Discipline is the act of implementing behaviors and creating healthy and productive habits that provide long-term support in achieving our goals when motivation is low. Improving discipline through behavior change and habit creation pays off later in the year. With discipline, we can still feel focused on our goals later in the year, and by this time, have already made and continue to make significant progress in our journeys to achieve the goals and resolutions we set in January.

Self Discipline First

It's the Monday of the month. Crush your goals!

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Personal Development

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Health

habits

Habits

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Problem Solving

Discipline Over Motivation — HH Fitness

The internet has done so much good for almost all of us, but one bad thing it’s done is that it’s taken away our boredom. Years ago, there were times when there was just literally nothing to do. That could be annoying, and it frequently was, but that also can lead to great insights.

Boredom is lost

In order to either be in the moment completely mindlessly or to generate that thing we call output – like, to have an original idea or to do something creative or just to have suddenly something sort of strike you, “out of nowhere” – you have to stop all that input.

First, a severe lack of input can sometimes be a problem. As I said last year, <a href="https://www.mickmel.com/to-write-more-read-more/">in order for me to write more, I need to read more</a>. Boredom doesn’t help much if you don’t have problems crawling around for your brain to crunch on.

Lack of inputs

More importantly, though, those quiet moments are indeed where things can really become clear in your head. I’ve shared a few times about <a href="https://www.mickmel.com/more-about-clarity-breaks/">my practice of periodic “clarity breaks”</a>, where I intentionally sit for a while with no distractions. If boredom won’t find me, I need to find it.

Quiet moments lead to clarity

I’m very thankful for the wonderful things that our always-on connections have brought us, but it’s worth taking a bit of time off now and then to let your brain work some magic on its own. I hope you find time to do that periodically, particularly over these past few weeks.

The internet has done so much good for almost all of us, but one bad thing it's done is that it's taken away our boredom. Years ago, there were times when there was just literally nothing to do. That could be annoying, and it frequently was, but that also can…

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Productivity

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Time Management

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Creativity

Boredom is lost - Mickey Mellen

So you couldn't meet your expectations again? Maybe you are setting the wrong goals. You have lost motivation, here's how to get back on track in 10 Simple Steps.

How to get back on track after being demotivated 

Identify where you are going wrong, and what exactly is causing the lack of demotivation.Make a fresh plan keeping in consideration those problems.

Identify The Problems

Spend some time with yourself, relax and plan again. It's okay to take a break, prevent burnout.

Give yourself Time

There is nothing constructive in regretting, it will just waste your time. Once you have identified where you went wrong, stop the guilt and get back on track quickly!

Forgive yourself

Whenever you feel like giving up, always remind yourself of the reason why you started and what could be the outcomes. You have not reached this far just to reach this far.

Remember why you started

...even if you don't feel like, because if you start now, at least you will not waste your present time and regret about it later.

Start!! 

Stop thinking negative about yourself, rather try to improve. There is no use of negative thinking other than just to waste time.

Stop the negative thinking

Lack of motivation or inconsistency is common in our lives, because we are not robots. The thing is to get back up quickly and stronger!

You are not the only one out there

Talk to your family, friends or teachers. Maybe they will be able to get you out of here and inspire you to start again.You should not be afraid of starting again, because the next time you start again you will be stronger.

Seek out help from family and friends

Who doesn't know practicing meditation regularly can help calm down the brain and improve focus, etc. So if you feel really distressed, you could try out meditation.

Meditation for a calm mind

Last but not the least, it's okay! Move on, because change is the only constant. Start again, and make sure from the next time you are prepared before hand for such situations.

It's okay!

Everyone faces lack of motivation at some phase in their lives, these tips will help you recover and come back stronger.

Demotivation can strike anyone at any time. Are you feeling demotivated? If so, take a look at ten common reasons behind this issue and their solutions now!

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Motivation & Inspiration

10 Reasons Why You're Demotivated and How to Overcome It

It is best not to rush through writing up a summary of your year. Your employer will ideally let you know what the performance reviews are used for and the effect they could have on your career.Year-end evaluations can be a way to get your boss up to speed on what they may have missed, but they can also be used as part of the compensation cycle. Therefore, you have to be strategic about what you advocate for.

