Some call it the problem of procrastination, a personal organizing problem; You leave the tough stuff for the latest moment.

But it could also be a disciplinary problem. It is about finding the right balance in work. The right balance in selecting the difficult issues, the ones that cost you energy rather than those that provide you some energy in return.

To start with the former, these are the activities you are good at. The activities that could provide you a flow, which is a state of mind in which you forget that it is already four oclock in the morning and you are still working. You ought to rise and shine at seven again (probably to confront less challenging activities).

The activities that cost energy are those that you are not good at. But these can be very rewarding if you plan them during the day, during the week and during the year. Start with one such an action and set yourself a reasonable target. Then if you stick to this plan for a long period, you will experience that those activities can be very rewarding. You hate them at first, but when the results turn out better than expected; they provide you the energy to continue. It is like taking a cold shower on a freezing morning during the winter; It may hurt at first, but youll feel great afterwards.

Discipline is about finding the right balance; doing what you do best for most of your time, but mixing these with the cold showers. Something you can start doing today.

2006 Hans Bool