANS TO
BE PROACTIVE

2.1 PROACTIVE VS. REACTIVE

Proactive means “acting beforehand.” By taking action in the present, proactive people assure
themselves that things will go smoothly in the future, perhaps even changing the future
itself. Proactive people are always looking ahead at future activities, projects and events
and anticipating needs, problems, and possible outcomes. They are future-oriented, setting
and achieving goals, and viewing deadlines as helpful milestones, not stressful hindrances.

Proactive people are excellent time managers, because they are future-oriented, setting specific
goals for every meeting and event, setting deadlines on all tasks, and scheduling time in
their planners to work on the important, goal-oriented tasks and activities. They seldom
appear rushed or stressed since they always allow more time than they think the activities
will take, and they allow for interruptions and unforeseeable crises.

“Proactivity is both an aptitude and an attitude. It is

a way of doing and a way of thinking, which, when
combined, become a way of being. “

– Chrissy Scivicque, author, The Proactive Professional

Reactive people, on the other hand, act in response to a situation rather than creating or
controlling it. They are usually disorganized since they never have time to develop systems
or routines for filing paperwork and electronic documents. They waste time searching for
things, shuffling papers, and following up with others. And they do not have the luxury of
setting distant deadlines on tasks and projects. Everything is rush, rush. They do not have
the option of scheduling priority tasks for specific times in the future, because they are too
busy dealing with the present. They are captive to the tyranny of the urgent.

Reactive people are problem solvers rather than problem avoiders. They wait for things to
happen and then jump into action. Many of them feel they work better under stress, and
seem to enjoy the adrenaline rush as the “fight or flight” body reaction kicks in. But stress
eventually takes its toll, and health problems frequently add to their productivity problems.

Proactive people, on the other hand, not only set deadlines for all priority tasks and projects,
they aim to finish these commitments well before the deadlines.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON What it means to be proactive

I see proactivity as continually dipping one mental foot into the future while the other
foot remains firmly planted in the present. Seldom should you have to take a backward
step except to retrieve a lesson from the past. Everything you do now, everything you say,
every person you hire or promote will have an impact on the future. So, keeping one foot
in the future refers to considering the impact of something before you do it. Think before
you act. Never make snap decisions unless it is a crisis.

“Being proactive is the foundation of the other habits of

highly effective people.”

– Stephen R Covey.

2.2 DO NOT GET BEHIND IN YOUR WORK

If you get behind in any of your work, all your work will suffer. When you are in a time
bind, every interruption, every additional request or even a coffee break becomes a stressor.
Things left undone themselves become a source of stress. Regardless of some people’s claim,
we do not work better under stress; we simply work faster. And speed in turn produces
errors and omissions.

If you are not proactive, your job, and the tasks and activities that it includes, will control
you rather than the other way around. You become so busy fighting fires, reacting to the
demands of others, solving problems that should never have occurred, playing “catch-up,”
and making amends for missed meetings, forgotten commitments and late assignments that
you get even further behind.

Proactive people, on the other hand, not only set deadlines for all priority tasks and projects,
they aim to finish these commitments well before the deadlines. This is a habit you should
develop – keeping one step ahead on many of the jobs that will have to be done in the
future. This will be covered in chapter five.

Proactive people do not often wait for things to happen; they make things happen. They
foresee consequences, risks, and opportunities and act to anticipate and change the expected
course of events. They feel in control, and confident in taking the initiative when a procedure
needs changing, a goal needs adjusting or a task needs doing. Proactivity becomes a mindset
that not only avoids needless work down the road but can avoid time-consuming problems
as well.

“Good planning always costs less than good reacting.”

– Wayne Schmidt.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON What it means to be proactive

2.3 “BEFORE” BEATS “AFTER” EVERY TIME

Proactive people would not think of making a telephone call without first jotting down the
items for discussion or going to the supermarket without first making a list of the items
they need. They do not resent looking at a map before taking a trip or googling a prospect’s
website before making a cold sales call or reading the instructions before assembling a
swing set. They negotiate an assignment’s deadline before they take on the task, confirm
the next day’s work before they leave the office, and think about its impact on their work
and family before volunteering to serve on a committee.

They make sure they are clear on the company’s mission and policies before setting goals,
check what is available on the market before selecting a planning calendar and prioritize
their workload before scheduling the individual tasks in their planner.

In the next chapter we will discuss an example of how a proactive person might use this
“before rather than after” approach in the case of a person seeking employment.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Example of a proactive approach

3 EXAMPLE OF A PROACTIVE
APPROACH

3.1 BEING PROACTIVE WHEN SEEKING EMPLOYMENT

Most people use a reactive rather than a proactive approach to finding employment. They
wait until the jobs are advertised in the newspapers or online or on bulletin boards, and
then apply for the positions that appeal to them. And they must compete with everyone
else who is looking for a job. The odds are against them. Regardless of their qualifications,
most never reach the interview stage where important qualifications such as personality,
enthusiasm, integrity, attitude and so on are revealed for the first time.

Compare that to a proactive approach where you might apply for a position before it is
advertised or even available. If you were a proactive person you would probably start looking
for a job even before you needed one. Do not wait until you graduate from college. Or if
you are currently employed and hear rumours of downsizing or layoffs, do not wait until
it happens. If you are in a dead-end job or dissatisfied with the work, environment, people
or pay, do not wait until the stress makes you ill or forces you to quit.

“You cannot change what you have done, only what you
are going to do.”

– Suze Orman

Take a proactive approach and identify the companies you would like to work for, research
these companies, determine how you could be a valuable asset to them in your area of
expertise and approach the hiring managers before any jobs are advertised. Who is your
competition now? Have the odds of gaining appropriate employment increased any?

3.2 NETWORKING CAN FURTHER YOUR CAREER

Networking is being proactive. 70 percent of all jobs, for instance, are not found from
answering want ads or sending out resources, but by networking. Most of the people that I
have hired during my lifetime were from referrals from other people who knew I was looking
for someone with specific qualifications. Purposeful networking is an effective strategy to
help you get a job, further your career or expand your business. Those who do not have a
networking plan are seriously limiting their potential for success. It is a proactive activity
that not only benefits you in the present but safeguards your future as well.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Example of a proactive approach

The more people you meet through networking, the more effective you will become. You meet
a lot of people simply by going about our daily routine. But you should also have a plan.
What type of company would you like to work for, and which specific companies appeal
to you? If you do not know, find out. Being proactive is not any easier than pounding the
pavement, knocking on doors. It is simply more effective. The results you get are normally
in proportion to the effort you put into the search.

