“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn

Many people ask me how they can become more disciplined. It goes without saying that they realize that most disciplined people are successful and the ones who accomplish more in life. While there is no concrete plan on how to discipline yourself once and for all, I can offer up some useful leadership development tips, such as the following:

1) Determine Your “Why.” 

Why are you working on something? Is it because you need to or want to? Take the time to foster new habits in your life and get started on them as soon as possible. Don’t wait until you “feel” like doing something to accomplish it. Make sure you have reasons behind your actions. This is the first step to becoming more disciplined.

2) Harness the Power of Routine. 

Once you do something enough, it becomes second nature. Your new disciplinary habits can easily become a routine through constant practice. For example, if you want to start jogging every morning, place your clothes out the night before, a note on the mirror, and your running shoes by your door. This way, you’ll wake up and it will be immediately on your mind. You’re more likely to go out for a run when the prep is already done and you see the visual cues. These types of small changes can quickly establish a healthy routine.

3) Build on Small Wins. 

It can be tough to see anything as a win when you start something and are constantly dealing with distractions and other things that want to take away your productivity. However, if you minimize those distractions (say, only checking your email every few hours instead of staring at your smartphone), keep a log of what you spend your time on, and happily reward yourself for even the smallest of achievements, you’ll find yourself moving up and soon will be on top of your game.

These three tips to live a more disciplined life will definitely get you on the right path. Whether you want to exercise more, eat better, or earn a nice promotion and raise this year, you need to start at the beginning with a leadership development plan to be more disciplined.