Performance review self-assessment

Vague statements include being a good co-worker, well-organised or a good communicator. <ul><li>Instead, mention specific and relevant accomplishments. Share how they happened and why you could achieve them. Ensure to quantify the impact it had on the business.</li><li>If you don't know how to mention a win, ask yourself why it mattered. What was the effect?</li><li>Consider the people you work with (your manager, colleagues, customers). Gather emails, reports and communications that support your work, then ask yourself what you did to make their life easier and how you can improve?</li></ul>

Don't be vague. Be specific in mentioning relevant progress

Leaving out areas for improvement could be a missed opportunity to make the evaluation a pitch to your boss about what skills you would like to learn or ideas you want to explore. If you want to move up the corporate ladder, ensure your self-evaluation reflects that. If you feel you are ready for more responsibility or a promotion, express that.

Share what you want to improve next year

Using the pandemic as an excuse for not performing your job in the best way is not going to put you in the best light. Language that shows you are stagnant, such as "we did not have enough resources", will taint your evaluation. Instead, use words that show you are moving forward, such as "I was able to be agile during our challenges and changes."

Don't blame others for your setbacks

It's difficult to remember in December what you worked on in February. <ul><li>Habitually keep track of emails, collaborations and projects that are applicable to the team and business goals.</li><li>Every month, ask what you did that month. What stood out to you? </li><li>Keep track of project milestones reached, emails with positive feedback, reports with sales numbers or other metrics and moments that make you proud.</li></ul>

Keep track of your accomplishments and results

False modesty is not helpful in a year-end review, but neither is vague praise.

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Career

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Leadership & Management

How To Advocate For Yourself In Your Year-End Review

In face-to-face communications, there are three ways to complete the communication circle:<ol><li>Inquiry: You ask a question.</li><li>Responding with an answer.</li><li>Acknowledgement by saying 'thank you' or by nodding your head.</li></ol>We do something similar with texting. Someone sends a text, the other person responds and then the first sender responds with a reaction button or by sending an emoji.But emails can go back-and-forth for fear of seeming rude or unresponsive.

Different forms of completing a communication circle

There is no need to keep an email thread going on and on. It's about completing the communication circle.<ul><li>When someone answers your question, you can respond by thanking them. But nothing further is required.</li><li>You can stop responding if the person doesn't need to be thanked.</li></ul>

Know when the communication circle is closed

The need for further responses depends on the situation and your audience.<ul><li>When someone emails about moving the time of a meeting, they need confirmation that you received and read the email. </li><li>Cultural differences might inform when you stop responding.</li><li>Power differences. The CEO may end the email circle quickly, while the clerk may take longer.</li></ul>

Consider the specifics of the exchange

If you're included in an email thread with many other recipients, you don't need to reply to everyone. You can only respond to the sender unless the group needs to know your response. It is reasonable to have a sidebar conversation with only those who need to be included.

Using the reply-all button

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Marketing & Sales

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Reading & Writing

communication

Communication

When Can You Stop Responding To An Email Exchange?

At the end of every year, we may look back on the past year and think about all the goals we had set but did not achieve. Then we may make inflexible goals and promises for the upcoming year. But this natural instinct may also carry some potential pitfalls. Before January is out, you may fail at all your resolutions. Then would start the feelings of disappointment and despair.

Desiring a clean slate in January

We should try not to see the previous year or the upcoming year as "bad" or "difficult". They're just numbers on a calendar. As you did the last year, try your best to achieve your goals in the coming year too.  Maybe we should stop being so hard on ourselves. The past year had many good and bad, and dull and ugly. But we don't have to focus on the bad. We can focus on the good because we know it is there. It always was.

Focus on the good

We choose to block our lives into chunks and ascribe meaning to January 1st. It's not bad to look forward to the next chunk and what you'd like to plan. But when you set hard expectations for things to happen in a particular way, you may get disappointed when they don't. The beauty of this life is in the varied shapes it can bring that are not in your control. That lack of control can feel liberating as it brings fresh opportunities. You just have to be open to it.

