Conscientiousness is one of the most reliable predictors of success. There are plenty of intelligent and talented people that struggle with life. However, an average person that possesses a high level of conscientiousness can be incredibly successful.

Conscientiousness is the quality of doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and doing it well and thoroughly.

Using these strategies will help you to be more conscientious:

1. Start by planning your time. Make a schedule for yourself based on the most important tasks that need to be done. The crucial things will get done, and you’ll be much less likely to waste time.
2. Schedule your life maintenance tasks. Being conscientious means taking care of your personal business. This includes all of those maintenance tasks like paying bills, laundry, cleaning, shopping, and mowing grass. Have a schedule for all of these responsibilities and stick to it.
3. Have a grooming routine. One pretty reliable way to determine if someone is conscientious is to look at their grooming and wardrobe. Maybe you can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can tell a lot about a person by their appearance. If you tend to look a little on the disheveled side, create a routine.
   • Only wear clean clothes that fit and are in good condition. Get rid of the rest. You don’t have to be known as the best dresser at the office, but it may help to be in the top 25%.

1. Declutter. Scale back on your possessions and ensure that everything that’s left has a place. Put everything back in its place when you’re done using it. This is enough to remove all the clutter in your life.
2. Be on time. Conscientious people are aware of time and stick to their plans. They don’t make other people wait. Be prompt and courteous. Show yourself and others that you’re in control of your time and your life.
3. Finish what you start. Those at the low end of the conscientious distribution have a habit of failing to finish what they start. You can’t win if you don’t finish. You can’t accomplish anything until you complete something. Develop the habit of seeing things through to completion.

• You can do this with any task in your life for practice.

1. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Have a bedtime and stick to it. Get up at the same time every day. This takes a little discipline, but it’s worth the effort.
2. Learn to control your impulses. Poor impulse control and conscientiousness do not go hand in hand. Conscientiousness is doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of whether or not you feel like doing it.

• Following an impulse is doing what you feel like doing regardless of any other concern.

We all know that person with all the intelligence and talent that anyone could ever hope for, but for some reason they can’t live a successful life. The most common reason is a lack of conscientiousness.

This can be a challenging quality to develop if it doesn’t exist in you naturally, but the benefits clearly outweigh the time and effort it takes to develop it.

The best first step is to schedule your day and follow your schedule. Keep to the schedule no matter what. 

You can become a conscientious person! An easier, less stressful life is waiting for you!