Assume you are seeking a position in quality control at the management level with a company
such as 3M. That should be specific enough. And remember you can always change your
plan or modify your focus. But if you have nothing to aim at, you will probably have the
results to match.

Google the companies, scan the newspapers for articles about them, and visit their websites.
Become familiar with their products, mission statements, community involvements and so
on. Pay special attention to anything you discover about quality control in the company
or companies you are targeting. Do this to the extent that if you met people from that
company today, you would be able to carry on an intelligent conversation with them.

“Do nothing and nothing happens. Do something, and

something happens. “

– Benjamin Franklin

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Example of a proactive approach

To start with you should immediately join two associations, - a peer group, whose interests
match your own (which in your case would be a professional association such as the American
Society for Quality,) and one whose members represent your target market (such as your
local Chamber of Commerce or Association of Women Executives,) where executives from
those companies would attend. If your target market is small business owners. you might
join the local chamber of commerce or board of trade or an association of entrepreneurs.
Check to make sure the executives of your target companies belong to the associations you
choose.

It does not have to be a job that you are after. You could be looking for new customers,
increased sales, business growth, expert advice, or whatever. In any case, joining the associations
is not enough. You must attend their monthly meetings and other functions as often as
possible. The more visible you are, the more contacts you will make and the more chance
you have of gaining employment or referral business or help with an existing business. Do
not join too many associations. You simply will not have the time to network properly.
There is little reward for having your name listed in a membership roster.

When you join these associations, get involved if possible. I have owned an association
management company where we managed dozens of associations, and all of them were
constantly seeking volunteers. Officers and committee members are on networking’s inside
track when it comes to opportunities, whether that involves a career, information, product
promotion, company growth or simply expanding your network for future use. You do not
need a specific reason right now for networking. It is also a proactive person’s insurance
policy for the future, and a great way to make friends and expand your horizons.

“Know the value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every

moment of it.”

– Lord Chesterfield

The more you network, the easier it becomes. Have plenty of business cards and one-page
resumes. And memorize an “elevator speech” – a brief description of your specialty skills,
experience, intentions, and unique value proposition. When someone asks what you do,
simply say you are currently unemployed, if that happens to be the case, and explain what
type of job you are looking for. Or you could set yourself up as an independent consultant
temporarily. Keep your elevator speech less than 30 seconds in length, but include the
name of a couple of companies you have worked for, the specific skills that you offer, and
the benefit of these skills to your target market. And rehearse it; because you never know
when you may need it.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Example of a proactive approach

Make up a few folders, which I refer to as “Press Kits.” containing detailed resumes, copies
of certificates from courses you have completed, articles you may have written for a company
newsletter, referrals, major accomplishments – anything that highlights your experience,
expertise, accomplishments, awards, education and so on.

3.3 NETWORKING IS MORE THAN A JOB-SEEKING TOOL

The above suggestions apply to anyone seeking a change of careers, promoting a product or
service, creating new markets or whatever. And there are plenty of other business activities you
could attend, such as business mixers, conferences, trade shows and new business openings.

Arrive at every meeting a little early so you meet people as they arrive. Overcome your
reluctance to start up a conversation. I realize that some people are more extroverted than
others, but you can overcome any fear simply by realizing that they are just as anxious
to talk to you. The more you network, the easier it becomes. And networking requires a
proactive approach.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habits of proactive people

4 HABITS OF PROACTIVE PEOPLE

4.1 WHAT MAKES A PERSON PROACTIVE?

Proactive people have developed seven habits that distinguish them from other, less proactive
people. The habits are listed below and will be discussed in greater detail in this and the
following chapters.

1. They prepare for all future events, projects, and tasks.

2. They keep ahead of their commitments.
3. They do not wait, they anticipate.
4. They take control of their time.
5. They improve their power or recall.
6. They enhance their lives with value-added experiences.
7. They maintain a proactive attitude.

4.2 HABIT # 1: PREPARE FOR ALL FUTURE

EVENTS, PROJECTS, AND TASKS
The first step in preparing for future events is to make sure that you will have time in
the future to attend the event or complete the scheduled task. The moment you make a
commitment of any kind, you must block off the time in your planning calendar to fulfill the
commitment. Surprisingly, most people simply make a note of the event or activity or task
to be completed, along with the date. Procrastination, last minute cancellations, rescheduled
activities, are all usually due to the failure at the time that you make the commitment to
ensure there will enough time available for the event.

“A schedule defends from chaos and whim.”

– Anne Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winner.

If it is a task to be completed, use your planning calendar, and block off enough time to
complete the task plus an additional 20% or more. I allow 50%, because invariably I would
underestimate the time it would take or the interruptions that I would have to contend
with at that time. If travel time is needed as well, allow for it.

Then, as you mentally walk through the future event, as described later, jot down what you
will need to complete the event, task, or activity. If you need to order something, invite
people, or download information, do it at that time, or at least well before the event. And
be sure to have a follow up file, carton, or whatever is needed, appropriately labeled, to
house the material.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habits of proactive people

Meetings are good examples of time wasted due to a lack of preparation. People may have
the time scheduled, and yet have neglected to read the reports in advance or review the
agenda items to determine whether they need to prepare or do anything in advance of the
meeting. And you cannot leave these things until the day of the meeting.

4.3 PREPARING REQUIRES PLANNING

Just as there are standing plans that can be used repeatedly, there are also standing checklists
that can be used for repetitive events such as sales calls, seminars, meetings, conferences,
and so on.

You should make up a checklist of things you need to do or bring to the event - one
checklist for each event. Be sure to house the checklist in a follow up file to review a day
or two before the event.

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”

– George S. Patton

A networking checklist might list such items as business cards, company brochures, press
kits, client lists and so on. What are the items you wish that you had brought along the last
time? Copies of your unique value statement? A copy of your elevator speech for review?
Those promotional pens? Add them to your checklist.

4.4 THE MENTAL WALK-THROUGH

If proactive people will be attending a conference in a different city, they go beyond actually
booking air travel, arranging ground transportation, and booking a hotel room.

