We all have the knowledge at our fingertips these days and times, so we definitely have no shortage of information.
Most of us know what we have to do for success, especially in the financial area. What we need to work on is discipline. As Jim Rohn wisely used to say, we either suffer the pain of discipline or we would have to deal with the one of regret.
In this article, I will give you 5 easy steps to discipline yourself into achieving any type of goal.
This is useful for getting more money by being more productive,
but these steps actually can help you in achieving any kind of success, even if we talk love, physical appearance or that new language you always wanted to learn.
Here’re 5 ways to make yourself achieving that goal.
Step nr. 1: Make a To-Do list
How do you eat a huge elephant? Obviously, piece by piece. This is the same when you talk about your goals. Some goals take hours to complete, some months or even years. So it’s easier to do it when you chunk it down to little pieces. This is why a To-Do list is a must.
You can take time every night and plan yourself the day ahead of you. The best time to plan your day is the day before that, because you can start into action as soon as you wake up. Make your most important tasks to be done first.
With your dreams, you must have separate To-Do lists because they usually require a large amount of time to be completed. But once you chunked it down to little pieces, you can easily do it part by part and cross it over from your list. Even if you do it in random days, you don’t lose track of your progress or what you have to do next. Nothing so satisfying like that check on the list.
Another reason this To-Do list is vital it’s because we will feel overwhelmed if we try to tackle our big goals entirely. Think about like you would have to build a huge wall. When you think about it you feel like OMG, so much material I need, so much work, what if I get bad weather etc. But if you take it brick by brick, and you focus on laying down each brick perfectly, it’s easier and soon you will have a wall!
Step nr. 2: Make a Stop list
Our time is precious, and sometimes we tend to do things that are not for our benefit. We have our “must do” list, now we gotta have our “stop doing that” list.
Everything that doesn’t help you achieve your dreams, anything that doesn’t bring value, knowledge, and simply waste your time, they must go! Time is precious and must be spent on what is truly important for you.
Think about it! If you can save up daily 2 hours because you removed that TV show that doesn’t have anything in it but gossip, you just saved yourself 60 hours per month. That means you just gained 2.5 days each month. What can you do with 2.5 days more? A lot!
Step nr. 3: Do what you don’t like first
We all heard it: eat that frog in the morning. Yep. Not just because the rest of the day will be awesome, but also because in the morning you have the highest level of energy and willingness.
In life, there are tasks we like more than others, so it’s easier for us if we leave the pleasant things later. Just like at the dinner when you leave the desert last. You goal achieving will be much more joyful and pleasing.
Step nr. 4: Force yourself into commitment
When we have a hard-to-do goal, it’s best to force ourselves into doing it. The easier way to achieve that is to not keep it secret. Talk to your customers, employees or family about it, and promise them you will deliver. You will force yourself this way into commitment because you gave out your word and you must respect your integrity.
Or as another example, if you want to work out and make sure you will do that, take a partner and make an appointment for training at that hour. When the time will come you will definitely do it because you don’t want to be the person who doesn’t respect his / hers own words.
Step nr. 5: Reward yourself after every small objective
Give yourself some credit by giving yourself a reward. Even if you watch your favorite movie or enjoying that sweet dark chocolate, give yourself something as a reward for achieving objectives. You don’t have to do it all the time but do it once in a while. Because you deserve it, it will make you feel good and be more productive towards achieving the next objectives.
If we give ourselves more rewards for the good accomplishment than we make us feel bad for screwing up, we will be more inclined to success. The brain responds better and faster to pleasure.
I hope you find this article helpful, and if you have other tips on discipline and being productive, please share them with us in the comments section.
