It’s a well-known fact that if you want to be successful, you must be good at being on top of things. It is the ideal way for one to be ahead in their game. But if you’re an up and comer, here are the best ways to be ahead and make sure you’re successful at being on top of things.
Success isn’t easy. When you look at influential businessmen and businesswomen, CEOs, Founder, you get inspired. Do you know what the one thing that most of them have in common is? They have all worked hard. Long days and even longer nights to be where they are today, and one of the critical factors that have helped them is always being on top of things.
If you’re lucky enough to ask them the reason behind all that they have achieved, they will tell you that it was because they were always ahead of their competitors in the game. This doesn’t just apply to top entrepreneurs and business people, but this also applies to Athletes, Designers, Celebrities, and heck, even students.
Always being on top of things is something that anyone and everyone must do to achieve your goals. And where do you go for advice? Well, all those interviews given by and books written by the people who inspire aren’t always that easy to configure and break down. How do you figure out what the very essence of being on top of things is?
Lucky for you, we’ve broken in down into 15 steps. Think of it as your guide to success and achieving all of your goals. So here is your guide to Being on top of things – 15 successful ways to be ahead
How to be Better Than the Average Person?
1. Know Yourself
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The very first thing you must do as part of being on top of things is getting to know yourself.
You must figure out what your strengths are and what your weaknesses are. There are many ways to do so, including Aptitude tests at centers and many available online as well.
Now, this is a crucial step because once you do figure out what your strengths are, you can strategize and come up with the best ways for you to play them.
And when it comes to the weaknesses, once you’ve got those listed down, you must try your best to work on them so that nobody will ever have the advantage over you of having a chance to exploit them.
2. Set Goals
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Being on top of things requires one to set benchmarks for themselves, giving you a competitive advantage. And every single time that you do achieve them/ hit them, you must set new ones.
This is an excellent way for you to be motivated. Always have a goal to work for, each one higher than the previous one. Being driven continuously is key to being successful; if you lose your motivation, you lose everything.
So always set goals. But remember setting goals one after the other does not mean that you only focus on them 24/7. You must also simultaneously focus on your mental and physical health.
3. Schedule ANYTHING and EVERYTHING
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If you want to get used to being on top of things, make sure you schedule everything that you have to do. This will also help you manage your time well.
If you’re at a position where you can have a secretary or an assistant, then it would be ideal. You can ask them to schedule any appointments for you. This will keep you organized and sane because you will then see how you’ve divided your hours.
This will also avoid any confusion, double bookings that you might have accidentally made, and save you the embarrassment. But remember always to keep your schedules at least a tad bit flexible. Do not strain yourself with work or meetings.
4. Time Yourself
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This is an excellent way for you for someone who wants to get used to being on top of things.
If you time yourself, you’ll know how long you take to do specific tasks, and this will help you manage your time well and organize your schedule too.
It’ll avoid having to extend specific meetings and pushing other tasks because it’s running longer than you expected. Because you would’ve timed yourself and known a rough estimate of how long you would need.
Now, this won’t always save you, but when it will, you’ll be grateful that you chose to do this.
5. Manage Your Time
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Both scheduling and timing yourself are interconnected with you managing your time well. This is one of the best ways for you to being on top of things and being successful in managing your time.
Remember they weren’t kidding when they said time is money. If you’re an up and comer in your industry, every minute of your time is precious, and you must not waste it. Using organizers and marking events on a calendar will help you with the same.
Just as you must manage your time and schedule everything that you have coming up, you must also take 15 minutes out of your busy days to work on the schedule itself. It’s also imperative that you take out enough time to rest and take care of your health.
Click here to read about tips on managing your time well.
6. Don’t skip meals
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I hate to be brutally honest here, but when it comes to being on top of things, if you don’t eat right and begin to skip meals, the only thing you’ll be on top of is a hospital bed.
And well, that certainly wasn’t on your schedule, was it? It is equally important to pay attention to your body and health. You won’t be any help in doing your best and being successful if you’re stuck to a bed because of an IV line.
Make sure that you eat at least three meals a day, every day. Make sure you drink lots of fluids all day long. And try your best to maintain a balanced diet. Proteins, Vitamins, Carbohydrates – all play a crucial role in being on top of things.
7. Get enough rest
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You do not want to be successful in your life as the person who worked themselves to their deathbed, only because you cared about the competitive advantage over others over your own health.
Instead, as a way of being on top of things, save yourself the embarrassment of fainting in the middle of a meeting due to overworking or exhaustion and get enough rest in an actual bed every night.
