lack of self control is causing me to waste my life

I am also facing this problem but i try my best to cop up.
Actually the main reason of my failure is the mismanagement of my time.
Sometime i spent my time doing nothing and sometime i utilize my every second at full effort.
This is normal and we are the only one who can control ourself other wise we will be responsible.

diggitydogg, I understand what you're going through- I too, tend to do this to myself so what I'm sharing with you comes from experience. I agree with the replies already given but I'm afraid they don't tap into the WHY or the fundamental reason that you're subconsciously sabotaging yourself. So why are you your own worst enemy?

I, too, have studied a great deal of self improvement / motivational / psychology / sales for a good three years now. If you're familiar with Brian Tracy or Anthony Robbins then this might sound familiar to you.. I'm no Tony Robbins but I'll say it as best I can..

Every single person, whether they recognize it or not, has a certain subconscious value placed on themselves. Call it self-image, call it a belief system about themselves, call it whatever.. this value that each person has subconsciously placed on themselves can be shaped by almost anything- their parents, relatives, friends, environment.. really any outside influence in your life helped shape this subconscious value and belief.

Now take this value, this belief about yourself that has been shaped by every outside influence your entire life up to this point.. and picture a thermometer. Some peoples self value lay very high on the thermometer and they never accept anything less than this for their lives. On the other hand some peoples self value lay very very low on the thermometer and they are completely complacent about it. As a result they will grow very little and continue on their path for the rest of their life. Not to say that they can't grow- they just don't know they're capable of so much more.

And then here is you. I don't know where your temperature is on the thermometer or how your beliefs about yourself have been shaped. But from what you've said.. let's say you're right in the middle at 50 degrees or so.. but you know that you are capable of so much more. And so for months at a time your external temperature begins to rise and you begin to become diligent, productive, creative, and you start accomplishing things you never thought. 60 degrees, 70, 75... this goes on for a while.. you feel like a new man, on top of the world. And then? Just like you said, you fall right back to 50 degrees. Square one.

So what am I trying to say? Why did you fall back down to 50 when you were making such strong progress?
Because your internal / subconscious / self value / self image never caught up to the person you were consciously becoming. The successful diligent person that you are for those few months is NOT the person your subconscious BELIEVES that you are. I don't know how old you are but let's say 35. Let's say you were a lazy bum for 35 years and for a few months you're going to be a changed man? Yeah right, that lazy bum is the only thing your subconscious knew for thirty-five years! Everyone has a temperature that they are a comfortable with and will always fall back to it in time unless they change their belief about themselves. That is why people win millions of dollars in the lottery and are back to broke in 5 years (forget the actual stats but it is very very high) because their belief system is still that of a person who brings home a 40k/year salary. That is why (again, forget the statistic) so many professional athletes, after retirement and after their multimillion dollar salaries find themselves in bankruptcy. Imagine that!

It is your belief system about who you are & how you see yourself. Until you gain a new perspective on the person you really can be and change your subconscious fundamental belief on what you can achieve you will always fall back to your internal temperature because that is where your subconscious mind is most comfortable. I'm still working on this- it is a daily conscious effort to control and change the subconscious. But I'm coming along as well. The subconscious mind is very interesting- severely underestimated- very powerful. Almost scary how much it will control us if we don't control it.

But it can be done if you're constantly aware of it. There are so many ways to change your belief system and improve your self image. But that's the good news- if you know what to change, it can be changed! Everything was learned so the bad stuff can be unlearned as well! I recommend tony robbins if you have never looked at his stuff before. People can say what they want about 'self-help gurus' especially with recent happenings.. but he is one of the pioneers and his 'material' is original, down to the earth, and absolutely real. It is just common sense.. on a deeper level.

Sorry for the lengthiness of the response- I'm just very passionate about this sort of thing. Hope it helped.. if not.. scratch the whole thing.

Thanks a ton to everyone who replied. Lots of good ideas that I'll definitely be looking into deeply. Also good to know I'm not alone in having this problem.