Get excited, not expectant

You don't have to assign the new year as the date with the pressure of being The Fresh Start. You can also set other points in the year, like your birthday or the first day of spring. The best is to wake up on any random day and decide to do it. Give up drinking, or eat healthily or write a great novel.

Lighten the pressure

You may attribute meaning to stages in your life - experiences you should have had at 16, 18, 20, 21, 25. Things happen when they are supposed to happen. If you put in a fair amount of effort, there's little that would really knock you off course. Trust yourself to do what needs to be done, and it will all work out.

Don't attach meaning to milestones

Go easier on yourself this year - RescueTime Blog

As remote and hybrid work arrangements become the norm, the debate continues around the value of connection in person. One aspect to be fully explored is how digital communication influences people's desire to help one another.

In-person connections

Research found a clear hierarchy of communication channels: Face-to-face is the most effective, followed by any form of video or audio communication, followed by text-based communication.<ul><li>A behavioural study found that if your goal is to get a "yes", physical presence in the room is the best. 80% of respondents agreed to help with a task when asked in person, while only 48% of people asked via digital communication agreed to do the task.</li><li>A second study found that video and audio communication channels were 86% more effective than email.</li></ul>

The hierarchy of communication channels

Participants in the studies were unaware of the effects. They expected that requests via email or a video channel would be as effective as asking in person. One reason in-person requests are more effective is that they make people feel more uncomfortable to say "no".

Why in-person requests are more successful

A recent study found that people were 67% more likely to agree to in-person requests than those made over audio or video call.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

Need a Favor? Research Suggests It’s Best to Ask In Person.

It’s important to have a plan of action but even more important is Staying on Purpose and following through with what you set out to accomplish.  So many of us have big dreams and great ideas, but we don’t take action or we start to take action and then fall off track; our WHY is not big enough. The power to do what needs to be done getting up early, staying up late, and working from the heart comes from knowing your purpose and your reasons for doing what you do. When you are Staying on Purpose, your WHY is so strong and your HOW falls into place.

Make Your Goals Top Priority

In a world where getting distracted is so easy. I wanted to share this advice especially with it being a new year. Stay on your purpose. 

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan but also believe.” Last week you learned how to create a Game Plan.  You created a daily to-do list which will move you farther and faster towards your goals.  It’s important to have a plan of action but even more…

Lesson 7: Staying On Purpose

<ul><li>Think outside the box will allow you to be creative and to come up with novel solutions.</li><li>Connect with other people from other industries and analyze other businesses. This will help you to find new ways of thinking.</li></ul>

1. Problem-solving

<ul><li>Use "what if" scenarios to role-play different strategies.</li><li>This technique allows you to determine the best strategic direction and to protect yourself from uncertainties by having other plans.</li></ul>

2. Strategic planning

<ul><li>Analyze rationally data and situations.</li><li>Learn how to exercise good judgement.</li><li>Trust your instincts.</li><li>Keep making decisions, because that's what true leaders do.</li></ul>

3. Decision-making

<ul><li>Listen to other people whatever how much different they are.</li><li>Active listening helps you to gather insights and data (necessary before taking decisions).</li></ul>

4. Listening

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Prioritize your time and your ressources.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Manage to get to your objective efficiently without getting lost.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">If you do that, you are mastering the art of logistics.</li></ul>

5. Logistics

Futurist Scott Steinberg shares the career skills to learn in 2022, and where to find free online courses to master them.

These are the 5 most valuable skills to learn in 2022, says futurist—and where to find free online courses

Self-improvement can be your focus. With the alone time that you have you can use that time to develop yourself. You can learn how to build relationships without feeling <a href="http://canwilldone.com/compliment-feel-weird/">awkward </a>doing so. You can improve your interpersonal skills. You can build coping skills for those situations that you otherwise cast aside. The possibilities are endless. Combine self-reflection to help with your self-improvement.

Use Being A Loner To Your Advantage

Loner seems so lonely, but a loner can use that to there advantage. In this post we discuss the disadvantages and advantages to being a loner.

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Mental Health

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Love & Relationships

Advantage of being a Loner

Find  Self Improvement Tips - Curated from popular Books like Atomic Habits, 48 Rules of Power, Deep Work, Rich Dad Poor Dad and way more!