I’ve been working on this 30-Day Challenge for just over a week now, and I’m very happy with the results so far. This little blog has gotten a lot more traffic than normal (hey, going from 3 to 15 hits per day is still a 500% increase!), I’ve gotten some really positive feedback from friends, classmates, and family, and I can definitely feel the benefits of just practicing writing on a daily basis.

All of this got me thinking: the increases in creativity, productivity, and positivity I felt this past week were all thanks to a simple self-imposed mandate to post here everyday. And by sticking to it, I’ve seen almost immediate returns. Discipline might just be the key to success.

Every successful person, company, entity, and brand I can think of practices some form of discipline in order to achieve their desired results. Zappos requires that all new employees go through 4 weeks of customer service training (i.e. working the call center) before they start their “real jobs,” ensuring that the brand’s commitment to service is embodied in every single representative, regardless of job title. In Microsoft’s first five years of operation, Bill Gates personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped out, often rewriting entire portions as he saw fit. Successful people and brands all make a conscious, specific effort to DO SOMETHING and do it relentlessly. Discipline yields results.

I’m by no means an expert at self-discipline, but this little 30-day experiment has already shown me that discipline is very closely correlated with routine and/or structure. Each day this week, I knew I would have to post at some point. This got my creative juices flowing, and I was more open to inspiration because of it.

Also, it makes sense that some sort of simple self-imposed structure would help spur productivity. Once that basic framework is established, it becomes much easier to imagine new offshoots or additions building off of it. You don’t have to start from the ground up each day, so you can hit the ground running. Instead of my usual thoughts of, ”Should I post today?,” I’ve been thinking, “What will I post today?” The structure precludes the idea of not writing something, which automatically vaults me over my biggest hurdle.

In business school, we’ve often been told about the importance of clearly-defined strategies, plans, SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound), and a multitude of other “formulas for success.” These kinds of things, aside from sounding like the typical motivational speaker-esque corporate BS, are a big jump for most people. All of a sudden, you’re going to start measuring every goal or decision you make? Not likely. BUT— a simple routine or element of self-discipline can be a much easier way to enter into that realm of “making good things happen for yourself.” If you want to write, make yourself write every day. If you want to make tons of money investing, set aside time to research trends and educate yourself.

Incorporating some kind of discipline or framework into your everyday life is the first step towards that sort of conscious decision-making I mentioned earlier. It starts you on a proactive path where you have influence and control over what happens to you, instead of the reactive path inhabited by many people who always seem to be just barely keeping up with their own lives.

A simple form of daily discipline will yield immediate, observable results. Try your own 30-day challenge. Promise yourself to actually take a step towards something you’ve wanted that you’ve been putting off. The key is that we have to consciously decide to begin this process. It will NEVER just happen on its own.

30-Day Challenge #9