Recently, my friend and coach, Dan Meub, challenged me to identify my list of top ten, non-negotiable disciplines. He said, “View this list as the ten disciplines that if practiced faithfully would make the biggest impact on the quality of your life this year.”
So, after a little thought, I came up with this list:
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My Top Ten Non-Negotiable Disciplines
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No.
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Discipline | Description | Frequency |
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1
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Bible Reading | Read the Bible, using a plan that covers the whole Bible in a year. | Daily, first thing when I get up |
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2
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Prayer | Pray for my life, my family, my church, my work, etc. | Daily, on my commute into the office or, on the weekends, immediately after reading the Bible |
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3
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Aerobic Exercise | Run 4–5 miles, four days a week. | Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30 a.m. |
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4
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Strength Training | Train at the YMCA, twice a week for an hour with a trainer. | Tuesday and Friday at 5:30 a.m. |
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5
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Eating Five Meals | Eat the traditional three meals a day with lean protein and slow-burning carbs. Eat two snacks a day, mid-morning and mid-afternoon to keep my metabolism up. | Daily |
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6
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Taking Vitamins | Take a good liquid multivitamin, mineral, and antioxidant. | Daily, 1 oz. after breakfast |
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7
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General Reading | Listen to books on my iPod while I am running. | Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30 a.m. |
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8
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Life Plan Review | Review my written life plan (a seven-page document) | Weekly, on Sunday evening with my weekly review |
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9
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Solo Retreats | Get off-site for 36 hours a quarter to review my business vision, business plan, master task list, and time block. | Quarterly, scheduled off-site |
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10
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Financial Review | Review my personal budget, statements, and investment portfolio with Gail. | Monthly, scheduled on a Saturday morning |
I’ve asked Dan to hold me accountable to this list. He’s my “accountability partner.” We have a scheduled call every two weeks. But this could have as easily been a friend or co-worker. The key thing is to formulate your list, give a copy to your partner, and then schedule a time to check in and check up. I have found that every two weeks is about right. But you must get it on your calendar.
Like you, I’m sure, I often go through periods when I struggle to find the motivation to stick with it. That’s why you have an accountability partner. Knowing I will have to give Dan an account is sometimes just the leverage I need to get up and get with it.
I have also found that if I can get the first couple of disciplines knocked out first thing in the morning, the rest of them will follow like beads on a string.
Or to use another metaphor, my friend Steve Arterburn once exhorted me, “slay your dragons before breakfast, so they don’t eat your lunch.” My two biggest dragons are spiritual and physical lethargy. So, the first thing I do upon rising in the morning is read my Bible. (Well, actually I get a cup of coffee, but that’s not really a discipline!) Then, I head to the gym. If I can get these two items knocked off my list, it’s downhill from there.
Building Champions has been coaching me since 2002. They have taught me to be more proactive and intentional in both my business and personal life. Visit their Web site to learn more and see their special offer for my blog readers.
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Good stuff from someone who knows what he’s talking about! Well done!
I just stumbled across an online application that allows you to track daily goals. It’s called Joe’s Goals. It’s worth a look.
1, 2, 6 and 10 an non-negotiable, but the rest are up for grabs. You are very disciplined! I’m lucky if I breath on a regular basis!
Thanks for this Mike. Very helpful to see it in writing, I forwarded this on to a pastor friend of mine, he may even find it useful for his congregation if you so allow.
This is a phenomenal list of personal disciplines and taking care of yourself as well as active learning. Having recently taken a life management study that involved quite a bit of time management too, I’m wondering if you work an average 40 hour week, and how many hours of sleep you get on average?
I typically work about 55 hours a week. I usually get about six-and-a-half hours of sleep a night on weekdays and seven on weekend. Thanks.
How do you input the daily "must-do's" into the GTD outlook add-in? I seem to remember you writing about this once before. A list of those things that had to be done every day.__I think you are amazing :) … and truly appreciate what I've read on your blog. I first discovered you in the GTD forums… and have now signed up for an RSS feed from you. Thank you for sharing so much.
Unfortunately, the GTD add-in is not available for the Mac. I simply use Entourage, following the advice in the David Allen Co. White Paper on the subject. They are available for both Outlook and Entourage.
Michael – the 'Master task list' link on this page is broken. Can you repair? Thx, Matt