No to-do system can be a substitute for discipline

I’ve been analyzing various to-do processes and applications for some time. Here are just some recent examples of things I’ve written about in this vein.

But I’ve come to an important realization lately: No system is going to make you more productive. It’s your mindset and your ability to be disciplined that allow you to get stuff done.

No undisciplined person has ever reached great success. As I look at the people around me that I respect from a business standpoint, the one trait they all have is the ability to execute. To get stuff done. To be disciplined. To focus and get rid of the distractions, and to move the ball forward.

I used to think that when I found the great to do list app that I’d be saved. No, it turns out that just because an app pings you at the right time to do something, or reminds you enough times, that you still actually have to execute and make it happen.

That’s not to say I’m not still interested in finding a great system to help me be productive, but I’m more aware that the onus is on me to get it done.