How to be more proactive at work and in life

Do you know that one person who seems to have their life completely together? They are successful at work, they have a great personal life, they somehow manage to work out regularly, and they always seem to be prepared for everything.

You may think that they have sold their soul on the black market.

While that might be true, it’s most likely that they mastered the art of being proactive.

In this article, we’ll go over:

• What it means to be proactive, 
• How to become more proactive at work and in life (+ examples),  
• How to become less reactive, and
• What the benefits of being a forward-thinker are.

What does it mean to be proactive?

According to research on proactive behavior, “being proactive involves self-initiated, future-focused, and change-oriented behaviors.”

In other words, being proactive means thinking about the future and focusing on the things you can control instead of all those you cannot. 

The concept of proactivity was popularized by Stephen R. Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Being proactive is the very first habit he mentions.

To learn more about the difference between what it means to be proactive and what it means to be reactive, pay attention to the next paragraph. 

Being proactive vs. being reactive

As opposed to being proactive, being reactive means just waiting for things to happen to you. Specifically, circumstances dictate your actions instead of your actions dictating the circumstances. 

According to research on the difference between being proactive and reactive, a proactive person uses “initiative and action”, while reactive people “behave as simple witnesses of their lives.”

In any situation, whether it’s something happening in your private or professional life, there is a stimulus, and there is a response. In between, there is your freedom to choose what your reaction will be. 

Will your reaction be proactive or reactive?

If you’re not sure, here are some additional questions to ask yourself that can help you figure it out:

• Do you have any kind of long-term plan?
• Do you take an active or passive role at work and in life?
• Do you make a decision only when you absolutely have to?
• Do you think about the future and anticipate possible outcomes, or do you have a more live-in-the-moment approach?
• Do you feel like life is just happening to you, and you’re not playing an active role in it?   

If your answers show that you prefer to make long-term plans and predict possible future outcomes, you’re most likely a proactive type of person. However, if you find it hard to make calculated decisions and are not action-oriented, it means that you take a reactive approach to life.

What are the 5 P’s of being proactive? 

In her book The Proactive Professional: How to Stop Playing Catch Up and Start Getting Ahead at Work, Chrissy Scivicque, a career expert, defines the 5 P’s of being proactive (each P of the 5 P’s of being proactive represents an action verb) as: 

1. Predict, 
2. Prevent, 
3. Plan, 
4. Participate, and
5. Perform.

Let’s explain each of them.

P #1: Predict

To be proactive, you need to think about the future and possible future outcomes. 

In other words, you need to develop foresight — the ability to correctly predict what will happen in the future. You need to be ready for any type of problem that might occur.

The first step towards learning how to predict future events is to pay attention to patterns or routines that usually happen. However, there’s a catch.

For example, if you have a certain business strategy that has been proven to work, you still need to be aware of the fact that past results do not always predict future results. Although some things have worked in the past, there is no guarantee that they will work the same way in the future. You always have to leave some room for unexpected circumstances.

As Chrissy says in her book, you should “come up with multiple scenarios for how events could unfold.” That way, you’ll be ready to take action whatever happens.

P #2: Prevent

After you visualize all the possible obstacles that may occur in the future, think about the ways you could deal with them before they become a huge problem.

Don’t be passive and afraid of confronting challenges. Instead, take control of your life, and be more active.

As Chrissy also states, challenges have to be confronted head-on, so try to prevent problems before they escalate and turn into chaos.

P #3: Plan

Planning is another important step towards being proactive. 

In order to plan, you need to shift your focus from the “here and now” to the future. To achieve a future goal, you need to plan your steps carefully toward reaching that goal. Think about what you can do today to ensure positive results later on.

P #4: Participate

If you stay aside and just observe what’s happening, you won’t be able to solve anything. In order to find a solution, you must get involved.

For instance, participate in the discussion with your colleagues, your partner, family members, or friends. Basically, in any aspect of your life, it’s much better to be an active participant than a passive observer.

