Two Productivity Secrets About Success: Consistency & Discipline

Posted on 18. Jul, 2011 by in Motivational


Having success in almost anything, always comes down to a couple different things. For the purpose of this blog post, we’ll be discussing Consistency and Discipline. But before we can jump into the meat of this basket of goodies, let’s quickly break down both of these terms by definition.

Consistency (con·sist·en·cy) - steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form,etc.: There is consistency in his pattern of behavior.

Discipline (dis-uh-plin) - activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves askill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellentdiscipline for a writer.

Being consistent is the first major factor that directly determines your success.

Take for example, a body builder. Years of consistent action in repetitive motions and a mixture of other things have built his/her body to be where it is today. Take a look at any major athlete and you’ll quickly discover their sculpting, mind set and performance level. But the important part to point out here is, it didn’t happen over night.

And this… is what leads into Discipline.  Maintaining discipline in our actions within being consistent is the second factor to success.

We talk about it all the time, developing a habit by being disciplined in your consistency. They say it takes 30 days to develop a good habit and only 1 day to break it. This is why having discipline in your business will be the determining factor to your success.

To me, discipline is doing things right every time rather than some of the time, even when I don’t want to. Consistency is the act of actually doing what I need to do on a regular basis in the attempt of doing it right in the first place.

FREE GIFT

Today, I wanted to give you a small document that I use on a regular basis to help me with both of these factors. This document I use to help me organize my daily actions (starting at priority) and complete them in stop and go fashion.

Feel Free To Save The File And Use it For Yourself

Here’s a simple way to use this sheet on a regular basis. Normally I would create a to do list on the night prior. Then according to the value or priority of the target project, I would place them in list from the most important to the least. Plus, knowing that every day I should be doing some if not all of the following on this list of things to do.

Not only does this sheet keep me accountable, but it helps me to be consistant and disciplines me in my actions everyday. That way, 30 days from now, I can look back and actually show my results and the progress I’ve made.

I’ve particularly found this to be true in just one of my daily tasks called Syndication. There, I’ve teamed up with other bloggers and online entrepreneurs to leave comments, share posts and help spread the word of others content. Because they have a point system to better help them identify who’s doing there job and what not, I’ve also make a separate log where I can actually document my actions.

This somewhat “private” syndication group is called the Tribe Syndication Association or TSA for short. If you are member of the Tribe Syndication Association, please download this document and use it to keep you disciplined and consistent in your syndication efforts.

I call this system the Tribe Syndication Association Tracker. Make sure to download it and enjoy.

Feel Free To Save The File And Use it For Yourself

This document should beter assist you in documentation and point collecting as you travel from website to website performing your daily actions. Plus, it’s a great way to actually keep track of where you’ve been, where you left a comment and how many times in how many ways you’ve syndicated the content.

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17 Responses to “Two Productivity Secrets About Success: Consistency & Discipline”

  1. Pastor Sherry

    14. Aug, 2011

    Hi Dereck,

    No one will get anywhere without Consistency and Discipline, for sure! I think that’s what this business is all about, really. I love your organizational sheets! I haven’t even yet broken things down into what needs to be done weekly. I know I should’ve before this. Your sheet gives me an incentive to do that. Thanks for the inspiration and great idea!
    Pastor Sherry recently posted..Steps To Taking Thoughts Captive (Part 4) My Profile

    Reply to this comment

  2. Steve Nicholas

    09. Aug, 2011

    Great post, Dereck! You are so right about the need for consistency and discipline! Roger Bannister ran his four-minute mile by getting to the point where he could run 440 yards ten times in less than a minute with a two-minute recovery in between each one. Could someone do that just off the street? If they could, they must be one of the elites, because even great distance runners only go so far on natural talent. It’s work that takes them the rest of the way.

    Reply to this comment

  3. Eldon Beard

    09. Aug, 2011

    I absolutely agree with your comments about being consistent. I think that’s where many people fall short – they start a business or begin a project, and know what they need to do. But, they fail to do the necessary actions every day, consistently, that are required to achieve success.

    It’s like the bodybuilder analogy you used. That sculpted physique was not created in a week or two, even months, it has taken years of consistent training to get there. Same applied to anything we do. Thanks!

    Reply to this comment

  4. Trevor Barrett

    02. Aug, 2011

    I think that too many people see success and think that it is easy to get or that the person is lucky. I often hear people saying things like “I wish I could play golf like Tiger Woods”, or perform like any sportsman or act like a movie star.

    I’m sure they do wish they were like that and the truth is that they could be… if only they were prepared to put in the time and effort.

    Tiger started playing golf when he was 4 years old, it wasn’t something that happened overnight. He had to be consistent in his daily practice right from that young age. As he got older he had to discipline himself (sic) to concentrate on his profession when his peers were probably out enjoying themselves.

    Today we live in the world of “now”. People want money now, the latest fashions now, success now. Life just isn’t like that.

    Reply to this comment

  5. Justin Hammonds

    25. Jul, 2011

    Excellent productivity tips here Dereck. This type of information follows God word as outlined here in Colossians 3:23 – And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not unto man.

