The Skill that Keeps Burnout at Bay

Discipline is a superpower. I'm going to share with you the
Three Levels of Discipline to level up your productivity AND recovery.

For many, discipline is an uncomfortable word, but as I explain it is
ironically the ticket to an easier, more relaxing life.

Discipline feels like punishment, because as kids we were
disciplined when we were told to do something we didn't want
to do.

We're all grown up now; let's update what this word means.
It means consistent behavior aimed at producing a desired result.
That consistent behavior may or may not be something you want to do.
Discipline doesn't care.

Any strategy that helps us do something consistently and amplifies the
desired result is a discipline strategy

Our desired result: Getting more done without the burnout. Let's go.

There are three levels of discipline that build on each other and once
mastered allow for increased productivity without the burnout:

The discipline of pushing          through resistance
         The discipline of reducing          resistance
         The discipline of outsourcing          and deleting time-wasters

Low efficiency and effectiveness, and poor time and energy management
all reduce productivity.

Increased energy, efficiency, and effectiveness with reduced time
increases productivity.

The good news is each factor of productivity can be improved through discipline
allowing you to work less, get more done and make time to unwind
- key to preventing burnout.

Efficiency is how well a task uses energy to bring results;
effectiveness is how well you perform the task.
There is a subtle difference.

To save time and energy but still get great results:
1) We can optimize the efficiency of the task.
2) We can improve effectiveness by optimizing your performance.

We get more efficient and effective with practice. Simply by doing - we improve.
The more time we spend doing, the shorter the mastery curve to increased
efficiency and effectiveness.

To illustrate this point let's imagine a hand-cranked grain mill.
The efficiency of the mill could be measured in ounces of grain
ground per crank.

A more efficient mill would "crank" out more milled product per turn.

Your effectiveness is then related to how well you perform the
tasks necessary to keep the mill producing. This might be keeping
the grain hopper filled and the crank turning.

So productivity is related to energy input over time and increases with
improved efficiency and effectiveness.

Current research in neuro- physiology show that our brains actually
rewire to make us better at what we do.
This is in essence the process of learning.

In the human mind, however, there is one more detail that can turn this whole
equation on its head.

Humans fatigue, they get tired, they burnout.
How do we get more done in less time without burnout?

It comes back to discipline!

Before many of us even begin a task, our minds get in the way by creating
resistance to doing the task.

We get to thinking about what we "should" do, get stuck in our heads over it,
and build a tremendous amount of resistance to the task.
The extra thinking is a delay tactic; resistance.

Most people get stuck here.
Can we look at this deeper and get around feelings of resistance?

Level One Discipline - Pushing Through Resistance
Before many of us take on the task, we wear ourselves out trying
to "find the motivation and energy" to do the task.
This very behavior builds resistance to doing the task because it implies,
the task needs more "motivation and energy."
If you don't have these, you're SOL.

One way to approach this built up resistance is to build the necessary
discipline to push through the resistance.
At its core it is the discipline of consistency.
If you can do this you have at least conquered laziness.

This is mastery of level one discipline - "do it even if you don't want to."
This is where most people are in terms of practicing discipline.
It is a big step because many don't ever get here with consistency.

Mastery of Level One Discipline is pushing through the resistance no matter what.

But it comes with a costly trap: using energy to push through resistance is not productive.

Delays, rationalizing, and excuses are a waste of time and energy...

We spend time and energy creating resistance to the task by sitting, thinking,
ruminating, posturing, analyzing...delaying; and then spend energy in the form of discipline
to push through that built up resistance.
We could have easily just started the task without so much ado.

Since the only effective way to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of a task is to
do the task, saving effort for the task itself rather than pushing through resistance
seems smart.

If we're wasting time and and energy pushing through resistance we've created,
a portion of our effort (time and energy) that could have been used to learn,
is used up in practicing level one discipline - pushing through that resistance.

What if there were a way to use less time and energy on pushing through resistance
so more effort was available for learning - optimizing efficiency and effectiveness?

There is a better way. Those who graduate to level two, get to see the benefits of reduced resistance.

It is the core of discipline level two.

Level Two Discipline - Reduce the Resistance.

By reducing resistance to the task you don't need to apply
discipline to pushing through resistance, only to the task of
reducing resistance in the first place.

Doing so reserves more effort (time and energy) for the task.
The task gets done with greater ease and learning; shortening the mastery curve
of the task so that over time you can make the task more efficient and you can
become more effective at the task.

