4 Work Disciplines Hardest To Learn But You Need To Learn

Posted: 4/09/2013

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Discipline at work isn't hard if you love what you're doing. But there are some circumstances that would make you feel demotivated. If you're feeling that the daily grind has been catching up with you, you might start thinking of going on a long vacation or practicing yoga, anything to take your mind off your job. These strategies work for temporary relief. But once 8 am rolls in the next day, you'll be back in your desk, facing that blinking cursor. In other words, escape is not enough to combat the stresses of work. Most of the time, you would need mental strength to get past the entire work day. Let's take a look at the different work disciplines all employees need:

Working Past Negativity

Negativity can take many forms. It might be a colleague whose idea of a work day includes ranting and complaining about anything – from her terrible boss to something as insignificant as the cheese stains on her desk that the janitor forgot to wipe. Sometimes though, the negativity has nothing to do with our circumstances, but something within ourselves. For instance, I had been working in this company for the past two years, and was soon feeling bored. Coming to work had become a chore, and I dreaded logging in every day. When you're feeling all these negative emotions inside you (or outside you), what do you do? Unfortunately, until your resignation day comes, you still have to work.

Submission to Authority

There are some people who are a joy to work for. But there are also some people who sap the joy out of your work. There are overbearing managers, micromanaging supervisors, harsh bosses, indecisive “leaders”; the list goes on and on. Many times, you disagree with these people's decisions and management styles. It's tempting to disobey and to be defiant when you hate your boss' guts. But guess what? These have authority over you. You might not agree with them, and you can give a dissenting opinion. But you still have to respect them.

Prioritizing

There's that long list of email messages, a project proposal you have to write, a meeting to attend, then the laundry to pick up later on. Which do you do first? Giving first priority to the most urgent and the most important task seems like common sense, but it's still hard to put it into action. More often than not, it's because we're distracted. This is where productivity tools like apps and an IP phone system can help you greatly. Then there's also that good old method of writing down your tasks for the day and/or placing your appointments on a calendar.

Avoiding Procrastination

With so many other interesting things going on in your life and the outside world, it's sometimes difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. The easy cop-out would be procrastination, and before you know it, you've dwindled precious time away.

How does one acquire discipline in these different areas? Like I said, temporary relief is just that – temporary. You'd need something more lasting than a vacation to set your mind on work. Changing your attitude towards work also involves renewing your mind. Once you put it in your head that you're going to face the music and start working no matter what, you have the first base covered. The next step would be to stop thinking about getting things done, and actually starting to get things done.

Author Bio
Monique Jones is an Engineer who deals with telephone systems. Besides being an Engineer, she also works as a part time writer. She helps her colleagues and other people about their communication issues, giving effective solutions to address their needs.