In their imagination they mentally walk through the three days of events, deciding in
advance what they will wear at the various functions, which presentations they will attend,
and who they will seek out to maximize their networking opportunities. In the process,
they might decide that they will need business cards, writing materials, an empty carry-on
bag to house the information that they will be collecting at the exhibits and casual clothes
for the Saturday night barbecue.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habits of proactive people

In their pocket or purse they carry a marked envelope in which deposit their various receipts,
and an expense form that they fill out during spare moments in their hotel room. It is no
accident that a proactive people always seem to have a spare pen to loan, a safety pin to
offer, a Band-Aid or pain killer when someone’s in distress and shampoo when there’s none
in the hotel room. These are the people you turn to when you need a hair dryer or a list
of meeting rooms or change for the hotel vending machine. They are also the people who
are frequently selected as project managers, management trainees and group leaders. They
are organized, punctual and productive – and respected by their managers and peers alike.

The day goes so much easier when you keep on top of your work.

These practices can be developed and nurtured until they become habits. Practice with little
things, such as deciding before going to bed what clothes you will be wearing the next
morning. You may discover that something needs pressing. In the morning, mentally walk
through the day. What time will you leave the house, where will you park, what jobs will
you do first etc. The more times you think ahead, the more comfortable you will become
with planning. As you see your days running smoother, with fewer crises and problems, the
more you will be encouraged to become proactive in everything you do.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 2: keep ahead of your commitments

5 HABIT # 2: KEEP AHEAD OF

YOUR COMMITMENTS

5.1 CATCH UP AND GET AHEAD

If you get behind in any of your work, all your work will suffer. When you are in a time
bind, every interruption, every additional request or even a coffee break becomes a stressor.
Things left undone themselves become a source of stress. Regardless of some people’s claim,
we do not work better under stress; we simply work faster. And speed in turn produces
errors and omissions.

If you are not proactive, your job, and the tasks and activities that it includes, will control
you rather than the other way around. You become so busy fighting fires, reacting to the
demands of others, solving problems that should never have occurred, playing “catch-up,”
and making amends for missed meetings, forgotten commitments and late assignments that
you get even further behind.

Proactive people, however, not only set deadlines for all priority tasks and projects, they aim
to finish these commitments well before the deadlines. This is a habit you should develop
– keeping one step ahead on many of the jobs that will have to be done in the future.

When I suggest negotiating deadlines on assignments given to you, I mean even those with
seemingly realistic deadlines attached. Managers usually ask for things to be completed
before they really need them. That is how they became managers. They are being proactive
by allowing for the unpredictable. What you are doing is negotiating away some of that
extra time for your own use. Except that you do not use it unless it is essential. You aim
for the minimum time and look great when you finish early.

“Being on top of your work gives you a great sense of

energy and flow. Being behind causes stress and results in
exhaustion, burnout and depression.”

– Mark Forster, author, Secrets of Productive People.

“Just-in-time” might be a great strategy for inventory control, but not for tasks or projects.
And by applying the proper strategies you can do better than just keeping on top of your
job; you can keep ahead of your job as well.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 2: keep ahead of your commitments

These strategies include negotiating deadlines and then scheduling enough time each day or
each week to complete the assignments early. It will not only make you more productive, it
will build your reputation as well. Deadlines are a definite productivity aid. For a detailed
discussion on how to manage deadlines, refer to my book, Making Deadlines Work for You,
published by Bookboon.

5.2 BUILD AN INVENTORY OF COMPLETED WORK

When you have repetitive commitments, and most people do, there is an excellent opportunity
to not only keep up with your work, but to get ahead of it. Do you have monthly reports
to prepare? Weekly meetings to attend? Articles to write? Books to read? List all the tasks
you are committed to do on a regular basis.

For example, I write a column for a local newspaper every two weeks, post an article on
my time management blog every week, issue a newsletter every quarter, purchase supplies
as needed, and so on.

“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.”

– Peter Marshall

Many times in the past I have been under stress writing an article at the last minute,
searching for items to include in my newsletter, or trying to think of a topic, let alone
doing the writing for a column due the next day. But since I started being more proactive,
these situations are rare.

What you must do is build an inventory of material that you can draw upon when needed.
You do this by using the short segments of time that you get when you finish a task ahead
of deadline, or find yourself traveling by train or waiting for a virtual meeting to start or
standing in line at a grocery store or whenever. There are plenty of wasted minutes they
can be redeemed if you are prepared to take advantage of them. The largest chunks of time
I get available are those times when I take less time for the important task than had been
scheduled in my planner.

5.3 DEVELOP YOUR OWN SYSTEM

I always try to keep about three blog articles, two column articles, and enough material
for one complete newsletter ahead. They are the items that used to cause me most of my
grief. Some weeks are worse than others, and there is not always time to work ahead on

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 2: keep ahead of your commitments

certain projects. Those are the times I am most thankful that I have an inventory of work
to draw on. You can decide what your safety factor should be, but I do not think you can
ever have too much. Newsletter material can be used for articles or a blog and vice versa.

There is more information on how to inventory these items in my book, How to Keep on
Top of your Job, published by Bookboon, but your tasks will be different than mine so use
whatever works for you.

5.4 THE “WORK AHEAD” CONCEPT

This habit of working ahead on major tasks also works well with the smaller daily items
that occur, such as meetings, telephone calls, e-mail messages, office inventory, and so on.

For example, if you must take the minutes at meetings, working from the agenda you
can write up at least half of the information based on your experiences in all those past
meetings. It is difficult to listen and make notes at the same time, especially if more than
one person is talking at the same time. It would be easier if you drew up a skeleton outline
of your minutes ahead of time, complete with names of those present, time convened and
adjourned, and boilerplate material, such as “After considerable discussion it was moved
byy_________ , seconded byy_________ , that we proceed with the inventory on June 15th as
planned. You can always change the odd word, cross off or add to your version of what
you think will occur.

“Most of the successful people I have known are the ones

who do more listening than talking.”