    This information is great for my training classes and you set a great example. God bless you business.

    Reply to this comment

  6. Jeffrey Sooey

    24. Jul, 2011

    Great post Dereck. I’ll be downloading this form, pretty cool!

    Why consistency is a key to success? Because consistency equals credibility and credibility is what you need to succeed. You need to live by your word, because if you don’t, no one will trust you and you will lose current clients, potential clients or even potential business deals. Being consistent also means that you don’t give up if a problem or bump in the road comes up. Stay focused on your goal.

    Jeff

    Reply to this comment

  7. Lynn Jones

    24. Jul, 2011

    Hi Dereck, This is very timely, as I am reading Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy and he advocates making a list and putting the top priority things first, or the most unpleasant ones that we may not see as fun or most enjoyable. Thanks for the great charts to keep us on track, disciplined and consistent everyday.
    Thanks for being a great example in leadership!
    Lynn

    Reply to this comment

  8. Laura Paulson

    24. Jul, 2011

    Excellent message Dereck. I too like the body builder analogy because it drills home the point. These 2 ingredients are absolutely key because you have to have the discipline to do the activities and do them consistently. There is no magic bullet out there and it really is that simple – small actions done consistently over time will yield massive results. I like your check list resources that you provided. I use something similar and I find that when I don’t use them, I lose track because then I’m thinking about EVERYTHING that needs to be done, get overwhelmed which oftentimes leads to doing nothing but spinning my wheels. So I agree, discipline yourself to just follow the simple steps consistently day in and day out and you will see results. Good stuff!

    Reply to this comment

  9. Joyce Penner

    20. Jul, 2011

    Hi Dereck. Super topic to discuss. It is so vital as I can see instantly when I slack off the results are consistent with that behaviour.

    I use my day planner and plan my syndication efforts on a daily basis. That way I don’t get overwhelmed, can stay on top of and you are right, it is simply a habit now.

    Thanks Dereck. Get with you soon – life is hectic !!
    Joyce

    Reply to this comment

  10. Steve Shoemaker

    19. Jul, 2011

    Dereck

    Thanks for the great resources and the great video. You have to have a plan or like you mention in the video you just flounder and look back at say what just happened. It has happened to many time to me as well.

    Steve

    Reply to this comment

  11. Marc Korn

    19. Jul, 2011

    Hey Dereck,

    Thanks for sharing these 2 important ingredients for success and your video.

    The 2 forms you shared are an excellent way to be accountable for your daily actions. These forms are good productivity tools.

    I couldn’t agree more that it is critical to perform your actions on a CONSISTENT basis, preferably daily. Plus, that is only part of the equation…you must be disciplined in order to achieve your goals over a period of time.

    Success begins with a pad of paper, a pen and a few minutes of your time.

    All successful people “think on paper.”

    This way we can keep track of our day and the tasks that we need to accomplish. A simple notebook can be a valuable tool to keep your day organized.

    Many people think that they can commit to memory all the tasks and jobs they need to accomplish. Make sure everything is written down or entered into some sort of organizer. It is very easy to forget and not manage your time properly…so WRITE it down.

    When you are clear and organized on what you want to accomplish, you will use your time wisely and be more productive.

    Keep all these great tips coming,
    Marc

    Reply to this comment

  12. Steve-Personal Success Factors

    19. Jul, 2011

    The beauty of habits is that, although they are difficult to start, they are very easy to keep going. Once we have identified the critical success factors for whatever venture we have in mind, all we have to do is what you’ve laid out for us :) Thanks!

    Reply to this comment

  13. Name (required)

    19. Jul, 2011

    That body builder analogy is the perfect analogy, any competitive body builder won’t see results unless they lift but then again its the same for most people in any job/career/entrepreneur.

    That free gift is nice, how about using something like Excel or Google docs instead ? any thoughts ?

    Reply to this comment

  14. marquita herald

    19. Jul, 2011

    Hey Dereck,
    Great tips, and what a cool syndication tracking form! I use Edit Lite and keep a minimized form active on my screen to add up comments and syndications … but I like being able to actually keep track of what I’ve done during the week / month. Thanks!

    Reply to this comment

  15. Kevin Martineau

    18. Jul, 2011

    Hi Dereck:

    I always enjoy your posts. They are always very informative. It is amazing what consistency can do – even if it is only once a week. Sadly though consistency is so often the biggest downfall of many.

    Thanks!
    Kevin

    Reply to this comment

  16. Joyce Edwards

    18. Jul, 2011

    Hey Dereck,
    The one thing that has finally made me more discipline has been being a member of TSA. I love reading about how other people are doing things and that helps me be more consistent in building my business. It helps to have great teachers like yourself give so much information,

    Reply to this comment

  17. Alexander Paul

    18. Jul, 2011

    Hi Dereck,

    Thx man for pointing out the two main ingredience to be able to show something after a set period of time… You are so right when things are not done (but you want results to show up) then the guilt starts creeping in and can even make you feel down… Thank you for assisting with these two forms… You show leadership. All the best, Alex

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