I have been reading, or I should say RE-reading the book “No Excuses: The Power of Self-Discipline” by Brian Tracy. I really like this book and read it every few years because every time I read it, I am reminded that I really don’t have any excuses for not reaching my goals.
For example, on page 7, Brian talks about how he had an encounter with Kop Kopmeyer, who is a legend in the field of success and achievement. Brian asked Kop what he felt that the most important success principle of all time was and he responded with a quote from Elbert Hubbard, “Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” Kop also said that, “There are 999 other success principles that I have found in my reading and experience, but without self-discipline, none of them work. With self-discipline, they all work.”
The best way that I have found to win at self-discipline is to schedule time on my calendar to take action. I’ve talked about this before but it is so true. Make sure you schedule time on your calendar. I have found that if I don’t schedule the time on my calendar, the work doesn’t get done. When I schedule the time, the work gets done! The key here is that when you schedule the time, you make the commitment to yourself to keep that time. No. Matter. What!
No matter the goal, whether it is getting in better shape, releasing weight, starting a business, growing your business, or going for that next promotion at work… schedule the time to do the work. Even if it is one hour, five days a week.. that is 250 hours a year (if you count two weeks off for per year for vacation or personal events). The first few hourly sessions may simply be all about putting a plan together, or getting clear on your WHY, or brainstorming the work that you need to do, or all of the above. But that is still progress!
I personally aim for and schedule a minimum of 10 hours a week. (It breaks out to at least 90 minutes, Monday thru Friday, and then about 2.5 hours on Saturday.) Many people say that they struggle to find the time but everyone has time. You may need to get up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later. Or maybe right now, it is only 30 minutes a day. It really doesn’t matter how much time you devote to your goals every day/week, just as long as it is something. Over the span of a year or even a few months, the hours add up and every hour gets you closer to your goal than you are right now!
Do this now:
- Schedule time on your calendar right now. Find at least an hour on your calendar for at least 5 of the next 7 days.
- Make a commitment to yourself to honor those times.
You will be amazed at what you can get done!