– Bernard Baruch

Before you make a phone call you can jot down the items you want to discuss so you will not
forget anything. When you receive a phone call you can make notes on a pad of forms, entering
who called, the time, items discussed, action required, and date the action is completed. You
could use text replacement software when writing e-mail messages, so you do not have to keep
typing the same complex and technical words when referring to your product lines or typing
the same paragraph in most emails. Even the numbering cartons of office supplies, stacking
them in reverse order on the shelves, and reordering when you reach number 2, would ensure
you never run out of ink toner, computer paper, felt pens, or whatever.

These are all examples of the “work ahead” concept of being proactive by keeping ahead of
your commitments. The more you do this, the more it becomes a habit, and you will find
that you are questioning most tasks and activities to determine whether there is a better
way of doing them.

23
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 3: do not wait, anticipate

6 HABIT # 3: DO NOT
WAIT, ANTICIPATE

6.1 ANTICIPATE YOUR NEEDS

Proactive people anticipate the future needs of themselves and others. For example, if you
write articles, books, or business reports, you anticipate that the reader will want to know
the reliability of your information, and where you got it, so you include references and a
bibliography, and links to sources when appropriate. If you sponsor a webinar at a specific
time, you anticipate the participants will want to know what the time will be in your time
zone, so you make it easier for them by including a link to a world time zone converter.
If you are a publisher you might anticipate that your international authors might want to
know what their royalties are in their own currency, so you include a link to a currency
converter. If you are a service employee, you anticipate that a caller will want to know when
you will be available, so you leave that information on your voice mail message or direct
them to someone else if it is an urgent matter, and so on. Here are some specific examples
of anticipating the needs of others.

“Brands and individuals who offer radically superior customer

service stand out because they anticipate unexpressed
needs or wishes.”

– Carmine Gallo, Leadership Strategy.

6.2 ANTICIPATE WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL NEED

We know, for instance that one thing customers need is service, and if you do not they will
go elsewhere. A study conducted by the Research Institute of America found that 90% of
customers who are dissatisfied with the service they receive will not come back again. They
also found that only 4% of unhappy customers ever bother to complain, yet each unhappy
customer tells his or her story to an average of nine other people.

According to eMarketer, it costs five to ten times as much to find a new customer as it does
to retain an existing one. Loyal customers are more profitable to your business because they
usually buy more of your products and services, are less sensitive to price, and often refer
other clients to you.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 3: do not wait, anticipate

You might do a mental walk-through, visualizing yourself as the customer. How would you
like to be treated? I know I like to be greeted with a smile and a willingness to help, not
someone who is transferring their bad hair day onto me.

It is important to keep in contact with past customers, offer guarantees, and provide fast
service. Building loyal clients is an important part of any marketing strategy. You do this
by earning their respect and demonstrating a sincere concern for their well-being. Deliver
more than you promise. This requires that you respect their time.

Another thing we can anticipate is that people do not want to be kept waiting. If you are
a professional or operate a business where the customer comes to you, a certain amount of
waiting cannot be avoided – especially in the case of doctors, lawyers, accountants and so
on. But research shows that customers perceive waiting time to be less if there are signs to
read in your waiting room – or anything else that will keep them occupied. Always have
something to read such as current magazines and signs as well as Wi-Fi. If appropriate, TV
and a play area with toys for kids would also be a plus.

“Genuine emergencies are rare. Errors of anticipation are

legion.”

– The Art of Time

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 3: do not wait, anticipate

Waiting time also seems shorter if customers have someone to talk to. Paco Underhill, in
his book “Why we buy,” recommends taking care of the customer within two minutes. This
is not always possible; but any waiting without contact over a minute and a half creates
time distortion in the minds of the customers.

Time waiting after initial contact seems to go faster than the same amount of time spent
waiting before the interaction. So, acknowledging that the customer is waiting tends to
relieve time anxiety. It is a good idea to acknowledge the customer when they first arrive
and at least every five minutes thereafter.

Even giving the customer an estimate of the waiting time is better than nothing. Underhill
claims that being told the wait would be about two minutes makes the actual four- or
five-minute wait go faster.

In a supermarket or in some retail store situations, a single line leading to the cashiers
ensures that people are served in turn. And impulse items placed where the line forms, not
only distracts from the wait, but is also smart merchandising. Customers hate waiting in
line, and stores with long line-ups at the check-outs frequently encounter abandoned carts
containing merchandise.

6.3 ANTICIPATE WHAT YOUR BOSS WILL NEED

For one thing, your boss does not need more problems, he or she needs solutions. So,
whenever you encounter a problem, think about it before dumping the problem on the
boss. Bring some suggested solutions along with you. You will become a lot more valuable
to both your boss and the organization. Bosses need people who help them succeed in
their current job, and get promotions in the future, which helps you get promoted in turn.

You can help both the boss and you by anticipating their needs. They need assignments
completed early, not late, goals achieved, new ideas proposed, and information provided
without being asked. They need you to volunteer to assume portions of their jobs. They
need you to improve your skills and knowledge and be ready to assume their position at
any time. They need you to be proactive.

“Plan in advance how a job should be done, and it is half

done.”

– Henry Kaiser

26
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 3: do not wait, anticipate

6.4 ANTICIPATE WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES NEED

The biggest needs of most employees is to be listened to, understood, kept informed, receive
feedback on their performance, have their efforts acknowledged, and made to feel like they
have important roles in the success of the organization. You will know your employee’s specific
needs as you communicate with them on an ongoing basis, and during your performance
reviews. Goals, procedures, policies all help them to be proactive in their jobs.

Some managers have brief daily stand-up meetings with their staff to make sure everyone
is on the right track, roughly know one another’s plan for the day, have an opportunity to
get clarification on anything that might hinder the day’s progress, and are able to minimize
any interruptions during the day.

6.5 ANTICIPATE WHAT YOUR EQUIPMENT WILL NEED

Preventive maintenance is maintenance that is regularly performed on each piece of equipment
while it is still in good working order so that it is less likely to break down in the immediate
future. In the manufacturing companies I worked, these dates were chosen based on the
suppliers’ recommendations, past experiences, and the experiences of other companies. In
some cases, it could be just educated guesses. But it is a lot less expensive to be proactive
with preventive maintenance than having a breakdown in the middle of a production run.