And remember — everyone’s contribution is equally important when making a decision or solving a problem.

P #5: Perform

The final stage of becoming a proactive person is showing that you’re willing to do the actual work.

Now is the time to stop postponing and make a decision. And when you do make a decision, stand behind it.

To be proactive, you can’t afford to be reluctant. Plan your path toward achieving your goal, consider all possible outcomes, and confidently take that final step.

A proactive person does not act impulsively — they examine and reflect on their actions and, most importantly, recognize that they are responsible for their own choices.

How to be more proactive in life 

Being proactive in life means taking care of yourself and things around you, as well as developing good habits because you realize your life is a product of things you do every day.

To help you make positive changes to your life such as becoming more self-aware and decisive, we’ll give you some tips on how to be more proactive in life, along with some examples.

Tip #1: Stop delaying things

If you want to be proactive, you can’t allow yourself to procrastinate. Also, you can’t ignore reality. For example, if you don’t feel well, and you can see your condition is getting worse, take action. Don’t just wait for your state to improve on its own because the chances of that happening are minimal (if not non-existent).

As the inspirational audio speaker and the author of The Daily Motivator To Go, Ralph Marston said: “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”

So, don’t wait for the problem to get bigger, but do your best to prevent what you can NOW.

Think about what might happen if you always delay things. This will save you both time and energy.

Tip #2: Have open conversations with people around you

In relationships with other people, proactive people don’t throw problems under the rug. They don’t take their frustrations out on other people. They regularly communicate about their feelings and needs, and when there is a problem, they actively work on solving it.

At times, you’ll be able to solve a problem by yourself. Other times, you’ll have to work together on solving an issue with the people around you. 

For example, if you’re having trouble organizing an event with your friend because they have a bad attitude, and you’re not sure what the reason for that behavior is, ask them openly. If you don’t do that and just wait for the atmosphere to become positive on its own, you’ll waste valuable time. As a result, you won’t be able to organize the event, and you may even disappoint some other people who depended on you.

When you share your thoughts, and the other party does the same, you have a better chance of successfully solving the problem and being able to move on with the task.

The same applies to your relationship with your partner. Don’t expect your partner to be a mind-reader. If something bothers you, be the one to start a conversation. 

Again, not only will this save you time, but it will also prevent smaller problems from becoming bigger and much harder to handle.

Tip #3: Understand that you’re in control of your own choices 

Even if you sometimes feel like life is too hard on you, try to look at the situation from all angles.

If you encounter a difficulty, and your immediate reaction to it is a negative one, negative thoughts will flood you and make you feel helpless. And if you start feeling helpless, you may even convince yourself that doing nothing about the issue is the only option you have. 

In fact, you always have another option — you just need to focus on the things that are in your control. Ask yourself — “What is it that I can do to solve this problem?” This is what a proactive person would do.

Knowing that you’ve done everything in your power to resolve the situation or minimize the difficulties the situation brings will boost your confidence and put you in the right mindset. You’ll be able to tell yourself — “I’m in control of my own choices” or “I can choose my own attitude,” and approach your life more proactively.

Tip #4: Develop self-awareness

As Lao-Tzu, the famous Chinese philosopher once said: “Knowing others is wisdom; knowing the self is enlightenment.”

Developing self-awareness, that is, understanding yourself and your own strengths and weaknesses, is crucial to becoming more proactive.

While researching for this blog topic, we reached out to Bayu Prihandito, a certified psychology expert, life coach, and founder at Life Architekture. He believes that one of the best tips for being more proactive in life is to focus on self-awareness:

To be able to act accordingly in any situation life hands you, first, you need to look inward and practice self-reflection — that’s how your personal growth starts. Sitting with yourself and reflecting on your day is beneficial for your self-growth because it helps you analyze your behavior and realize what you could’ve handled differently at the end of the day. 

