Discipline for routine: The game changer

How many times have we not made New Year resolutions but have not been able to achieve them? 

When we are unable to achieve them we vow to ourselves that at the end of the year, we shall make proper New Year resolutions and this time we will make it happen only for the New Year to travel on and close to the end the story repeats itself. 

A lot of people find themselves in this situation and if they were to rate their success, it may hover around 48 per cent.  There is a popular quote that is generally attributed to Einstein that” Insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

“A careful analysis will most likely reveal that, the discipline required to put in the required effort and the consistency required is absent in the execution phase of whatever plan has been put in place to realise the objectives.  

Discipline according to the Oxford Dictionary is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, with punishment or other undesirable consequences for those failing to comply. 

When we say someone is disciplined, what can be observed in his behaviour is consistency whether it is in connection with reporting for events on time, providing a particular service as promised on schedule etc. 

In other words, that behaviour has become routine or has become a habit.  If 2026 is going to be different from the previous years, as far as the achievement of New Year’s resolutions are concerned, then things must be done in a routine manner which will then ensure consistency.

If the resolution is say a closer walk with God by the end of the year for example, then the plan may be to sleep early enough and be able to wake up at say 5:00 am and pray and meditate on the Word of God. 

This must be done every day, that is, you should have the discipline to make this routine behaviour which some people refer to as habit and that is what would ensure the realisation of your objective by the end of the year. 

The question of how did you arrive at your new year’s resolution becomes very important.  It brings in the God factor, which for me as a believer is very important because if you are say an Entrepreneur, then innovate ideas are what you need and according to Deuteronomy 8:18, innovative ideas to get wealth comes from God.

I believe that to be able to achieve our new year’s resolutions, we must approach them with a project management mindset.  We should break the year into periods, either quarterly or monthly and evaluate our performance.  

The end of the periods we have chosen should mark the achievement of certain goals or key milestones.  This will reveal to us whether we are on track, whether we need to double up or there is the need to adjust certain things. 

This year start looking at potential hindrances to the achievement of your resolutions.  Check how much time you spend on social media for fun, like following the Akosua Serwaa and Odo Broni story and not for learning something useful that can add value to your life.

On a personal level, I have started cutting the time spent on listening to news and debates on various media platforms and using the time to polish my German and French as one of my resolutions. 

Yours may be the time you spend on the phone chatting with friends, so please watch it and adjust especially as a child of God, so you too can have a testimony to share on December 31, 2026, to the glory of God. God bless.

NB: ‘KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’

By Laud Kissi-Mensah

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