Discipline in whatever you do

Discipline in whatever you do

 When writing articles I try to prepare two or more at a time. Most of the topics I write about are broad enough to span multiple installments and the details come to mind in quick streams without order, each sparking another thought that needs to be documented before it is lost. I might be writing about change management fundamentals and suddenly a thought about the benefits or the methods to implement a new process comes to mind so I get it into the draft and begin moving the pieces around until they drop into the proper order. I may have started with a single topic in mind but the result becomes a three part effort when all my thoughts are assembled. Is it a sign of genius, instability or the norm for engaging in this process? Who knows for sure but I’m drifting off topic.

Move forward with purpose

 I find that once I’m in the groove the writing flows quickly from mind to keyboard. When I take a break from writing, as with most other activities, I tend to get lax in my diligence. When I return it takes some effort to regain momentum but once I do, I begin to eat away at the backlog of topics waiting for their chance to bloom. And should there be no backlog I go in search of new topics and ideas that are of interest to which I can learn and contribute to. There is no long-term plan for what comes next. That keeps it interesting, allowing for a quick pivot for timely topics to wedge into the writing schedule.

 Discipline and a regular cadence in any activity are important. Do too much too fast you burn out and too little you never reach your potential. When you take a break, the longer the gap the harder it is to get back on track. And for some activities like exercising, the breaks cause you to lose ground.

Set a goal

 My goal of writing is twofold; 1) to explore, learn and to share ideas and 2) to amass a body of work that can be incorporated into a book or books; a guide for best practices that speak to change management, project management and leadership. My target of one hundred articles published on LinkedIn was a huge step. I believe that should be enough to provide the foundation for the next journey. Along the way I thought I could write every week without fail but looking back that has not proven out. I have experienced gaps of weeks and months without any new articles to share. I’ve had topics that I wrote about only to reach the conclusion they lacked any meaningful value and were parked for another. I may have lost ground but not hope. The sparks come, words build into paragraphs and they eventually become whole; something you believe is worth sharing. You need a target and you must be willing to pivot for something better if needed. You’ll know it when it happens because your focus shifts to the new and the writing is swift.

The homestretch

 My writing comes after other priorities but I must make the time to write and avoid squandering those opportunities when I have a head full of ideas that need to find their way to print. There will always be many things that I want to accomplish and for me juggling them in parallel, chipping away as time allows keeps me engaged. I’m finally in the homestretch of my run to one hundred articles. I’m winded, excited and ready to bring this journey of more than five years to a conclusion. Then I’m going to get busy on reaching the next set of goals.

Cadence and consistency

 No matter what you do find the cadence that works and be consistent. Discipline in whatever you do will deliver the results to reach the goals you set. Make sure your objectives require you to stretch, don’t make them easy to achieve. By doing so you will go further than you thought possible. Celebrate the small steps and be happy in the progress you make. Don’t despair if other priorities take temporary control and keep you from moving forward. Use the time to think about what you will do next so that when the time comes you will be ready to make up the ground.

What’s Next?

 As I close in on a hundred articles published on LinkedIn I wanted to touch on the topic and what I plan to do as a follow up. I never thought I would write more than a dozen or two articles let alone one hundred. It wasn’t until I reached close to thirty installments that I committed to the century. It might have taken longer than expected but I chipped away steady and true keeping my mind open to all ideas that could provide some runway to share ideas.

 To those of you who take the time to read my efforts I sincerely thank you. I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you that this is a two-way conversation so put your comments in and let’s have a volley of ideas, so we all continue our intellectual growth.

 Mr. Gray is a seasoned business strategist experienced in PMO stand up, business transformation, process development, and best practice guidance. He has developed industry-leading methods for staff modeling, project deployment, financial performance, onboarding, and business readiness. Mr. Gray is a problem solver at heart, a sharer of knowledge by choice. He has authored more than ninety thought provoking articles which are all available on Linked-In.

If Mr. Gray makes you think then he considers the effort worthwhile.

Your PMI Guy can be found on LinkedIn at: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/yourpmiguy/

And on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/YourPMIGuy