When you accept your own mistakes, control your emotions, and think about the needs of others, you’re seen as a reliable person who thinks about their own actions before taking them.

Being self-aware is closely related to your personal responsibility — when you have a sense of who you are as a person, it’s easier for you to take accountability for your actions because you’re sure of them. 

Being self-aware also helps you know your own limitations. When you’re honest with yourself, you can always work on things you need to change. In the end, there’s always room for improvement.

Tip #5: Declutter your mind (and your life)

To be able to plan what you want to achieve in the future and how you want to achieve it — you need to do it with a clear mind. With too many ideas in your head, you won’t be able to decide where to begin.

To declutter your mind, do the following:

• Start journaling to get rid of unnecessary thoughts and focus on what’s important,
• Stop trying to multitask, and
• Change your lifestyle and make it more organized.

If your life is not properly organized, you won’t be able to focus on your goals and work on them proactively.

We also talked with a professional organizer Nicole Gabai on the subject of proactivity. Based on her experience, being organized is a key strategy for being more proactive in life: 

What is an example of being proactive in life?

Being proactive means taking control of your life, and this is a perfect example of how you can do it.

Let’s say you want to start a side business or pursue an expensive hobby or a passion. 

To be able to make your dream a reality, first, you need to take care of your finances. In other words, you need to:

• Create your budget,
• Track your expenses, and
• Make financial goals.

Then you can consider other factors such as renting a space for your business or buying that pricey scuba gear for scuba diving training you’ve had in mind.

Only when you approach your finances realistically will you be able to make big plans. If you just live in the moment and spend your money uncontrollably, the chances of having enough money for what really matters to you are significantly smaller. 

Don’t just assume you’ll get a promotion right around the time you intend to invest in a side project or make that deal. Instead, make a calculation of all the expenses you need to cover and start saving money today.

If you need to change your spending habits, do it now. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

How to be more proactive at work 

If you wanted a promotion, would you:

• Look up what requirements are and work towards meeting them, or 
• Just wait and think about how it’s unfair that you’re not getting it? 

We’ve already learned that proactive people aren’t the ones doing the latter.

To learn more about how you can be more proactive at work and achieve your goals, check out the tips we’ve provided for you.

Tip #1: Develop your strategic thinking skills

If your aim is to reach certain career goals, such as to earn a promotion or advance to a higher position, you need to start thinking more strategically. 

According to an article in Forbes, thinking about larger issues instead of focusing on smaller ones is essential for those who want to advance at work. Strategic thinking includes:

• Thinking long-term,
• Focusing on the bigger picture, and 
• Considering the various challenges that lie ahead.

Before you can reach those career goals you set for yourself, you need to understand what your contribution to the company is. You need to know what your role is within the organization, and what else you can do to prove your value and commitment to it.

Maybe you’re spending too much time on some trivial issues, so instead, try shifting your focus to, for example, developing a new set of skills. You never know, maybe those very skills will lead you to the leadership position you want.

Bayu Prihandito agrees and adds that proactivity and strategic thinking go hand in hand:

Therefore, to reach your career goals, plan your steps in advance. 

Tip #2: Set SMART goals

Having certain career goals in mind is just the first step toward achieving them. You can spend months or even years working tirelessly and still stay in the same spot. This probably means your goals weren’t clearly defined, to begin with.

In other words, it’s not enough to just have goals — you need to set SMART goals. The acronym SMART stands for 5 characteristics of a goal that you need to consider if you want to achieve your goal successfully (each characteristic is represented by 1 letter in the SMART abbreviation):

• S stands for Specific — your goal has to be well defined and clear,
• M stands for Measurable — your goal has to be measurable, that is, you need to set and follow certain criteria that show your progress toward achieving that goal,
• A stands for Attainable — your goal has to be achievable, that is, you need to possess all the tools and skills you need to achieve the said goal, 
• R stands for Relevant — your goal has to be relevant in a way that it holds particular importance in your life (whether it’ll benefit you as an individual or a company as a whole), and
• T stands for Time-bound — your goal needs to have a clearly defined deadline (to create a sense of urgency and keep you on track to success).

