The bridge between goals and accomplishments?

discipline-bridge

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” – Jim Rohn

I had a great discussion the other day with a client  and their frustration with simply not getting enough things done.  This is a pretty common issue for most people – but it especially impacts business owners because they tend to have a wider variety of things they have to do and have more to do than non-business owners!

In this case, part of the problem was not having clear priorities…they had a lengthy list of things that needed to get done, but all of them were equally urgent.  Another part of the problem was a lack of organization…this list of things that needed to get done wasn’t literally a list on a single piece of paper, it was a chaotic set of things ranging from emails to post-it notes to stuff that was just held in their head.

Yet another part of the problem was the lack of any kind of system to help them stay on top of this crazy, chaotic set of important things to do.  Every day was a new day without any time set aside for laying out the time, place and resources to help them get things done!

However…the biggest problem and the root of the issue overall was a lack of discipline.  They knew what needed to be done (even if it wasn’t organized or planned) they just didn’t carve out the time and stick to it long enough to get everything done.

Now I’m not suggesting that the answer to all of your problems is to just put your head down and plow through everything on your plate and crank out 16 to 18 hours a day to get things done.  There are times when that might be the only option…but a little planning, prioritization and simply saying no can help you cut down on the size of the pile that you need to deal with.  However once you’re smart about what actually needs to get done…then you must have the discipline to just do it!

It’s easier said than done, but if you can shut off the distractions (phone, email, Facebook, TV, kids…) and get into a habit of cranking out the important stuff, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to be disciplined and what a difference it makes.

Are you disciplined when it comes to getting work done?  What’s your secret?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Shawn Kinkade  Kansas City Business Coach