6.6 ANTICIPATE WHAT YOU NEED PERSONALLY

Similarly, we have preventive health care, or proactive health care, to prevent our bodies’
equipment from breaking down. That is why it is recommended that we exercise regularly,
eat well, get adequate sleep and so on. For example, it is better that you are proactive
rather than wait to be reactive to the symptoms of a flu virus. By boosting your immune
system with vitamin C and antioxidants, drink plenty of fluids follow recommended hygiene
protocol, and so on you are practicing proactive healthcare.

Almost everyone recognizes the wisdom in proactive health care, as we participate in

vaccinations, regular screenings for cancer, tests for dementia and whatever, and yet most
of us fail to apply the same principle to our work and careers. In fact, Chrissy Scivicque
claimed in her book, The Proactive Professional, that when she researched proactivity, she
learned that most people wait for life to happen to them and then react to it.

We should all keep one foot in the future. And by that I do not simply mean trying to
predict what will happen in the future and preparing for it, but by creating the future you
would like to live. You do this by setting and achieving goals on an ongoing basis.

27
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 4: take control of your time

7 HABIT # 4: TAKE CONTROL

OF YOUR TIME

7.1 STAY ON TOP OF YOUR JOB

We are healthier and happier and more productive when we feel that we are on top of our
jobs. When you are on top of things, you feel confident, unstressed, and in control. If you
are not in control, you will feel stressed and disorganized.

If you are reactive, your job and the tasks and activities it includes, will control you rather
than the other way around. You become so busy fighting fires, reacting to the demands of
others, solving problems that should never have occurred, and making amends for missed
meetings, forgotten commitments and late assignments, that you get even further behind.
You will have insufficient time for planning, innovating, and delegating. If you are a business
owner, you will be working in the business instead of on the business.

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the hanging on of an uncompleted

task.”

– William James.

7.2 THOSE WHO THINK AHEAD GET AHEAD

Those who think ahead seldom get behind. And thinking ahead involves setting personal
and organizational goals. By setting goals and scheduling the goal-related activities in your
planner, you are determining in advance how you will be spending the bulk of your time.

There is no one best way to set goals. I described one or two goal setting procedures in
my book, Develop a Goal-setting Mindset, published by Bookboon. As far as my latest small
business was concerned, I had a simple system where I would ask myself, “If I only had
time to achieve one thing this year that would improve my company’s success, what would
it be?” I would do some solo brainstorming, choose one idea and write it down. Then I
would ask, “If I had more time, what would I choose as number two?” And so on, until I
had selected five or six goals, and then I would stop. Do not take on too much.

28
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 4: take control of your time

I would write those goals in the front of my planning calendar, along with deadline dates.
And then block off time each week to work on these goal-related activities. That was my
one big overriding goal - spend time each week working on a goal related activity. If you
spend even a little time each week working on a goal, it will get done. The key is to block
off the time in advance, be proactive, and follow through on your commitments.

Working exclusively from a To do list is being present oriented. Working from a planner
is future oriented. In the latter case, you are assigning future time, not just present time,
to the various tasks that must be done. By allocating future time to tasks, you know how
much time will still be available for other tasks and activities. You are able to prioritize when
you work from a To do list, but the tendency is to do the urgent items first, regardless of
their importance. And there are so many urgent items, you continually delay the important
ones that are not yet urgent.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not

an act, but a habit.”

– Aristotle

One of the problems with that approach is that some of the things you want to do are
delayed forever. You may want to write a book to gain credibility and multiply your income
as a professional speaker for example. Or convert your website to e-Commerce and increase
your income by selling online. Or develop a new product that everyone agrees would be a
top seller. But those things are not urgent, and the time to work on them is not yet available
because there are so many urgent items that must be done first - items that simply help
you continue with the status quo.

Many great ideas are abandoned simply because people do not have the time to work on them.

The main reason that people lose control of their time is their tendency to be reactive, not
proactive. When you are reactive, you allow circumstances to control you, rather than the
other way around. You must take control of your time and block off future time for the
important activities that will achieve your goals. Do not sacrifice what you want most for
those urgent tasks that continue to consume your time.

You cannot control your time by using a To do list. There is no commitment in a To do

list. You would never add “Attend a meeting tomorrow,” on a To do list. You would mark
it in a planning calendar such as on February the 14th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Use the
same planner to block off times to work on your personal goals as well. Time to write, think
and do. Keep those commitments. Forget about working on urgent items that have little
impact on the success of the company. Say “no” to most requests that would do nothing
to further your goals. Time is too valuable a resource to waste on trivial things.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 4: take control of your time

7.3 PROACTIVITY DEFEATS PROCRASTINATION

People do not procrastinate on important work by doing nothing; they simply do other
things instead. If they have other things to do that are more pleasant and easier to do
than those important, goal-related tasks, they have an excuse to delay those more difficult
tasks. After all, they cannot do everything. And they have a brain that is always looking to
conserve energy and take the path of least resistance.

“When opportunity comes, it is too late to prepare.”

– John Wooden

But if they can keep on top of their jobs – or ahead of them as illustrated earlier – by being
proactive, they have no excuse for delaying those important tasks. And since the proactive
approach includes goal setting, deadlines, and breaking those larger tasks into smaller chunks
and working on them a little at a time, they no longer seem so overwhelming.

Proactivity and procrastination cannot both exist at the same time. They are mutually
exclusive.

7.4 KEEP IT SIMPLE

To have enough time to work ahead and build up an inventory of completed work, it is
essential that you do not waste time on trivial tasks. This involves saying “no” to others as
well as to yourself. Work on those important tasks that will achieve your goals, align with
your personal policies, and further your purpose in life. According to the Pareto Principle
or 80/20 Rule, 20% of the activities managers are involved in produce 80% of the results,
and priority should be focused on those valuable 20% rather than giving equal attention
to everything. Also, attention should be focused on the important items, not the urgent
(unless those urgent activities and tasks are equally important.) This is discussed in detail
in my book, Accomplish More by Doing Less, published by Bookboon.

People tend to get carried away or sidetracked when Googling for information as well.
People probably need only 20% of the material they download, 20% of the material they
read, and are continually distracted by pop-up ads and superfluous information. It may
be interesting information but learn to say no to the good so you can say yes to the best.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 4: take control of your time

7.5 TAKE THE INITIATIVE

If you know what should be done and you have the authority to make the decision, do so.
Do not leave it up to someone else or spread the responsibility by deciding by committee,
or even consulting with others. Proactive people are confident in their decisions and take the
lead when action is required. For example, when their boss is unavailable, a proactive person
does not hesitate to decide on their behalf and will be prepared to defend that decision.

