Ep 9 | Self-Discipline for Higher Productivity
If you feel disorganized, wasting time, and can't keep up with it all, this podcast is for you if you're a boutique owner who wants to boost your quality of life and productivity for better business success that comes through self-discipline. We walk you through the key disciplines to implement - these things don't come naturally to us and that's why they require self-discipline. The hard work pays off!
BEGIN WITH THE SMALL THINGS - Learn to discipline yourself in the little things in life. Starting with the small things adds up so you can build a foundation and take on more responsibilities as you go. You may find that as you begin with the smaller things, this will get the ball rolling and it will build momentum.
CLEAN YOUR ENVIRONMENT - Get rid of all that stuff. Become discontent with a mess and where orderliness matters. Focus on all the areas of your life. Everything doesn't have to stay in chaos, despite what the world tells you. Get rid of excess and distractions. This increases focus on productivity.
CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE - This sets the tone of your day. It can be as long or short of a duration as you choose. The idea is to create a routine, and set you in motion, moving in the right direction. We can spend time overthinking more than we realize when we don't have a routine. There are two types of people - those who overthink and those who jump right in. Planning and then taking action is good. You can use the morning routine planner in Boutique School to give you a powerful jumpstart.
MAKE A SCHEDULE - And learn to conform to it, whether it is a hard and fast schedule or a more fluid schedule. This is a schedule that fits you - not that you have to fit into if it's not right for you. Some will use time blocks and others will create a routine without scheduled times, but knowing the order of each thing you're going to do in the day - this may be good for mothers with small children and you need more flexibility. What type of schedule you choose will depend on what season of life you're in.
WEAN YOURSELF OFF ENTERTAINMENT - Where you can take it or leave it - let it go. If you have excess time, do things that are productive instead of just sitting and being entertained. Read. Take a walk. Plant flowers. Experiment in the kitchen. Be with your family. Learn new skills. Get rid of time wasters - you could even throw your TV away - Cristy did and it changed the whole dynamic of her family and she also set the time limit on her phone to tell her when 30 minutes of recreational time is up. Pay attention to what is consuming your heart and mind throughout the day - becoming aware of what is a time waster or even toxic will help you clear it out of your life.
BE ON TIME - Even in small, insignificant things. You can even be 15 minutes early to all scheduled appointments just to ensure you'll be on time. Set realistic times to be places, to get things done. It builds integrity, values your time and other people's time, and prevents unnecessary complications. The whole hot mess mindset of the world today for women really goes against the biblical model of what a godly woman really looks like. The hot mess "this is just who I am" mentality isn't going to serve you. While we're not perfect and we may be late sometimes, you can still strive to see an area in your life where you're not meeting commitments and make those changes. Living an orderly life is a picture of our Creator who is a God of order and we are made in His image and created to glorify God. You also have an amazing opportunity to set an example in your home - because your children are watching and there are valuable life lessons for your children when they see you mess up and how you handle things with integrity and perseverance.
KEEP YOUR WORD - Even in the littlest things. Do what you said you would do, when you said you'd do it, and in the way you said you would do it - even in the smallest things - then you'll keep your word in the big things also. We make mistakes but when we have a reputation of keeping our word, when something is off people won't make assumptions but expect the best of you.
DO THE HARDEST THING FIRST - And the easiest thing last. Then, when you are out of energy, you can keep going. You're not building up to the hardest part and then you're out of energy when the hard part comes.
FINISH WHAT YOU START - Follow through on what you start. When you practice self-discipline you're able to finish projects you would otherwise never complete. It is very satisfying to finish what you start. This even comes into play when cleaning the house - doing one room at a time until it's done makes sure the job gets done!
PRACTICE SELF DENIAL - Just for the sake of self denial. Then you will know you can say "no" when you need to, and that you are no longer living at the whim of your impulse. We may want to live on impulses that feel good in the moment but that doesn't mean they're good for us. We have to operate off facts not feelings.
VOLUNTEER/SERVICE - This causes you to leave a little space in your life. You will be serving in your daily life, but going beyond that and scheduling intentional time to volunteer or serve others take discipline because we tend to be more self-centered than we realize. But the more we give, the more fulfilled we are.
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