7 Tips That’ll Make You A High Achiever

Everyone wants to be successful in one way or another. Even if your career isn’t your top priority, something else sure is. The good thing about learning how to be a high achiever is that the same advice that works for academic or career success is helpful for other things as well. So here are the top seven tips that’ll help you achieve everything you want in life.

#1 Find Your Purpose

The number one thing that everyone needs to achieve a lot is to understand what it is that they want to achieve. Otherwise, it’s impossible to prioritize what really matters in the sea of seemingly important responsibilities. Sure, it’s not an easy decision to make. But you can’t possibly succeed unless you’ve identified your ultimate purpose and developed a laser focus.

Say a student wants to be a successful entrepreneur one day. Do they need to read tons of materials for an elective psychology course or spend hours on an argumentative essay for their mandatory English class? Hardly. It makes much more sense for them to get professional paper writing help from PaperWriter and focus on things like marketing and business studies instead.

#2 Find a Mentor

While a mentor isn’t central to one’s success, they can surely help (as long as it’s someone with knowledge and significant achievements in your chosen field). It can be a college professor, a successful business owner who has built a thriving business from scratch, or anyone with a career path you’d like to follow. Their advice and first-hand experience are irreplaceable.

Every junior professional is guaranteed to make a lot of mistakes on their career journey. At least some of them can be avoided if you manage to find a good mentor. You can look for them in your circle (this is the best option), via your college or work contacts, and even on LinkedIn. But make sure that your mentor is easily accessible and genuinely interested in entering a mentor-mentee relationship.

#3 Set SMART Goals

Everyone has at least heard about the benefits of goal setting. It increases one’s motivation, ensures accountability, and makes it easier to track one’s progress (among other things). But not everyone understands what a well-formulated goal is supposed to look like. So here’s a breakdown of what a SMART goal implies:

• Specific: What exactly it is you want to achieve.
• Measurable: How you’ll know you’ve achieved it.
• Achievable: It’s possible to achieve.
• Relevant: It helps your bigger picture, meaning your ultimate purpose.
• Time-Bound: There’s a specific timeframe within which you plan to achieve this goal.

Ideally, all major tasks on your to-do list should follow the SMART goal format. This’ll ensure that they bring you closer to your success and improve your self-efficacy.

#4 Keep Yourself Accountable

SMART goals are an awesome way to increase one’s accountability, but they aren’t enough. Most successful people also insist on how helpful journaling is. A person who uses both to-do lists and reflective journals increase their chances of not repeating their old mistakes. And research suggests that they are also less likely to procrastinate, which definitely helps.

A healthy and educational mentor-mentee relationship can keep you accountable as well. When you tell your mentor what your goals are for the next few weeks or so, they can keep you in check. This will give you extra motivation. But if you don’t have a mentor, a college study partner, or a friend, you’re comfortable sharing your goals with work too.

#5 Use Productivity Apps

Productivity apps are called this way for a reason. They do increase one’s chances of achieving their goals and help even die-hard procrastinators. Here are some nice options:

• Notion. Notion is perfect for everyone with a busy schedule and various responsibilities. It’s a note-taking app, a space for to-do lists, and a collaborative platform all in one.
• Todoist. Todoist is a simple yet effective app for creating to-do lists. Even the free basic version is helpful.
• Calendly. Calendly is great for people who have a lot of meetings and time-bound tasks. It’s way more convenient than Google Calendar.
• Engross. If you struggle with procrastination, install Engross. It’ll help you keep track of your distractions and eventually learn to avoid them.

#6 Don’t Procrastinate

If your immediate response to this one is, “Easier said than done,” you’re not wrong. Procrastination is probably the most serious barrier on everyone’s way to success. But luckily, helpful books, tips, and apps exist. Don’t sleep on them. And if you feel like you can’t overcome your tendency to procrastinate on your own, it’s okay to seek professional help.

But first, read Timothy A. Pychyl’s Solving the Procrastination Puzzle. It’s a straightforward yet thorough book about the roots, causes, and drivers of procrastination that’ll help you understand your brain better. Once you learn why you procrastinate, it’ll be easier for you to come up with anti-procrastination strategies that’ll work for you.

If you don’t like Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, there are great alternatives to choose from. Try The Science of Overcoming Procrastination by Patrick King, Steve Levinson’s Following Through, or Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy. You’ll find at least one of them life-changing.

#7 Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Finally, never be embarrassed to ask for help when you need it. No one, including all those successful leaders you consider your role models, has achieved what they have all by themselves. There’s a dream team behind every high achiever. A leader is, first of all, a master delegator.

So no matter what the problem is, know that it’s okay not to solve it on your own. If you feel like your procrastination is getting out of control, contact a mental health professional. If school assignments are overwhelming, consider a homework assistance service. And don’t beat yourself up afterward.

TL;DR

Becoming a high achiever is all about focus, goal setting, and expert help. Determine what your purpose is, learn how to set SMART goals, and find yourself a mentor to guide you and keep you accountable. And make the most out of helpful resources, including productivity apps and books, to help you beat procrastination.