Proactive people take the initiative when a thank you, or acknowledgement is called for.
They take the initiative when someone needs help, or an emergency occurs, or there is work
to be done. Reactive people want to be told, but proactive people initiate.

“Initiative is doing the right thing without being told.”

– Victor Hugo

People who take the initiative usually save time for themselves and others. With the technology
available today, they would not hesitate to look something up on the Internet rather than
interrupt someone to ask for help. It not only saves time but increases their knowledge.
Initiate means “to begin.” People who initiate action can never be accused of procrastination.

31
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 5: improve your power of recall

8 HABIT # 5: IMPROVE YOUR

POWER OF RECALL

8.1 HOW MEMORY WORKS

Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske describe how our memory works in their book, The Winner’s
Brain. At about 18 months, toddlers learn and retain the meaning of up to 10 words per
day, and by the time they reach adulthood, most recognize at least 60,000 words. Plus,
hundreds of thousands of other experiences and skills like driving, meeting their spouse for
the first time, playing tennis, or whatever.

The information or memory is stored in different places in their brain. What they see goes
to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe. What they hear goes to the auditory cortex in
the temporal lobe. What they taste goes to the insular-opercular cortex, and so on. Then
they are all rerouted to the other neural destinations as their brain works to recognize and
evaluate the incoming information. It takes a fraction of a second.

“Memory’s most important function is to help you make

predictions about the future so you can make accurate
conclusions about how best to achieve your goals.”

– The Winner’s Brain

The structure that weaves these memory traces into a unified experience is the hippocampus,
which in turn works with other regions, such as the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex to
evaluate the importance of incoming information. Data they do not need is deleted and
relevant data are consolidated into long-term storage for future use.

You have an amazing brain. Whenever you focus on, what impresses you most and you deem
important, is retained. The memory is influenced by your mood, surroundings, and other
circumstances. You encode memories more strongly when you are in a highly emotional
state or it is unusual what has significant meaning, or you are playing close attention to
it. You remember what you really want to remember, and soon forget the rest. That is one
reason multitasking works against memory and mindfulness works in its favour.

You can influence the memory every time you recall it, so it can be a little different each
time you remember it. Therefore, the first recall is the most accurate one.

But what does all this have to do with being proactive?

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 5: improve your power of recall

8.2 REMEMBERING THE FUTURE

Research has shown that the same regions of the brain that are used for planning new
events are used for remembering past events. If projecting ourselves into the future requires
the same brain circuitry as we use to recall information from the past, it makes sense that
improving our recall will help us be more proactive.

We use our memories from the past when we travel forward in our minds to predict how
people will react to various alternatives that we might be considering. Episodic memory –
the sequential recollection of personal events from the past are drawn upon when we plan.
In fact, it was also found that the reverse is true as well. Students’ memories worked best
when they planned.

8.3 MEMORY INFLUENCES PROACTIVITY

The brain relies on memory to imagine, simulate, and predict possible future events. Studies
show that imagining the future depends as much on the same neural machinery that is
needed for remembering the past. Assuming this is true, practicing memory improvement
techniques will also strengthen your ability to be proactive.

“We rely on our memories to envision the future.”

– Carl Zimmer, author, The Tangled Bank

Harvard Medical School researcher Moshe Bar, as well as other researchers, claimed that
even straightforward memory functions like memorizing a grocery list can be improved by
using a proactive approach. By reading the list over a few times before entering the store,
you are priming your brain. As you walk up the aisles, the items on your list will stand out
on the shelves, and you will eliminate a lot of searching and backtracking.

I refer to this as sensitizing your mind. For example, I have found that if I want to write a
book on a certain topic, and I think about the topic, and make notes about the information
I should include, during my daily routine, almost miraculously, I come across articles, blogs,
magazines, and so on that address these topics. It is similar to the experience of buying a car,
complete with visits to dealerships, negotiating on price, taking a test run in the specific car,
model, colour etc. that you want, and after finally making the purchase, noticing a dozen
or more identical vehicles on the way home. And you thought it was a unique selection!

33
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 5: improve your power of recall

In the example of the grocery list referred to above, as I read the items on the list, I also
visualize where the items would be located in the store and say them out loud in that order.
I can pick up each item in that order as I walk the aisles. You must be familiar with the
supermarket to do this, but I shop at the same store most of the time.

The more you visualize the future, the more proactive you will become. The past, present,
and future are all connected, and although you can only be physically in one of them at
any one time, you can mentally participate in all three.

“You tend to encode memories more strongly when you are

in a highly emotional state, it has significant meaning, it’s
really unusual, or you’re paying close attention.”

– Jeff Brown & Mark Fenske.

8.4 MEMORY TECHNIQUES THAT CAPTURE

THE EXPERIENCES OF YOUR PAST
You are the sum of your remembered experiences. The more experiences you have, the more
information your brain can call upon to predict what will probably happen in the future
by taking different actions in the present. But your brain must retain and be able to recall
those experiences, lessons, and information from the past to do so.

If an experience is emotional, dramatic, unusual, significance or unique, you will probably

retain, and recall it easily. But for most of what we learn, see, hear, do, or experience, this
is not the case. Ask any student trying to recall facts and figures at exam time, and he or
she will tell you that all memories are not created equal, and that you must be intentional
and focused when you study something in order to recall it on demand.

8.5 HOW TO BOOST YOUR RECALL

My eBook, Boost your Memory and Sharpen your Mind, published by Bookboon.com, covers
this topic in detail, but here are a few of the more important ways of improving your recall
of items committed to memory.

• Associate new information with information that you already know and can
recall easily.
• Always understand any information before committing it to memory.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit # 5: improve your power of recall

• Make up a brief story, implanting the new information you wish to remember.
The brain loves and remembers stories.
• Make up a rhyme or jingle that incorporates the new information, such as “30
days has September, April, June, and November.”
• Make up an acronym of the key words you want to remember. Example: for
the Great Lakes that border Canada and the USA, the word HOMES represents
Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
• Recall the information in the same location in which you memorized it, if
possible.
• Periodically review information that you have memorized.
• When memorizing anything, whether a list of names, facts, procedures, or skills,
visualize them in your mind.
• Use body language as you memorize, gesturing as you proceed. Movement assists
the memory and recall processes.

