DISCIPLINE 
Your world needs to be predictable. It needs to be ordered and planned. So you in- stinctively impose structure on your world. You set up routines. You focus on time- lines and deadlines. You break long-term projects into a series of specific short-term plans, and you work through each plan diligently. You are not necessarily neat and clean, but you do need precision. Paced with the inherent messiness of life, you want to feel in control. The routines, the timelines, the structure, all of these help create this feeling of control. Lacking this theme of Disciplin~.. others may sometimes re- sent your need for order, but there n~ed not be conflict. You must understand that not everyone feels your urge for predictability; they have other ways of getting things done. Likewise, you can help them understand and even appreciate your need for structure. Your dislike of surprises, your impatience with errors, your routines, and your detail orientation don't need to be misinterpreted as controlling behaviors that box people in. Rather, these behaviors can be understood as your instinctive method for maintaining your progress and your productivity in the face of life's many dis- 
tractions. 

Discipline sounds like this: ; Les T., hospitality manager: "The turning point in my career was attending one 
of those time-management courses some years back. I was always disciplined, but the power grew when .I 1earned how to use that discipline in an organized process every day. This little Palm Pilot means th~t I call my mom every Sunday rather than; letting months go by without calling. It means I take my wife out for dinner every!, week without her asking. It means that my employees know that if I say I need to see something on Monday, I will be calling on Monday if I haven't seen it. This PaInt Pilot is so much a part of my life that I have lengthened aU of my pants' pockets so that it fits right there on my hip." " 
Troy T., sales executive: "My filing system may not look that pretty, but it is very 
efficient. I handwrite everything because I know that no customer is going to see 
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these files, so why waste time making them look pretty? My whole life as a salesper~,., son is based on deadlines and follow-up. In my system I keep track of everything sq" that I take responsibility not only for my deadlines and follow-up but for aU of my customers' and colleagues' as well. If they haven't gotten back to me by the time they promised, they're going to receive an e-mail from me. In fact, I heard from one thel! other day who said, 'I may as well get back to you because I know you're going to 
voice-mail me if you haven't heard from me.' " , 
'" Diedre S., office manager: "I hate wasting time, so I make lists, long lists that 
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keep me on track. Today my list has ninety items on it, and I will get through 95 per-' 
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cent of them. And that's discipline because I don't let anybody waste my time. I am, not rude, but I can let you know in a very tactful, humorous way that your time is up."