In life, all the rewards go to those who actually get things done. They go to those who have the discipline to do what they have set out to do. The rewards go to you.
Decide right now, what it is that you want, and what behaviors will give it to you.
Once you have decided what needs to be done, there are five steps to developing the discipline needed to do it. Here is the first:
Step 1: When
Once you know what you have decided what you will do, you need to decide exactly when you will do it.
Undisciplined people say things such as “I will do it when I get some free time,” or “I’ll get around to it as soon as I can,” or “One of these days…”
Disciplined and successful people decide in advance when they will do important tasks, when their reports will be submitted, and when their meetings will be held.
“One of these days” has got to start meaning “right now!”
Disciplined people act in response to predetermined “triggers.” These triggers take three primary forms:
In response to orders, commands, or requests
In response to a specific event
In response to a predetermined schedule
In other words, you preprogram your actions.
In disciplined organizations people know how to react to orders, commands, and requests from important customers. The response is immediate and consistent.
Some actions and behaviors take place in response to specific events. For example, when the fire alarm goes off, you have a predetermined process of what to do and how to act.
Pilots run a preflight checklist before taking off.
Effective executives have a predetermined process in place for dealing with customer complaints, employee grievances, litigation, and many other problems that they may encounter.
The third trigger for behavior, and perhaps most important to the disciplined person, is the schedule.
You have set up times and dates for things to happen.
Effective people live the schedule!
We have yet to see a single Olympic athlete who did not maintain a training schedule and live it to near perfection.
At what times and in response to what triggers will you carry out those tasks that are most vital to your success? (Pay particularly close attention to those tasks that must be completed on time or in a consistent ongoing fashion.)
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