Posted Under: Business, Planning, Small Business, Startup

We all know a disciplined lifestyle helps us be more productive, effective and successful… but with so many things on plate, staying late up night, skipping breakfast, missing family events, falling behind the targets etc becomes inevitable more often than we would like to. All the time management solutions sound like preaching and don’t really help. Well, here’s what entrepreneur and professional like you and I (click on their name to learn more about them) are doing to keep them motivated to stay in that disciplined lifestyle…

Let’s start with the 3C’s of Preston True who sees three characteristics as the most critical in keeping us on target:

“1) Commitment – Ask yourself “What am I really committed to?” If you’re consistently late or behind on projects, are you more committed to being late (therefore being “right” about how busy you are) or are you more committed to reaching your goal? Sometimes an unpleasant question, but one that will get you back on track.

2) Compassion – I see busy people get even busier because they beat the pulp out of themselves for not completing the previous task (and so on). They punish and make themselves wrong thereby adding stress to the situation which is a consistent obstacle in itself. Here’s a practice I give my “busy” clients = practice declaring the day complete every evening whether you’ve finished everything or not. Carrying incompletion into the next day is a sure-fire way to drown.

3) Courage – Be willing to say “no”. We are bombarded by requests and demands every day. Most of us grow up with a disempowering interpretation of the word… of course we would, Mom and Dad told us “no” all the time growing up. So as adults one of the best ways for us to avoid that word is to say “yes”. Uh-oh, then we’re in trouble having committed to far more than we can handle. Practice saying “no”. Start with some small things/events, and then move to bigger ones. You’ll be surprised… the world will continue spinning. “-) ”

Paul Johnstone advocates starting early – “Easy. I attend several networking events especially breakfast ones. The fact you are up and active at 0700 sets your mental chronometer for the day. You start at that tempo because it is driven by people in the meeting, and it caries on through the day.”

I like Bill Nigh’s simplification of life the most, he says “I think simplification of one’s life is one of the most useful things one can do. I live a fairly uncomplicated existence (now), so frankly I need less discipline. (This is after a long time of working on myself, so no quick fix here, but worth considering I think).”

Sameer Vyas suggests “Think of the most important priorities every evening/ night when your mind is at ease of what you need accomplished the next day. Think of how you may approach situations/ problems/ deadlines or how you may accomplish goals of keeping loved ones happy.

Not only does this lead to sleeping better at night, it also helps giving you that mental kick start on how to best approach the day ahead. One of the most important things I do every night before I go to sleep is put myself in a good mood whether it’s through being with loved ones, being in a joyous mood or even watching a light hearted or mentally stimulating movie/ program.

The only success to staying motivated is by being ‘self motivated’.”

John Gray told us the truth that “Ironically, Ben Franklin, whom made up this saying, did neither. Stayed up late, and woke up late. He was very successful, but simply had a different style. Churchill kept the same type of hours as well, often until 2-4 in the morning working and sleeping in late.

Personally, I prefer getting into the office early, as it gives you time to get things accomplished before the phones start ringing and personnel have questions.”

However, Mary Lascelles needs something to look forward to…“To work day in and day out without change in momentum does not make the most productive person.

There’s got to be always a light at the end of the tunnel… There’s got to be something in mind you look forward to – a day away, a week away, a month away, a year away – different things all the time!

That is what keeps this household going with their work!! It’s pretty effective! (Of course it helps to like what you do – that is key!!)”

Sinéad Duffy says nothing works better than being passionate… “Good disciplines such as prioritizing our tasks and managing our time effectively, without a doubt enable us to work towards achieving our goals. However, one of the most important factors in keeping motivated is to ensure that the goals we set are in line with our values.

I am passionate about my work and I always have time and energy for what I do. I am enthusiastic about each day and I jump out of bed in the morning to get started. I don’t think any amount of discipline would keep me motivated if my goals were not congruent with what I value.”

Stefan Didak believes (and I do too) that “A lifestyle is an individual choice (or should be, anyway). The discipline involved is, I believe, that which makes the individual productive and satisfied with the results of their chosen lifestyle.

Early to bed and early to rise. Something that I’ve never been into, being nocturnal and having been so since I was a kid. In my professional life I’m also nocturnal and have been doing it for 20 years straight (and am generally more productive than many peers in the same field). The idea of conforming to a lifestyle of “early sleep early rise”, to me, would be a total horror. No surprise I’ve been self employed for 20 years, of course. 🙂

Once you have found a comfortable lifestyle that works it doesn’t really need a lot of conscious discipline.”

Zanade Mann suggests to focus on big picture – “I continue to imaging the bigger picture. A beautiful vision where my business is successful and I am truly happy. IT WORKS ALL THE TIME!”

Katie Playfair told us that “Discipline doesn’t feel like work if what you’re trying to achieve is truly important to you. So I think the easiest way to stay motivated, regardless of what bumps come up along the way, is to keep your vision and values visible and to be honest with yourself when your current goals are no longer congruent with your values and vision.

If what we are trying to achieve is no longer important to us, we will certainly lose motivation and it’s a losing battle to try to stay motivated toward a goal that no longer means anything.”

Yvonne Thompson says work from home still means work – “I keep myself in a structured routine. I do allow for variations, when necessary. I work from my home office, but make it clear to family and friends that I am not available for random visits and errands during the day. I set aside specific time for lunch, errands or any time away from my office. I start my day at the same time each day and end it at approximately the same time. And most important, I start my day with a long walk to gather my thoughts and center myself.”

Caitlin Kelly needs the carrot and not just the stick – “recently started taking a day “off” mid-week to recharge. I leave my office and computer to get out and network, have lunch with my fiancé, see friends…to simply re-charge my batteries emotionally, mentally, visually. This recession in the U.S., and the death of my industry have added enormous new stresses and I need to address that as well.

I’ve never lacked for self-discipline but have lacked the discipline to allow myself equal time for pleasure and true recreation. (That word is worth examining.)

Ironically (or not) the “time off” I have been taking is sending me back to my work with new ideas, contacts, insights — and renewed energy.”

Leah Avila opens up her schedule for us “One should know their priority. Being a night owl as well and blessed with a night schedule at work, I have everything balanced. The discipline doesn’t only have to apply to a person’s profession but to his/her entire lifestyle. I make sure that I only spend a maximum of 11 hours at work, anything beyond that I’d consider self abuse. Sleep should be a minimum of 8 hours and the rest are spending time with friends, family or just having my alone time. It helps to know that I have all the other aspects of my life taken care of. I always make sure that I’m not enslaved with work or don’t spend time in the office more than I ought to. I believe that we’ll never run out of work to do but the days and time passing by that we missed being in touch with the other aspects of our lives can never be turned back… I believe that it boils down to how you see life and how you measure your worth as an individual. Once you figured this out…it doesn’t have to be hard work since you know definitely the things that you need to prioritize in your life in an overall sense…”

Indira Chaudhry reminded that early is the bird that gets the worm – “Stick to you routine schedule…keeping enough time for sleep….Prioritize your issues….and delegate if possible…
Don’t be engulfed with work so much that you forget YOURSELF!
Early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy and wise….
……plus the early bird gets the worm….”

WOW… I don’t know about you guys but I’m already disciplined with this heavy dose of doable tips.