How many times do we make goals during our birthday or at the closing of a year and find ourselves two months in thinking “oh well, at least I tried.” I’ve been there countless times and to be honest, I’ve given up on the resolution train.
I’ve shifted my focus to building practical habits that help me prioritize my time and live with intentionality.
Here are 10 habits to help create a more disciplined and intentional life
- Begin with the small things
We’re all making small decisions every day that can either draw us closer to our goals or away from them. I like to think that progress and achieving your goals is a sum of tiny decisions we make all day long. Disciplining ourselves in the little things makes a big impact in the long run and they’re a testament to our integrity and credibility.
- Clean your environment
I saw a meme that stuck with me of a mom cleaning a toilet and it said “if it takes me less than 5 minutes, I do it” What I understood, is that cleaning can be daunting if we’re spending hours at a time getting it done. And although there are moments where a deep clean is necessary, sometimes a 5-minute decluttering is all it takes to create an environment conducive to productivity and clear of distractions. This will also help you create a healthy routine.
- Make a schedule
Having a daily schedule doesn’t have to be daunting or organized down to the minute. The overall idea is to have a plan and to anticipate things that you can establish time frames for. Time management is a skill that not a lot of people have mastered, but it’s one that everyone can benefit from.
- Wean yourself off entertainment
We can all pinpoint the time-wasters in our lives. These days our phone is always ready to suck our attention and time without much energy on our part. Entertainment itself is not wrong or unbiblical, but it makes a very, very small contribution to your well-being and to your success. Wean yourself off of being entertained and seek out other life-giving activities like reading, exercising or even a crossword puzzle that engages your mind.
- Be on time
This is very important in the Gonzalez household. Alex and I appreciate timeliness because it shows that we value not just our time but those around us. If someone is expecting to meet with us, being on time says volumes of how we view them and it shows that we are able to organize our life and be where we say we are going to be dressed and in our right mind.
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- Keep your word
Keeping your word calls for discipline BEFORE you make the commitment to someone else because you have to look and evaluate the time, your talent, and the capability that you have circumstantially to pull it off. Keeping your word is sometimes the tip of the proverbial iceberg that shows our ability to evaluate our life circumstances and abilities before we commit. Once you’ve made your commitment, keep your word, even in the littlest thing.
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- Do the hardest task first
This has a lot to do with energy conservation and prioritizing. If we tackle the hardest task first, that opens up our bandwidth, our schedule, and our day and takes the stress and pressure off the task at hand. This can also refer to a chore or a school project. When we get the hardest thing done first, then with ease we can move into the easier/ smaller tasks.
- Finish what you start
This hits home for me because I struggle with having so many unfinished or partially finished tasks. This goes back to keeping your word, but this time it’s to yourself. Sometimes life happens and that one project gets put on hold, and that’s not what I’m referring to. I’m referring to that book that’s collecting dust or that house project that you just gave up. Finish what you start or better yet, don’t start something unless you’ve looked at your life and capabilities and see that you can see this project to completion.
- Practice self-denial
We live in a fast pace world where everything is at your fingertips with same-day delivery. Saying no to things just for the opportunity to train yourself that you are in control builds mental stamina, and self-awareness and puts you in the driver’s seat vs your whim.
- Volunteer
After it’s all said and done, having your life ordered, your space clear of clutter, and a good grasp on your time, can help you create space to volunteer for a task, help others or become a part of something that’s totally out of your own agenda. This doesn’t happen on its own. It requires that you have order in your life and it starts with paying attention to the little things.
So whether it’s a time of reflection, a new year, a birthday, or just a Tuesday, building these habits will help you create a more disciplined and intentional life. Now, this is not an all-inclusive list, but it does provide some structure and helps develop behaviors and habits that will benefit you in your Christian walk.
10 habits are adopted from John MacArthur’s series “The art of self-discipline”