If your goal has all these characteristics, it means you’re ready to start working on it. 

By setting clear, well-defined, and realistic goals, you won’t waste time and energy on the wrong things.

Tip #3: Organize your time better

When you take control of your time, you’ll be able to plan your activities and make sure your time is spent in a way that increases the likelihood of achieving the results you want.

By using time management strategies, you can improve your work performance and achieve your desired results faster. Here are the strategies you can use to organize your time better:

• Prioritize your tasks — separate your most important tasks from the less important ones. For example, the Eisenhower matrix can help you decide which tasks to prioritize, delegate, or eliminate.
• Create a to-do list system — whether you’ll use your planner, an app, or to-do list templates, sorting your tasks/projects allows you to have a clear overview of all your assignments in one place. 
• Timebox your work — allocate a fixed amount of time for each task in advance. For example, open your calendar and choose a task you want to timebox (it can be a report you need to write). Then, allocate a certain number of hours you want to spend on that report, and when the time is up, stop writing it. This will help you put a limit to activities that would otherwise take away too much of your time.   
• Eliminate workplace distractions — maintain your focus by eliminating work distractions such as office noise, unnecessary phone notifications, access to social media, etc. For example, use noise-canceling headphones to dampen the disruptive noises around you and install website blockers such as Cold Turkey to restrict your access to distracting websites.
• Automate your tedious and time-consuming tasks — this could mean leveraging automation tools, including email builders, other types of email automation tools, and other resources and tools that help free up your time to refocus on more important and priority tasks.

If you want to be more proactive at work, make sure you spend your time as efficiently as possible.

Tip #4: Communicate effectively with your colleagues

Good communication is the key to success — both in personal and work relationships. If you and your colleagues communicate effectively, you have a better chance of achieving positive results, not only on an individual level but also for the organization as a whole.

According to research on how to develop effective communication skills, effective communication means that you:

• Listen to your colleagues actively, 
• Voice your own opinions, and
• Are open-minded and open to feedback (including constructive criticism).

This type of communication at the workplace allows you to work proactively.

If you share your opinions on a certain matter, and you do it promptly, you can prevent miscommunication and maybe even add valuable alterations to a project you’re all working on.

Also, if you receive constructive criticism and ask for clarification instead of reacting negatively to it, you’ll be able to make certain improvements in time and successfully complete the task.

A proactive person thinks ahead — they anticipate future issues and work actively on preventing them.

Tip #5: Develop a growth mindset 

Being proactive is often intertwined with having a growth mindset. According to Bayu Prihandito, developing a growth mindset is one of the most important steps toward becoming proactive:

If you have a growth mindset, you:

• Don’t give up when you face a challenge — you persist, 
• Don’t see failures as a bad thing, but the opportunity to grow, 
• Are inspired by the success of others instead of being envious, and
• Your goal is to continuously grow and improve yourself.

What is an example of being proactive at work?

To be proactive at work, you need to anticipate problems and actively try to prevent them. We’ll give you an example of how you can do it.

Let’s say you have an important meeting, and your task for the meeting is to prepare a presentation about a project you are currently working on. As this is your first time presenting, you’re not really sure how to prepare a presentation properly so you feel stuck. 

So what would a proactive person do in this situation?

First, a proactive person wouldn’t be afraid to admit they lack experience or skills and that they need help. The next step would be to ask your colleagues for advice — the sooner you ask, the better. This will prevent the whole team from wasting time on a presentation that’s a failure. 

So, instead of unsuccessfully trying to complete the presentation yourself, the better option is to seek guidance. There’s no shame in that.

If you want to prevent problems and be proactive, you need to act in advance. 

How to be less reactive

Other than having a proactive mindset, you’ll need to develop a few skills too. Is being proactive a skill, you may ask? Not in itself, it’s more like a set of skills on top of each other with a trench coat on. 

