If you desire to accomplish your personal and professional goals, then you have to learn how to reach your goals with discipline.
Being disciplined is about creating structures and consistent routines that help you stay focused and motivated to work towards your objectives.
If you want to accomplish your life and business goals, you have got to be disciplined.
The thing about discipline is that it can be developed over time. No one has to necessarily be born with discipline.
You can read books about it, take courses, listen to messages about it and as you practice the things you have learnt, you will see yourself grow in discipline.
Developing the skill of discipline can be pretty challenging at first, but with consistent efforts and dedication, you can make significant progress toward success.
You need to train yourself to develop self-control and dedication. You have to make conscious decisions and develop habits that lead to success.
But if you are finding it difficult to stay disciplined or to reach your goals through discipline, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
In this blog post, I’ll share with you a few ways you can reach your goals with discipline.
You can watch this article as a video on YouTube.
1. Define Your Goals with Precision
The first step is to set clearly defined goals for yourself. I believe that anything worth achieving starts first with defining goals.
Without having precise goals, you cannot accomplish anything at all. That’s why the SMART goals framework is very important.
Set your goals with precision, you don’t want to be ambiguous with them.
Look, life is really overwhelming, you won’t know when you’ll begin to make compromises when it hits you hard.
When you set specific goals, you’ll know what action steps to take to accomplish them.
For example, if your goal is to make 3 million naira from this September to January 31st, you can create action steps to to see that goal accomplished.
So what do you do? You break down 3 million naira into 5 months. How much has to come this September, in October, November, December, and January?
By my calculations, that would be 600,000 naira monthly.
Now, break that down into weeks. How much do you need to earn weekly in 4 weeks?
By my calculations, that would be 150,000 naira. The next thing is to figure out how you can start making 150k weekly.
When you are specific with your goals, everything else becomes easy.
Also when you set measurable goals, you can easily see how far you’ve come and you’ll be able to determine whether you are on track to meet your objectives.
The SMART goals framework ensures that you are not unrealistic or overly ambitious and it takes away frustration from the equation.
2. Establish Daily Habits
Another thing you want to do in order to reach your goals through discipline is to build daily routines and habits that support your goals.
The key to doing this effectively is to be consistent.
Let me tell you a short story of how I was able to overcome procrastinating studying my Bible daily.
I used to really desire to read my Bible first thing in the morning, but somehow, I procrastinate reading it until the end of the day.
Instead, I’d open up my laptop and work till the end of the day.
I really wanted to grow spiritually, and I knew that forming a habit of reading my Bible daily and speaking in tongues for at least an hour will help me grow.
So I decided to form a habit of studying and praying before opening my laptop at all.
I deliberately did this for 2 months straight, until it became a habit.
It was a bit challenging because I would always almost start working on my laptop and then I’ll remember my promise to myself and I’ll take note.
Eventually, I successfully built it into my daily routine. I have God to thank for that.
Another thing I deliberately built into my habit is to record all my expenses for the day.
Food, transport, data subscription, whatever it was, no matter how small, would be recorded on a spending tracker app on my phone.
Seriously, it can be stressful, it can be annoying at times even, but I know that I need to be disciplined with my finances, otherwise.
You’re not an infant, it’s time to take the reins and ride the horse of your life, all by yourself.
So deliberately create routines and form habits that will help you reach your goals through discipline.
Related: How To Keep Going When You’re Not Seeing the Results You Desire
3. Eliminate Distractions
Eliminating distractions to accomplish your goals requires a combination of strategies and self-discipline.
First, you have to recognize that distractions are everywhere, and you have to be deliberate about eliminating them.
If you constantly face heavy distractions, it will be difficult for you to accomplish your goals.
I do a lot of writing in my business.
From writing copies, to articles, blog posts, video scripts and so on. But I can never write where there are distractions.
I have a few tactics that help me to eliminate distractions when I’m working.
First, I set clear goals of what I want to accomplish that day. You can do this by writing down a list of the things you want to get done and arrange them by order of priority.
Then next, block out time for the work you want to do. Allocate specific blocks of time to work on your tasks.
Consider techniques like the Pomodoro Technique (working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break) to stay focused during work sessions.
Make sure that during these periods, you avoid any non-essential tasks or interruptions.
Another thing to do is to create a designated workspace.
Designate a specific area for your creative work. Make it comfortable and inspiring, with minimal distractions.
A clutter-free workspace can help declutter your mind. Keep your creative area organized and free from unnecessary items.
You can also experiment with music.
Some creatives find that background music or ambient sounds can enhance their focus.
Experiment with different types of music or soundscapes to see what works best for you.
4. Stay Accountable
Staying accountable to your goals is very crucial for achieving them.
Seek accountability by sharing your creative goals with a friend, colleague, or creative partner who can help hold you accountable for staying on track.
Share your goals with a friend, family member, or mentor who can hold you accountable.
Alternatively, you can use tools like goal-tracking apps or journals to monitor your progress.
Tell someone you trust about your goals. Sharing your goals with a friend, family member, mentor, or accountability partner can create a sense of responsibility to follow through.
Another way to stay accountable is to create a vision board.
Having visual representations of your goals can be highly motivating.
Create a vision board with images, quotes, or reminders related to your goals and display it in a visible place.
Conclusion
Honestly, with deliberate actions and with a determined mind, you can definitely reach your goals through discipline.