THE FUNDAMENTAL KEYS OF SELF DISCIPLINE:

Stop procrastination, laziness, and indecisiveness

Stop procrastination, laziness, and indecisiveness
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Just as self-discipline is a habit, PROCRASTINATION is also a habit. If you want to become successful, you have to learn to do the tasks that need to be done. You need to see the bigger picture about your planned future achievements. You need to have a long-term plan. Procrastinating can develop into a habit that prevents you from ever doing anything important and meaningful. It's important, as with all other bad habits, to set an action plan. Make sure it is set within a time frame. Only you can take on the responsibilities of reaching your goals.

​Tips for Breaking the Procrastination Habit:

•​Recognize that you have an illogical fear and deal with it. Procrastination is, most of the time, driven by fear. What are you afraid of? If you are unsure of yourself, are not sure what to do, or you fear failure, you might choose procrastination over taking action. Have a positive outlook rather than fear. Learn to take control over your life and manage your time.
•​Stay accountable. Make sure you stay productive. Partake in ongoing personal growth. Ask someone to test you to suggest ways in which you can increase productivity to become more efficient.
•​Drop the victim mentality. Do not blame others or circumstances for your problems. Realize that although much of life is out of your control, you can choose how to react.
•​Build self-confidence to deal with things without your control.
•​Consider outsourcing some of the tasks you are not good at. Focus on those you are good at and love to do.
•​Set priorities. You need not do everything right now. Write a task list, break all the tasks down, and do the most important first. Get rid of distractions and work through your tasks one at a time.
•​Do not forget to reward yourself after certain goals are met. This increases motivation and confidence.
•​Set goals that truly motivate you.
•​Surround yourself with doers. Avoid negative people as they will only pull you down.
•​Restrict interruptions. Set time aside to deal with emails, your phone, and personal visits. Keep your concentration on the task at hand until it is finished

Rule Your Mind - self-discipline poster
by wordstolivebydesign

Laziness. It is the desire of passivity, to do nothing and put in no or little effort into things. To be productive and achieve success, laziness and procrastination should be overcome.
To overcome laziness, you will first have to make a choice to act. Choose not to be passive anymore.

Here are some ideas to overcome laziness:
•​Tasks should be broken down into smaller, realistic tasks. It will then be easier for you to do it, as they will not appear to be so overwhelming. A series of smaller tasks seems to be much more achievable.
•​Know where you are going. Visualize what you want to be or where you want to reach. Reflect on these goals frequently. Think about the life you want to live. Think about what could happen if you are lazy and don't perform your tasks. This might motivate you.
•​Do not multi-task. Too many tasks could overwhelm you, leading to procrastination.
•​Do you get enough sleep? Laziness can also be due to tiredness—as a result of too little sleep—causing your energy reserves to drop. Make sure that you sleep enough and get enough exercise.

Indecisiveness. In the Bible (James 1:8), we read that a double-minded man is unstable in all he does. Indecision means you have difficulty in deciding. Decide to be decisive. To stop postponing life's decisions. Eliminate uncertainty and turn “maybe” into a “yes” or “no.” Decisiveness reduces procrastination and increases productivity and self-confidence.
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Tips to be more decisive:
- Declutter your house and your life. People mostly build up clutter because of indecision. Become minimalistic. There are numerous good books available on minimalism.
- Keep your to-do list up to date. Scratch out items you are finished with. Keep it clean and well defined.
- Sort out all the unresolved matters in your life. Get it done and over with.
- Get hold of a Self discipline workbook to help you achieving your goals.
- Make sure all your goals and smaller tasks are well defined. It will be easier for you to get off the line and get them done with—without hesitation—as clear steps are set.

Further reading