To see which are the most important skills you need to acquire to be proactive, take a look at the list below.

Skill #1: Be aware of the words you use 

Words we speak have a bigger impact on our lives than we realize. Be aware of how you talk and what phrases you tend to use. Do you keep saying the following phrases:

• “I have to”, 
• “If only”, 
• “I can’t do anything about it”, and
• “Things would be different if _________”? 

That’s a reactive language that gives away your power. Try saying these instead:

• “I get to”, 
• “I will”, 
• “I choose”, and
• “I will try different alternatives/different approaches.”

Using these phrases will shift your focus from “what I can’t do” to “what I can do,” which is the first step toward becoming less reactive and more proactive.

Skill #2: Plan ahead 

Whether they use a regular planner or a time-tracking app, proactive people are aware of how they spend their time and use that knowledge to plan their future more effectively.

For example, you can use Clockify’s time tracker to track work hours across projects and analyze tracked time. That way, you can see how you spend your time during a workday.

In Clockify, you can:

• See all your projects in one place, 
• Edit time entries, and 
• Choose how you want to track your time (start the timer when start working or add time manually at the end of the day).

Tracking the time you spend on projects and tasks helps you make better plans for the future. Furthermore, it allows you to see how much time you typically need to complete a particular project/task.  

Skill #3: Prioritize your tasks

Not all goals and tasks are equally important, and you shouldn’t treat them as they are as that might lead to burnout. As we’ve already mentioned in the text before, using the Eisenhower matrix is a great option to prioritize your tasks. 

Prioritizing your tasks can be even easier if you put them in your calendar. This will help you allocate your time effectively and avoid procrastination.

You can use Clockify’s Calendar feature to visualize your day and organize your time.

This way, you can:

• Create time blocks for specific activities, by adding time entries (your time blocks) in Calendar,
• Add and edit time entries as you wish, and
• Open your team members’ calendars to see what their day looked like.

The last item from the list is especially useful because it allows you to stay in the loop with your colleagues — you can see what they’re up to, when they’re available, and make plans accordingly.

Skill #4: Learn to problem-solve 

Proactive people focus on how to solve the problem instead of panicking (panicking for a couple of minutes and then solving the problem is fine too). Find out what exactly the problem is, create a plan, and take the appropriate action.

If you allow your emotions to take over for too long, you’ll feel trapped and incapable of doing anything, which is something a reactive person would do. So, instead of wasting time and stressing about things you think you can’t change, try to make a first step toward getting out of that situation. 

The first step would be to find the root of the problem. When you realize it, focus on what you can do to solve it — the more solutions you find, the better. Then, you can choose the most adequate solution that you can use at that moment.

Skill #5: Take action 

Contrary to popular belief, good things don’t come to those who wait, but to those who take the initiative and work for what they want.

If you want that promotion, for example, don’t just sit and wait patiently for it — use that time to work on your weaknesses and show your boss that you have a desire to improve. 

As research on why proactive employees get promoted suggests, having a proactive personality is beneficial for an employee who wants to get promoted. The employee with a proactive personality shows persistence when facing difficulties, puts effort to resolve problems, and, consequently, shows better work performance.

Skill #6: Learn from past mistakes 

Mistakes are inevitable, and there’s no way to completely avoid them. However, you can learn how not to repeat the same mistakes by analyzing what went wrong and what you can do better next time. You should use the mistake as an opportunity to improve yourself and your knowledge.

According to an article on the subject of learning from mistakes, experiential learning is one of the best ways of learning. Learning through trial and error isn’t a bad thing — in fact, it can be extremely beneficial as long as your focus is on the process rather than the results.

Bonus tip — surround yourself with proactive people. They say we are the five people we surround ourselves with. Seeing how they approach life, what their habits are, and how they think will help you become more proactive too.

