To be truthful, self-discipline is a continual effort accompanied by good intentions, procrastination, and a sense of failure for many of us. However, there is no need for it to be this way.
Despite being aware that you should set aside your phone and rest, you continue to indulge in playing Candy Crush. Thankfully, it is possible to reshape your mind using some psychological techniques to align with your desires.
Self-discipline is a skill that requires regular practice. It is important to acknowledge that not every day of practice will be flawless, but each day, regardless of its accomplishments and setbacks, brings you nearer to your objective. This guide aims to provide tips and strategies to incorporate self-discipline into your everyday routine.
Self-discipline
The practice of self-discipline involves making choices that your mind knows are beneficial, even when your body resists. Self-discipline often requires prioritizing long-term success over immediate comfort or desires. For instance, if you desire to increase your reading habit, you may have to proactively remove distractions, such as cancelling your Netflix subscription.
How to Be More Disciplined
1. Discern how you struggle—and how you strive
To become more self-disciplined, it is essential to determine what works and doesn’t work for oneself. Certain individuals excel when collaborating with others, whereas others perform better when working independently.
In order to understand what you require to achieve self-discipline, answer the subsequent questions considering the concept of “carrot versus stick.” This concept refers to some individuals being driven by rewards, while others are motivated by consequences to maintain their behavior.
- Does being around other people distract me or help me concentrate?
- Does the idea of a reward for a job well done motivate me?
- Does the idea of taking away a privilege or treat for not following through on a job motivate me?
Once you have answered these questions, you will have a better understanding of the appropriate approach for you and your needs. Following that, it is crucial to determine the significance of discipline to you.
2. Know your “Why”
We all have motivating ideas, but it is simple to lose connection with them. This is your chance to reconnect with your motivation. Your motivation is the reason behind your desire to attain self-discipline.
Are you interested in making a large amount of money? Contributing to the betterment of humanity? Rescuing animals? By contemplating your significant life objectives on a wide-ranging level, you can reconnect with the reasons why self-discipline will be advantageous for you and why you require it.
3. Clarify your goals of all sizes
After comprehending the significance of self-discipline for yourself, what specific accomplishments do you aspire to attain? Ensure to include both major and minor objectives, encompassing significant milestones in your professional journey as well as cultivating minor daily habits such as increasing the frequency of walks. Studies reveal that individuals who document their goals have a higher likelihood of realizing them. Additionally, the act of jotting down your goals can instill enthusiasm within you.
When planning, it is important to break down your goals into smaller, achievable tasks that require discipline instead of only focusing on long-term goals that take a considerable amount of time to accomplish.
Begin by defining your objectives clearly. Then, identify some initial routines that can assist you in attaining those goals. For instance, if your aim is to engage in a daily walk, you may opt to set an alarm for a specific time. Similarly, if your objective is to enhance productivity, you could designate moments throughout the day to assess your progress. Implementing regular, small reminders can help you stay focused on your objectives.
4. Know how you’ll measure progress
If you are unsure about how you will monitor your progress, it will be challenging to determine if you are achieving success. Make sure to establish a goal that can be measured.
Instead of aiming to “be a better father,” it could be more effective to establish a specific target, such as “devoting two hours of exclusive quality time to my daughter every week.”
When considering business objectives, begin by examining the goals you wish to accomplish and then proceed in reverse to determine the necessary actions to achieve them. In order to meet a monthly sales target, for instance, first determine the number of meetings that need to be scheduled, and establish a weekly objective for yourself.
5. Lighten your load
According to Dr. Abby Medcalf, willpower is a limited resource. At the beginning of the day, you may have complete motivation and energy, but as the day progresses and reaches 6 p.m., your self-control diminishes.
Your car broke down, your kids frazzled you, you burned dinner, and now your boss just texted asking you to work on something tonight. At this point, you just throw in the towel and pour yourself a glass of whatever you’re trying to avoid.
In order to increase your chances of success, simplify your responsibilities. Opt for a cleaning service or a meal service to gain extra time, or decline certain obligations that are not essential to your well-being.
6. Build new reward associations
Breaking habits is difficult because we find comfort in familiar routines, and we have learned to associate certain rewards with them, such as the pleasurable sensation of indulging in a generous portion of ice cream.