“The acts of learning and memory retrieval will strengthen

your cognitive skills and get you into the reason brainset.”

– Shelley Carson, author, Your Creative Brain.

35
 HABIT # 6: ENHANCE YOUR LIFE WITH
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON VALUE-ADDED EXPERIENCES

9 HABIT # 6: ENHANCE
YOUR LIFE WITH VALUE-
ADDED EXPERIENCES

9.1 THE GREATER THE INPUT, THE GREATER THE OUTPUT

As discussed in the last chapter, information from your past is called upon for decision-
making, creativity and problem solving in the future. Your brain can call on past experiences,
learned knowledge, effective habits, activities, and so on to prepare for, predict, and perform
in the future. So, the more information and variety of experiences in your past, the more
useful these memories become in increasing your proactivity. We are all born proactive to
varying degrees; that is one of the traits of humans. But it is always possible to improve
your performance. Here are some suggestions that will increase the bank of information
that your brain will have at its disposal.

9.2 SEEK VARIETY IN YOUR LIFE

Not only does a broad range of interests and skills make you a more interesting person, it
increases your creativity as well. Your brain needs variety to make the usual connections
that lead to innovative ideas. There is little sense in thinking outside the box if there is
nothing outside the box. Do not simply go deeper into your own specialty, whether that
is management, technology, or whatever. Take special interest courses and develop hobbies
that have nothing to do with your profession. Do not make your only hobby collecting
butterflies if you are an entomologist.

“The man who does not read has no advantage over the
man who cannot read.”

– Mark Twain

9.3 READ AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Most people are strapped for time, but it is essential that you make time for reading on a
variety of topics. In 2016, Yale researchers collected data from 3600 men and women over
fifty, discovering that people who read books for thirty minutes a day or more were living
an average of two years longer than non-readers.

36
 HABIT # 6: ENHANCE YOUR LIFE WITH
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON VALUE-ADDED EXPERIENCES

Reading, especially those business books and other nonfiction books that stimulate the brain
even more, is believed to improve memory as well. The reason given was that it increased
their empathy and emotional intelligence, improving their social skills, which in turn led to
an increase in social interaction with others and ultimately lowered stress levels. They also
mentioned the advantage of improving vocabulary and exercising the brain, which both
have a positive impact on the brain. It is a good way of increasing cognitive reserve since
it is an integral part of lifelong learning.

At the same time, you must be careful not to waste much time reading non-essential material
online that is irrelevant to your job, interests, or purpose. As indicated by the 80/20 Rule,
you probably need only 20% of the information you take in to make 80% of the decisions
you will have to make or problems you will have to solve.

9.4 LET YOUR MIND WANDER

This may seem a strange suggestion when we are talking about increased productivity, memory,
and being proactive in the same chapter, but we must give our brain a little time to make
connections and be creative. Brown and Fenske, writing in the Harvard Business Review,
maintain that we should give ourselves periods of uninterrupted thought during which we
let our mind wander since it gives the brain’s memory system extra time to recombine our
prior experiences in ways that can help us envision future possibilities.

“Associations provide the vehicle for memory encoding

and retrieval, but they are also proposed to serve as the
building blocks of predictions.”

– Moshe Bar

We dream up our most creative future projects, not while running between meetings, but
while leaning back in our chair contemplating the ceiling tiles or sipping a coffee in the
cafeteria. And it’s amazing how many times that thoughts come to you about things you
have to do to prepare for tomorrow’s meeting while you are thinking about something else
– or trying not to think at all. Give your proactive brain time to do its thing.

9.5 ENGAGE IN LIFELONG LEARNING

Never be satisfied with a formal education. The real learning starts upon graduation. The
usefulness of the information you receive before and after graduation is directly proportional
to the number of years you spend in the workforce. I believe this, because knowledge is

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON VALUE-ADDED EXPERIENCES

meant to be applied, not just remembered. Knowledge becomes wisdom when it is combined
with practical experience and life’s lessons. And as you grow older, it even helps protect you
from dementia and improves your quality of life.

Lifelong learning not only adds valuable information for later recall, the forced thinking
exercises the brain, grows neurons, and increases neural connections. Lifelong learning
could delay the onset of cognitive impairment by 3 to 8 years. Our chance of developing
Alzheimer’s drops 17% for every year of education beyond high school, according to John
Ratey, in his book, Go wild: free yourself from the afflictions of civilization.

“Teachability is the ability and willingness to learn and put

into practice whatever is needed to accomplish your goals.”

– John C Maxwell.

You do not have to go back to school or take courses to keep learning. You can also do it
by reading newspapers, listening to audio recordings, keeping up to date with world events,
discussing current events with friends at McDonald’s, and so on. But courses, seminars,
conferences, and workshops provide the opportunity to network, interact with others, and
build relationships as well.

Proactive people are not idle observers. They are active participants in all areas of their lives,
whether that is in school, at work, at home or away. Take responsibility for your own life.
Do not wait for others to make it better.

9.6 BUILD AND MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS

Mayo Clinic staff maintain that friendships can have a major impact on your health and
well-being, reducing the risk of high blood pressure, and an unhealthy body mass index.
And an article in the January 2018 issue of Prevention Guide claims that socializing, even
online, keeps your cells from aging too fast.

Staying socially engaged affects your cognitive functioning as well. And research by Sheldon
Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University indicates that the more social connections you have,
the greater your ability to fight infection.

Relationships also improve your mental health, boosting your happiness, reducing stress,
and improving your self-confidence and self-worth. People with strong social support have
a reduced risk of depression, and an increased sense of belonging and purpose.

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 HABIT # 6: ENHANCE YOUR LIFE WITH
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON VALUE-ADDED EXPERIENCES

People also tend to live longer than those with fewer connections. Data collected from
Brigham Young University showed that people with active social lives were 50% less likely
to die of any cause than their non-social counterparts. Low levels of social interaction have
the same effects as smoking 15 cigarettes a day – and even worse effects than being obese
or not exercising.

