The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you’re lost for good. ~Proverbs 10:17 (MSG)
Do excuses find themselves penetrating your days and weeks and preventing progress? Has procrastination taken over your calendars, schedules, lists and your planners are collecting dust? Have you finally realized that stating things you want to do is not the same as actually doing what is necessary to achieve those things? Are you ready to put in the work to start seeing the results you are looking for? Do you need a boost in re-programming those lazy genes that have navigated their way into your mindset and habits?
At what point do you decide that just getting by is no longer enough? When will you move past the excuses and the procrastination that snowballs into days, weeks, months, and years? Discipline is a key to getting things done.
The Excuses
Prepare for those excuses in advance, so when they try to rise up, you already have an answer for them. When you get to bed a little late, and the alarm goes off at 6:00am for you to start your day with Devotional time with God or a work out and you’re tired. What answer will you have ready to counteract that excuse and send it back to oblivion where it belongs? Will you have a prepared answer like “I will feel better once I get up.” Or “My day always starts better when I get up and am not rushed.” Or “I am excited for the sense of accomplishment when I am done.” Or it could even be “I have kept the “X’s” going for completion. Having a calendar to mark off the activity once it is completed is a great visual that provides instant satisfaction and gratification because you are one “X” closer to your goal. This type of discipline provides an answer before the excuse presents itself and rewards you with an “X” for completion because you stuck to it. That’s how you execute the excuses!
Procrastination
Prevent procrastination by putting a plan in place to keep the distractions from throwing you off course. Distractions are pretty inevitable. The phone will ring, a text message will come through, a notification will occur, someone will stop by to ask a question, an email will take longer than a minute to address. Knowing this and preparing by creating a plan will keep procrastination from hijacking your day. You may not be able to stop all of the distractions, but you can plan by writing down the things you need to get done each day. Whether you use an Online Calendar, your phone’s calendar, a planner, a piece of paper, or a sticky note, write it down. When you write it down, stick to it and commit to completing the tasks you have identified as a priority, then you will see progress. Whether you use "Do Not Disturb" methods or set a timer for however much time you think it would take to complete that task, determine the plan that it necessary to complete what needs to be done. Procrastination can be prevented when you write your plan down and purposefully stick to it.
Discipline is training, or the activity, exercise, or regimen that develops or improves a skill. (www.Dictionary.com)
Call To Action: What are the activities or regimens you will create to eliminate excuses and prevent procrastination? Comment below or share with us on Social Media the changes you will start to make.
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