Why proactivity can be a double-edged sword 

Proactive people are generally high achievers, and they achieve career success faster if they’re in the right environment.

However, proactivity can be a double-edged sword.

You don’t need to be proactive at all costs, especially at work. Sometimes you have to read the room and figure out if it will be appreciated. 

Not all working environments are open and healthy — in some workspaces, proactivity can bring more harm than good. Therefore, you should be aware of: 

• Envious coworkers, 
• Punitive bosses that will get you in trouble if you make a mistake, and 
• Environments that refuse to let go of outdated systems (you’ll hear things like “Changing things may upset the employees” or “Who do they think they are”).

Building interpersonal skills is imperative because in some instances, being proactive can be perceived as annoying or obnoxious.

On the other hand, there are situations where it’s better to be reactive. If your friend is venting to you, perhaps it’s better to listen to them and be their shoulder to cry on instead of coming up with solutions and advice (especially if they didn’t ask for it). Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them.

Also, keep in mind that you can’t plan and predict everything, sometimes things just happen.

Maybe your goals have to be altered due to changed circumstances or maybe you came across an unavoidable obstacle that no one could foresee. Life is unpredictable and at times it forces you to be reactive and that’s okay.

The benefits of being proactive

Being proactive brings a lot of positive changes to your life. It helps you become a better version of yourself and overcome challenges confidently.

To see why you should take initiative in your work and life, take a look at some of the benefits of being proactive.

Benefit #1: Being proactive allows you to shape your own life

Being proactive means taking control of your life.

Even though you sometimes feel like your destiny has already been written, that’s not the case. When you have the desire to change certain things in your life, you can definitely do it — you just have to take action.

One of the main benefits of being proactive is that it allows you to shape your own life. As Bayu Prihandito also adds, proactivity empowers us to shape our lives and careers according to our own aspirations:

When you change your mindset from being a passive observer of your life to being an active participant in it, real changes in your life and work begin to happen. Your life becomes the one you’ve always wanted to live.

Benefit #2: Being proactive leads you to career growth

To show better performance at work and reach your career goals, you need to actively work on it. And you need to work on it every single day.

When you show that you’re ready for change and capable of improvement, success is inevitable.

Being proactive helps you improve your workplace skills such as:

• Time management skills,
• Communication with your colleagues,
• Teamwork skills, and
• The ability to solve problems.

Moreover, our contributor Bayu Prihandito says that being proactive is essential for our career growth: 

Benefit #3: Being proactive reduces stress

According to research on how proactivity reduces the possibility of burnout, employees who display proactive behavior are more likely to actually prevent career burnout. By taking the initiative to change and improve, employees take matters into their own hands and thus reduce stress.

If you’re stressed at work to the point where you can’t perform to the best of your ability, you won’t be able to stay productive and focus on your goals. In addition, people you live with will sense your dissatisfaction with work as soon as you enter your home, so your personal life may also be at risk.

Not only does being proactive help you reduce stress but also maintain a healthy work-life balance. When you think about your deadlines in advance and meet them accordingly, you have more time to spend with your loved ones. And this is the perfect balance we all seek.

Conclusion: Being proactive changes your life for the better

Proactive people don’t wait around for things they want, they make a conscious effort to take the right set of actions and get what they want. That’s why continuously working towards your goals always pays off in the end.

Being proactive can bring success into different aspects of your life. It allows you to:

• Shape your life according to your own aspirations,
• Get more career opportunities, and 
• Live a less stressful life.

Proactive people have the right mindset, plan ahead, and take initiative. That’s why they are often the highest achievers.

You can be one of those people, too — it’s not a magical superpower only the chosen ones get. It can be learned and trained like you would train a muscle.

✉️ Have you ever thought about what you can do to become a more proactive person? You may have already found the right tips and strategies that have helped you achieve the perfect work-life balance. Let us know at blogfeedback@clockify.me so we can try some of your tips next. And, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone you think would be interested in reading it.