Besides networking, discussed earlier, you can meet people and build relationships by
volunteering, attending community events, joining a church, working out at a gym, and
going to places where other people gather. It only remains to be proactive by reaching out to
others. Introduce yourself, initiate the conversation, exchange business cards if appropriate,
and follow-up if you with an invitation for coffee later if your interests seem to be mutual.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit #7: maintain a proactive attitude

10 HABIT #7: MAINTAIN A

PROACTIVE ATTITUDE

10.1 DEVELOP A PROACTIVE MINDSET

You must approach each day with a proactive mindset. This includes reviewing the
accomplishments of yesterday, achieving the plans for today, and confirming your goals for
tomorrow, all the while making sure you stay on target for the year.

“Being proactive means anticipating what might happen,

planning ahead, preparing in advance and acting ahead
instead of just reacting to circumstances.”

– Duncan Muguku

You can quickly get into the habit of being proactive by starting with the small, but time-
consuming things that you encounter on a regular basis. For example, income tax time is
frequently stressful and time consuming because of the last-minute searching for back-up
materials for the various deductions allowed. Tax time should not be viewed as a one-
time event consuming hours or days of your time, but a year-long process that produces
an organized collection of everything the CPA or you need to file the returns. Whether
hard copy or digital, it takes only minutes to prepare folders for the various income and
expense items that you receive throughout the year. For example, two sets of folders, one for
personal and the other for business to house copies of various receipts as they occur would
be a proactive approach for an entrepreneur and save a lot of time and grief in the future.

Filling the car’s gas tank when it’s convenient rather than when it’s empty, keeping an
inventory of greeting cards, sorted into categories, before you need them, and updating
your resume quarterly even though you are happily employed are all examples of being
proactive. Getting into the habit of small things like these can build the larger habits of
always starting to plan a repetitive event as soon as the last one has ended, booking speakers
for your meetings at least two meetings ahead, and managing stress before it becomes a
problem. Be patient. You cannot become a proactive person overnight. But when you do,
you will be in the minority, and a valuable asset to any company and in any job.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit #7: maintain a proactive attitude

10.2 PATIENCE AND PROACTIVITY GO HAND IN HAND

Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting
angry or upset. Everything worthwhile takes time. The best things seem to come to those
who are willing to wait. Patience allows you to be persistent because you do not expect
everything to happen overnight. You no longer see 10-year goals as unrealistic. You realize
that time passes quickly, and you are not putting your life on hold in the meantime. You
are continually setting and achieving short-term goals for the year, month, and week.

Some things cannot be rushed, and impatient people pass up great opportunities simply
because it would take too long to accomplish them. I recall as a youngster getting a fulltime
job at a supermarket after graduation from high school despite my older brother’s urging to
go to university and get a degree. “You will go a lot further a lot faster with a degree,” he
told me. My reply was “But it takes four years to get a degree. By the time I get a degree I
will be 24 years old! His reply? “Well you will be 24 years old anyway, won’t you?” It took
a year for his answer to sink in, but I finally realized he was right. Would I rather be 24
years old with a degree, or 24 years old without a degree?

The same thinking what apply if you are 50 and thinking of starting up in business, or 70
and thinking about getting a degree in physics. Would you rather be older with or without
something you wish you had done earlier?

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening

when you would have preferred to talk.”

– Doug Larson, columnist.

Time passes regardless of what you are doing. So, you might as well be doing something that
pays the greatest return on your invested time. Do what you need to do, and keep doing
it, sacrificing those immediate benefits that you want now, to obtain the major benefits
that you want the most.

10.3 BUILD RESILIENCE

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. It allows you to bounce back
from adversity. Building resilience also involves learning to look at criticism as something
constructive that can help you to improve even more. Resilient people see problems as things
to overcome and anticipate that they will occur along the way. They can avoid most of these
problems because they are proactive. But they are not been discouraged or overwhelmed
when they do occur. Proactivity does not stop all problems from occurring. There are things
that happen unexpectedly that are impossible to predict or avoid. But patience will allow
you to tolerate it until it is resolved, and a positive attitude will help you to solve it.

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HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON Habit #7: maintain a proactive attitude

10.4 POSITIVE THINKING ALWAYS LEADS TO POSITIVE DOING.

Do not let the bad days impact your future days. This can happen if you dwell on them.
The longer you think about a mishap, error, or negative outcome of any kind, you cement
it into your long-term memory, and it will emerge to negatively impact your future events,
decisions, and outcomes. Remember that your brain uses memories when making future
decisions. Look at every failure as a lesson learned rather than an opportunity lost, and
your future opportunities will lead to success.

“Where success is concerned, people are not measured in

inches, or pounds, or college degrees, or family background.
They are measured by the size of their thinking.”

– David Schwartz

As John Maxwell says in his book, Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn, “Knowledge
may come from study, but wisdom comes from learning and improving in the wake of
your mistakes.” And management guru Peter Drucker, claimed, “I would never promote a
person into a higher-level job who was not making mistakes … otherwise he is sure to be
mediocre.” If your expectations are low, so will be your personal productivity.

There is a definite connection between body and brain that we can use to alter our mood,
attitude, and behaviour. So, engage the body as well as the mind to develop a positive
attitude. Not only think positive thoughts but act out positive thoughts by tackling tasks you
previously though you were unable to do. Express positive thoughts in your conversations,
write positive thoughts in a journal, or e-mail messages to your friends. Surround yourself
with positive people. The more you think, act, speak write, experience, and share positive
things, the more quickly your brain will get the message that positivity is important for
your survival. And you will become a positive person.

“If you want to be ready to meet whatever challenges you

are going to face on a given day, and learn from them,
you need to be prepared.That means working in advance
– every day.”

– John C Maxwell

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 BOOKS REFERENCED IN “HOW TO
HOW TO BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON”

BOOKS REFERENCED IN “HOW TO

BECOME A PROACTIVE PERSON”
Brown, Jeff, et al. The Winners Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success. Da
Capo Lifelong, 2011.

Maxwell, John C. Sometimes You Win - Sometimes You Learn: Life’s Greatest Lessons Are Gained
from Our Losses. Center Street, 2015.

Scivicque, Chrissy. The Proactive Professional: How to Stop Playing Catch up and Start Getting
Ahead at Work (and in Life!). CCS Ventures, 2016.

Underhill, Paco. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. Simon & Schuster Pbks., 2009.

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