In a study that focused on app-based mindfulness training, participants were instructed to utilize a craving tool to record their reactions to consuming various foods and quantities. Remarkably, even after using the tool only 10 times in certain instances, participants achieved a 40% decrease in their craving-related actions simply by acknowledging their emotional state.
By engaging in journaling or closely monitoring your feelings when engaging in familiar or novel activities, you can assess your previous patterns of rewards. This approach also enables you to develop fresh connections between rewards, such as experiencing a restful night’s sleep by abstaining from alcohol.
7. Fail
People with self-discipline still have days where they consume all the doughnuts in the kitchen, waste 45 minutes on social media, and miss out on two prospects before 10:00 AM. However, the next morning they wake up and begin again.
Self-discipline involves attempting, facing setbacks, and making subsequent attempts. It is essential to have a plan in place for moments of failure. Stay connected with your accountability partner and prepare yourself to make another effort on the following day.
8. Take care of yourself
If you are causing harm to yourself in order to achieve self-discipline, then it holds little value. Pursuing certain goals can negatively impact your overall well-being and give rise to additional issues. If you continuously work late into the night for extended periods of time with the intention of becoming more disciplined, you have misunderstood the essence of self-discipline.
Taking care of yourself is a component of self-discipline. Allocating breaks during the day, maintaining a nutritious diet, spending time in nature, and nurturing healthy relationships will revitalize you, enabling you to remain dedicated to your objective. According to Dr. Abby Medcalf, your day commences when you decide to go to bed and set your alarm the previous night.
9. Use time blocking
If you find yourself using the excuse of being too busy as a reason to avoid change, there is a way to outsmart yourself. Time blocking involves scheduling specific periods on your calendar not only for meetings, but also for rest, focused work, and tasks that you keep procrastinating.
In addition to meetings, there are scheduled periods for workouts, concentrated time, end-of-day administrative duties, and lunch. This guarantees that essential tasks requiring focus time are not overshadowed by urgent tasks for a busy executive (or any other individual).
Upon initial observation, it may appear as though there is no available time in your schedule. However, time blocking does not indicate that every hour is occupied but rather that every hour is planned with purpose.
10. Treat yourself
In order for your good habits to become ingrained, it is important to reward yourself. When we deprive ourselves too much, we tend to rationalize engaging in negative behaviors. This is frequently the start of the downfall of our progress. However, if we instead incorporate treats into our self-discipline practice, such as enjoying a delightful meal or purchasing a new set of shoes, it will contribute to a sense of rejuvenation and equilibrium.
11. Forgive yourself
It is crucial that you forgive yourself when you make mistakes, as we have discussed before. It is inevitable that you will encounter failures along the way. The key is to continue progressing, and in order to do that, you must forgive yourself.
Be kind to yourself. Did you not achieve your goal? Yes. Will you need to put in extra effort tomorrow to catch up? Most likely. Will this have any impact on your long-term progress? No. After assessing the consequences of your mistake, you can determine your next steps to get back on track. The first step is to ensure that you set your alarm before going to sleep.
12. Practice, practice, practice
If you refuse to quit, you will be able to achieve victory. Mastering self-discipline may require a lifetime for certain individuals, so refrain from criticizing yourself if progress is initially slow. Persist in your efforts and if your objectives seem overwhelming, create simple and achievable milestones to experience the satisfaction of success.
As you continue to practice self-discipline, it will gradually become less challenging. In due time, you will no longer need to actively practice it as it will become an innate habit. Consequently, the days of experiencing a lack of discipline will be a thing of the past.
Benefits of Being More Disciplined
There are several common benefits of attaining a higher level of self-discipline.
- More control: Having self-discipline enables you to have more control over your own life. You’re taking charge and improving yourself to be the best you possible, and this can lead to an increased self of control.
- No more procrastinating: exercising self-discipline means that you’re taking action. This means you aren’t spending as much time procrastinating. In turn, you can get more done, and spend less time stressing over getting things done.
- More satisfaction: increasing your self-discipline means you get more done, and that in turn means that you may end up more satisfied with what you do.
- Goals get met: rather than just thinking about your dreams, you’re living them! Self-discipline lets you do whatever is needed to accomplish your goals.
