Discipline Needed in Spades - 2
We're talking about why discipline is needed in spades during this current mess, with a special focus on our work.
If you're not already disciplined in your work habits, you don't really have much choice now but to amp up your efforts to develop discipline. It's either that, or you'll be constantly behind the eight ball, struggling to keep up with demands from bosses, customers, clients, colleagues, etc.
But if you've already developed a solid disciplined approach to your workday, then sustaining it becomes the challenge. Here's what I've noticed in my own work. I'll use a day last week that really challenged my discipline.
Right off the bat, I noticed unusually high demand on our internet, even more than what we've had since the lockdown with, more people using it at the same time during the day. So, OK, things might be slowed down. Check. Factor it into the day's workflow.
Then a client contact via email: needs our input for some serious decisions to be made with only a week or so away. Why did they wait so long to tell us he needed help here? We've been going over this stuff for the last couple of months, even offering our time for specific input. No need they said at that time - until now, the last minute. But can't focus on all that. Just get them into the day's schedule and do whatever heavy lifting needs doing.
Then a Microsoft Update immediately began just as I was going to update an important detailed record we faithfully keep. Now what? Make sure you don't forget to circle back when the update finishes - and, of course, it took about 10 times longer than the typical update.
Then two submissions to a vendor were rejected because information was missing in a couple of spots. But we included the original documents which our submission referenced. They couldn't just grab the information and process the request? Nope. Needed us to re-submit. So did that and...submission rejected. Start over again.
Time passes.
Updates check: Still churning.
Ah, some relief. Submission of the revision of an important legal document related to an action in which a client was involved was received via email: They don't require the original of the revision submitted by snail mail. Halleluiah! Saves a trip to the Post Office.
Eyes on the checklist: items outstanding. Update completed. Re-submit to our vendor. Not rejected this time. Back to that detailed record. Tempted for a second to skip this entry. Don't do it! Don't give in to convenience/laziness. Whatever the cause, if you give in it's due to lack of discipline. Stick to the discipline!
Family member due to call any minute: Has a personal need to which our professional experience and expertise can lend some assistance. Can't put them off, no matter how busy we are.
Through all this, the discipline we painstakingly developed over the years remains the glue that keeps the workday together.
The mess isn't going away. Yes, some "opening up" here and there. But the fundamentals remain: economy critically dislodged; employment for many remains a serious problem; demonstrations and riots continue. Even with a lessening of the riots, a bad precedent had been set. Sometimes I worry about the coming months. Will there be a second wave? Will the ridiculous "Defund the Police" mantra be taken seriously? Was the rioting just a prelude to greater and more serious social unrest as the economy takes a toll on the unemployed/underemployed, companies in trouble, especially small businesses? How will this impact our family, my business? (We haven't even seen the beginning of these consequences, but they should be emerging soon.)
Guess what? Discipline will be even more critical going forward. We'll need it in spades.
If you're not already disciplined in your work habits, you don't really have much choice now but to amp up your efforts to develop discipline. It's either that, or you'll be constantly behind the eight ball, struggling to keep up with demands from bosses, customers, clients, colleagues, etc.
But if you've already developed a solid disciplined approach to your workday, then sustaining it becomes the challenge. Here's what I've noticed in my own work. I'll use a day last week that really challenged my discipline.
Right off the bat, I noticed unusually high demand on our internet, even more than what we've had since the lockdown with, more people using it at the same time during the day. So, OK, things might be slowed down. Check. Factor it into the day's workflow.
Then a client contact via email: needs our input for some serious decisions to be made with only a week or so away. Why did they wait so long to tell us he needed help here? We've been going over this stuff for the last couple of months, even offering our time for specific input. No need they said at that time - until now, the last minute. But can't focus on all that. Just get them into the day's schedule and do whatever heavy lifting needs doing.
Then a Microsoft Update immediately began just as I was going to update an important detailed record we faithfully keep. Now what? Make sure you don't forget to circle back when the update finishes - and, of course, it took about 10 times longer than the typical update.
Then two submissions to a vendor were rejected because information was missing in a couple of spots. But we included the original documents which our submission referenced. They couldn't just grab the information and process the request? Nope. Needed us to re-submit. So did that and...submission rejected. Start over again.
Time passes.
Updates check: Still churning.
Ah, some relief. Submission of the revision of an important legal document related to an action in which a client was involved was received via email: They don't require the original of the revision submitted by snail mail. Halleluiah! Saves a trip to the Post Office.
Eyes on the checklist: items outstanding. Update completed. Re-submit to our vendor. Not rejected this time. Back to that detailed record. Tempted for a second to skip this entry. Don't do it! Don't give in to convenience/laziness. Whatever the cause, if you give in it's due to lack of discipline. Stick to the discipline!
Family member due to call any minute: Has a personal need to which our professional experience and expertise can lend some assistance. Can't put them off, no matter how busy we are.
Through all this, the discipline we painstakingly developed over the years remains the glue that keeps the workday together.
The mess isn't going away. Yes, some "opening up" here and there. But the fundamentals remain: economy critically dislodged; employment for many remains a serious problem; demonstrations and riots continue. Even with a lessening of the riots, a bad precedent had been set. Sometimes I worry about the coming months. Will there be a second wave? Will the ridiculous "Defund the Police" mantra be taken seriously? Was the rioting just a prelude to greater and more serious social unrest as the economy takes a toll on the unemployed/underemployed, companies in trouble, especially small businesses? How will this impact our family, my business? (We haven't even seen the beginning of these consequences, but they should be emerging soon.)
Guess what? Discipline will be even more critical going forward. We'll need it in spades.
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