正确答案:
inability/incapability
解析:
此处是为了强调培养自律的重要性,故答案为inability或incapability。
【录音原文】
Self-discipline: the Foundation of Productive Living Good afternoon, today’s lecture is about self-discipline which serves as the foundation of productive living. Yet many who read books and blogs on this topic for the purpose of getting things done say they have trouble implementing these tools and becoming more productive.
Don’t worry. No system for keeping your email under control will help you on its own. No tips for budgeting will ever help you on their own. (l)The main problem for those who struggle with pure productivity is not being able to understand and learn systems, but a lack of self-discipline to begin with
What’s self-discipline? It is often described as a muscle, something that becomes stronger the more you work with it. (2)In essence, having self-discipline from a productivity point of view is having the ability and motivation to just do it. For different fields, having self-discipline ‘means different things; personal development fans consider it the ability to change habits. (3)Musicians consider it the ability to get up and practice every day, so they never fall behind in their level of skill and muscle memory.
Knowledge itself is only part of the path. Knowledge is not productivity. It’s not efficiency. It’s a necessary step, and the first step towards those things, but implementation is the step that makes it worth the time and effort spent learning.
(4)Primarily, remember to start small, work up to big.
(5)Start developing your self-discipline skills by conquering small problems; if you find yourself drinking excessively and want to handle it, then start your first drink after everyone else has finished their first couple of rounds. (6)If you want to create a habit rather than defeat it, it’s a very similar process.
In the meantime, the role of accountability, the remedial therapy of self-discipline is crucial.
When a person has, for some reason or another, allowed muscles to decrease to the point where they literally can’t use them, they go through a long process of therapy, (7)gradually rebuilding the strength in those muscles until they can use them without assistance.
There is a point where you let your self-discipline weaken so much that it’s impossible to get it back without outside assistance. That point is where accountability comes into play; having someone to push you and force you to do what you can’t force yourself to do. (8)They keep you accountable for each action, and not only give you an angry stare when you fail, but ensure you don’t fail in the first place.
The key is to find someone who’s going to be present in your day-to-day life enough to help you. If you’re working on a new habit for your work life, then they only need to present at work. More complicated are habits that encompass your entire life, in work and at home. For instance, if you want to quit smoking then you’ll probably need to organize someone to keep you accountable at Home, (9)such as your partner or family, and someone at work, probably a colleague, as nobody needs more whining from their boss!
(10)Nine times out of ten, those who’ve talked to me about their inability to get things done and implement systems they’ve memorized inside and out, only have a problem with this one aspect of life. It’s a simple one, but by no means any less difficult to deal with.
To sum up briefly, self-discipline is certainly the foundation of productive living.