Get out of bed…
The first step in self-discipline is getting out of bed in the morning and going to work at a decent time. You have no clock to punch, and you are your own boss so you can sleep late if you want to but consequences will follow. Once you arrive at the office, you can easily kill 30 minutes to an hour drinking coffee and talking about all the things you need to accomplish. Not only are you wasting time but you’re also causing other people waste their time. See how your decisions can affect you as well as the people around you. There are only 24-hours in a day so we must use our time wisely.
Things you need to accomplish….
The most successful agents develop a business plan that ultimately dictates what they have to accomplish on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis in order to reach their goals. The only way they can accomplish their daily tasks is to set aside specific times to do specific things. They schedule their entire day ahead of time, and then they commit themselves to following their schedule. If they don’t they find themselves at the end of the day with numerous things they didn’t get done that has to carry over into the next day. Then comes the domino effect that causes them to put out small fires all day long rather than systematically and strategically accomplishing the things they need to do. The best advice I can give is to plan your work and then work your plan, but that’s easier said than done.
Commitment is a key…..
The key to self-discipline is commitment. When one is truly committed to doing something, they don’t let anything or anyone get in their way of accomplishing their desired goal. Let me give you an example. If you were scheduled to be on vacation next week, you would probably make a list of things you needed to do prior to leaving. You would probably be very committed to getting those things done and would probably accomplish most of them. It is this same type of commitment you need on a daily basis. However, day in and day out we seem to think we have plenty time and allow little insignificant things eat up our time. Prioritizing our daily activities is so important to our achieving success.
Accountability a huge help….
As a trainer and productivity coach, one of my functions is to provide accountability for the people I coach. I don’t stand over them with a discipline stick but instead, help to keep them focused on doing the things they have told me was most important for them to accomplish. All professional sports figures have a personal coach who helps them remain focused on the techniques that made them successful to begin with. What if our spouse had the same amount of commitment to our marriage as we have to doing productive things in our business? Self-discipline is difficult but we can master it if our desire to succeed is great enough and if we truly commit to it.
Answers to your questions
Should you have specific questions concerning various issues, please let me know and I’ll research the answer for you. I also want to encourage you to subscribe to our “News & Updates” weekly report so you can stay abreast of issues that might affect you when buying or selling real estate. If you haven’t visited my website, please go to www.AlabamaRealEstateInstitute.com and view previous articles.