In your schedules, you must take out enough time for meals and rest as well.
Both mental and physical health are two things that you must pay enough attention to if you want to be used to being on top of things and be successful.
8. Think quick on your feet
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Being on top of things requires someone who thinks quickly on their feet. You must understand that things might not always go as planned. There will be ups, and there will be downs.
But when it’s a down, you must be able to think of a quick solution and fast. This will also show those whom you’re meeting with, your colleagues and bosses just how smart you are.
Being a quick thinker is a great skill that will take you a long way. Look for alternatives, look for ways to work with what you have, and manipulate your resources. Be creative, and make sure you think out of the box. This will make you stand out as well.
9. Make your surroundings as comfortable as possible
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To be someone great at being on top of things, you must remember that your office is like your second home. If you’re a student, your desk is the spot that you must be glued to.
Make your surroundings at work, at your desk as comfortable as possible. Decorate with a few personal items, have useful stationery, and an extra stationery supply as well.
Have a cushion for your chair, a comfortable backrest. People also often have soft slippers to wear while they sit at their desks.
Great tea packets, Instant coffee, light snacks for when you can’t eat your meals on time, and a water bottle. These are some essential items that you must have. You spend a lot of time here, so you must make sure that you’re comfortable.
10. Plan ahead
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Whether it’s an interview, a meeting, a presentation, or a review always plan. Being on top of things means planning.
This will help you and make a great impression on you as well. This way, everybody at your workplace/school will have more respect for you as well.
You must be prepared to present a meeting at 08:00 am, even though it was initially scheduled for 11:00 just because your boss’s schedule cleared up.
Remember, the higher-ups make their own time, while you have to work on theirs. They are where they are today because they used to plan too. Always be prepared for the unexpected. Don’t let anyone take you by surprise.
Click here to read more about the habits of successful people that you should look into.
11. Always have Back-ups
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You must know that being on top of things means always have back-ups and still backing things up.
Any file, picture, video, presentation, data whatever it maybe always back it up on drives—both online and offline hard-drives. Keep an extra tie in your desk drawer in case you spill lunch on yours. Always keep a pen in your purse.
Have back-ups ready for anything and everything. Big meeting coming up? Have your presentation backed up in soft-files just in case.
Need to send a town car to pick up a prominent executive? Have a back-up taxi driver’s number on your phone at all times.
This will save you the embarrassment in more situations than you would’ve thought of. And also impress your bosses and colleagues because it’ll show them that you are always prepared to face any problems life will go through at you.
12. Give witty and short responses
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Being on top of things means that you must also always give witty, short, and quick responses. Do not give anyone the chance to undermine you.
Don’t stray away from the vital point, and give direct answers. Be it an interview, presentation, review, or a casual discussion. Always be bold and answer with confidence. Be brave with your words.
And work on your vocabulary consistently. It’s essential to have excellent vocabulary and the right grammar.
This will also make you stand out among your peers and leave them impressed. These are the baby steps you must take to be successful.
13. Do your research
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Whenever you reply to somebody or are explaining or present, a guaranteed way to being on top of things is only speaking of what you know.
Always do thorough research, so you don’t find yourself stuck in a situation unable to answer your boss’s questions. Never bluff about things that you might not know the answers too. Be honest, and be respectful. But always make sure to do your research.
Try to see to that you don’t have to be in this kind of a situation in the first place, and never bluff about knowing something that you don’t because if you’re caught then you’ll be in big trouble, and that’s a risk that you don’t want to take.
14. Conduct Background Checks
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Whatever it may be – A competition, an interview, a presentation, etc. A guaranteed way to being on top of things is to do background checks.
About our competition, your boss, the executive, and the person interviewing find out as much as possible beforehand. This way, you can intimidate, impress, and indulge with them accordingly.
The same way you learn your strengths and weaknesses, you must discover theirs too. To be able to use them if ever required.
15. Get opinions and feedback
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A sure way to being on top of things is always to involve your peers.
You should always get the opinions and feedback of your colleagues. They’ll be impressed with you, stand by you, and respect you for the same. You’ll notice that soon, they’ll do the same for you as well.
They’ll also give you good feedback and valuable advice. Sometimes they might see something that you didn’t.
Do this for them, and they’ll do the same for you. It’s essential to gain the trust of those around you if you want to be successful.
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I hope this guide to being on top of things has given you ways in which you can be successful, things you must do to be ahead in your game. If you have any more tips, any views or comments about the same, do let us know in the comments.
Last Updated on by Sathi