This is an important point I want to stress. Be reducing resistance through level two discipline,
more effort is available to optimizing the efficiency of the task and your
effectiveness at performing the task. This makes the task easier over time.
Mastery comes faster the more effort you can dedicate to the task.
Mastery comes sooner if you don't waste effort on pushing through resistance.

Level one discipline teaches, "increase your discipline to push through the resistance"

Level two discipline teaches, "decrease my resistance so more effort can be used
for the task which will shorten the learning curve, improving effectiveness and efficiency faster."

In other words, become disciplined at not making resistance to tasks in the first place,
so you don't need discipline later to push through.

How do you apply level two discipline to reduce resistance?
At its core it's a discipline of awareness:
1) recognition that you are the creator of the resistance
2) recognition that resistance hinders growth in effectiveness and efficiency
and is a waste of your effort.
3) recognition that getting on with the task reduces resistance by not spending effort
creating it.

When you master level two discipline a curious thing happens.
You get stuff done with less time and energy.

Why?

Because you're not spending it resisting the task.

Eventually, when you have mastered taking on tasks with a Level Two Discipline mindset,
any hint of self-created resistance becomes a cue to just get on with the task.

You'll be able to get so much more done the number of tasks you feel you can take
on may actually increase. Things you ignored in your life, goals, passions, projects
all get a seat at the table of your attention and you have confidence to take them on.

As with level one, Level Two Discipline also comes with a trap:
It becomes easy to fill your schedule low-value tasks that you know you
can now accomplish with your insane discipline that you become undisciplined with
where your time and energy are going. You get busy but not productive.
You also have less time to recuperate so burnout becomes inevitable.

You can burn yourself out by wasting time and energy on resistance.
That's the trap of Level One Discipline.

You can also burn yourself out by wasting effort on tasks you fill the additional
time you create for yourself with more tasks.

The fact is you shouldn't be doing everything, even though you can.

Some tasks no one else can do for you.

Reading, exercise, sleep, self-care:
these are tasks that have to be done by you for you to benefit personally from them.
Unfortunately, they are also the tasks we tend to give up first when we find ourselves
out of time and energy. Not having the time or energy to take care of one's self is
perhaps the epitome of being undisciplined.

Other tasks we do because they bring fulfillment or compensation for our effort.
Because we are effective and efficient at them it makes sense that we would take on these tasks.
They create value for ourselves and others around us as all benefit from our level of mastery.

Finally, there are tasks that are simply time- and energy-wasters. At Level Two
Discipline it is easy to take on these tasks because you have the time and energy
that you didn't have before.

But should you?

Level Three Discipline - Outsource and Delete Time-Waster Tasks

Level Three Discipline is cutting out the tasks that eat time
up and (or distract you from tasks that you are more effective at
and/or represent greater value to you).

Once you become a time and energy master through discipline two,
Discipline Level Three removes distraction and focuses your time and
energy on tasks uniquely suited to your effectiveness.

Level One Discipline is about doing it no matter what.

Level Two Discipline is about removing resistance to open more time
and energy into accomplishing and optimizing the task itself.

Level Three Discipline is about removing distractions and low-value
activities so you have more time and energy for rest and
high-value behaviors.

At its core it is a discipline of priority; of time-arbitrage.

When you master Level Three Discipline you create a balance of doing and being; activity and rest.

By focusing on only the behaviors that bring personal-growth or generate high-value that
you are uniquely capable of, you remove the tasks that bog down your time and eat at your energy.

You have the resources to outsource low-value tasks because you focus on high-value tasks.

You arbitrage your time. High-value tasks leave a surplus of value providing the resources
necessary to outsourcing or deleting low-value or no-value tasks.

I often hear that what a person needs isn't motivation but discipline.
Since, high-value tasks are by definition highly-rewarding to you personally.
Why spend your effort on anything else? If you're looking for motivation, start with discipline;
personally, I find the rewards of high-value tasks motivating enough.

With a clear schedule you can also enjoy the particular benefit of rest;
key to preventing burnout.

Here's a recap of the Three Levels of Discipline, each provide something and
all three mutually support the other.

Building up your discipline muscle (Level One Discipline) is crucial to mastering consistency,
but doesn't address self-created resistance.

Level Two Discipline affords you to take on more in the day by recapturing time and energy
you used to spend pushing through resistance but leaves you vulnerable to
taking responsibility of low-value tasks.

Level Three Discipline builds on the previous two levels by consistently applying your
maximal effort only to tasks that generate high-value to your life including rest and recuperation.

Discipline is the key to getting more done in less time without burnout.