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Every exceptional has created and followed a routine, and you need to do the
same. Your process could be time-based (as Fleming’s was). Or it could be
activity-based—completing a set of specific activities every day. You could even
have a milestone-based approach: work on a task until you can attain
something specific. It could be anything that works for you. But without an
ongoing and repeatable technique that keeps moving you ahead, you will not
achieve your goals.

Give yourself a daily target for what you want to accomplish every day and stay
true to it—no zero days or days when you do nothing toward your goal. When I
write my books, I usually have a milestone-based process, where I write 1,000
words a day. That is my daily goal, and I know if I keep doing that, my
manuscript will be complete before I know it.
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2.      Use a Commitment Device

Now that we understand the need for establishing a process, we also need to
realize that for most people, committing to a routine is challenging and takes a
lot of discipline. Consequently, they give up. It is hard to stay motivated and
remain persistent, particularly when you don’t see visible progress. One way to
help you stay true to your process is using a tool called a “commitment
device.” A commitment device is a tool that removes the temptation and
sometimes punishes you in some way for not doing what you know you should
be doing.

When I need to concentrate on my research and writing, I put my phone in a

different room. That way, I can focus on my work. When my mind begins to
wander, and I absently reach out for it and realize it is not there, I remember I
put it away for a reason. Putting my phone away in another room is a
commitment device.

Cutting up your credit card is a commitment device that prevents you from
spending needlessly. Or perhaps you decide that if you don’t practice your
activity for two hours a day, you will donate 20 dollars to a charity or
household fund. Handing over the cash is one way to keep you motivated.

A common and helpful commitment device is working with a partner or

colleague or a coach. You can’t take the day off if you know someone else is
waiting for you. There are countless commitment devices that you can
establish for yourself. You have to pick one to help you make your daily
process a habit, and it is this adherence to your simple routine that will help
you put in the effort required to achieving incredible heights.

3.      Get comfortable being uncomfortable

As humans, we function at our optimal level when we have a moderate degree
of anxiety or are slightly outside our comfort zone. If we remain within our
comfort zone, we don’t push ourselves and, consequently, don’t achieve much.
Conversely, in situations where we are too far out of our comfort zone, we
become unproductive because unusually high anxiety causes stress that can
hurt our performance.

To strive for growth, we have to learn to push ourselves to operate comfortably

outside our comfort zone.

You can get better at operating out of your comfort zone the same way you get
better at anything else: with practice. Practice pushing yourself by putting in
longer and more concentrated hours, learning new skills, and making your
improvement efforts deliberate.

One way to practice being out of your comfort zone is to learn a new skill or do
something you have never done before and do it until you feel comfortable
with it. The journey from novice to proficient, even in small activities, gives
you the feeling of pushing yourself and moving from distress to comfort. As
you learn new skills, you become more comfortable with discomfort, and this
sensation is transferrable and will help you get better in any area you wish to
improve.

The three techniques described above allow you to increase your volume of
effort, something that is essential for skill-building and personal growth. You
still have to work hard, but these tools will take away some of the pain
associated with hard work and allow you to put in more productive hours that
get you closer to the results you want. Try them; they work.
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other work here. 

Kumar Mehta