I have realized that I am a goal oriented, vision driven person. I can see potential or the end result, and it quickly gets me excited to begin moving toward the finish line. The interesting part of this is that when it comes to planning and being disciplined, I struggle.

If you ask me what my vision for a certain event, meeting or day is, I could easily give it to you. If you follow up with, "What are you going to do in order to achieve this goal?" I would stare at you blankly for a period of time before I could utter the words, "Let me get back to you on that."

As I continue to dig deeper into this realization, I have begun to understand what drives me. Victory drives me.

I notice that when I don't feel like I am completing any tasks or taking steps forward, I will lose my motivation and stop working toward something all together. In summary, If I don't get anything done, I won't try to get anything done. Yes I know, I'm a little strange.

It is in those moments I understand that I needed to begin having discipline. If I want to see victories, goals reached and tasks completed, I need to kick start myself.

In the past week, I have tried to implement three new ideas into my life, and it has brought me encouragement and motivation. I have seen the fruit in my own life when applying these principles, and I believe they can work for just about anyone.

1. Going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier.

My routine as long as I can remember consists of going to sleep once I begin feeling tired and then sleeping till as late as I possibly can. This has truly done absolutely nothing for me, although for a while I thought it was healthy to get as much sleep as possible, whenever possible.

This idea is flawed for two reasons: your body can never establish a rhythm, and rushing off to work or school after rolling out of bed actually harms productivity.

When your body establishes a normal sleep and wake time, it actually becomes easier to fall asleep and wake up in the morning. I find myself having less desire to hit snooze after implementing a sleep schedule, even if I wake up before the sunrise!

I have currently been going to sleep at 10pm and waking up at 6am. I do not need to be at my desk until 9am, so I have 3 hours before my workday begins! This has been the most impactful change I believe I have noticed thus far because I can be productive before I need to be productive. Some of you may be slightly lost, so sit tight with me for a moment.

When I wake up at 6am, I can complete tasks like make my bed, clean last night's dishes and do my morning Bible reading. After completing these small tasks, I already have a sense of accomplishment and motivation that can carry into my work day. Waking up earlier to be productive truly sets the tone for the rest of my day.

2. Creating a "Top 5"

My best friend recently got the Productivity Planner and excitedly showed me how great this item is. The major theme of this planner is to create a "Top 5" list of to-do items for each day. I've carried this idea over into my day as a whole, as well as in my work day.

Your first task or two should be the things that need to be done that day. The 3rd should be able to be attempted and the 4th and 5th are "reach goals" that are okay if you don't get to them that day. Sometimes, you can complete the whole list, and other times, you can only complete the first task. That is totally okay!

This list keeps you on task and motivated. In addition, they also suggest that for every 25 minutes of uninterrupted work you complete, you should reward yourself with a 5-minute break. This helps alleviate stress and gives you time to take a breath.

3. Celebrating the Small Victories

As I stated before, I am driven completely by victory. If I have accomplished something, I believe I can take on the world!

Did you complete a challenging task that has taken you a while to complete? Awesome! Were you able to make someone's day by helping them unjam a copy machine? That is just as awesome!

No matter the victory, it is worth celebrating for the sake of motivation! Some days, I might not complete one large daunting task, but I may have knocked 10 mini-tasks off my list and those are some of my favorite days.

With the start of Fall, there is no better time to kickstart your life and set your trajectory toward greatness.

Take these tips and run with them. Good luck!