It’s the way I think about it. And how I think — about this topic, or any other — is going to determine everything I do.
I believe that self-discipline is a lifestyle, an attitude, a mindset, even a privilege.
Why privilege? Because it is my right to use my mind so that I can observe, learn, think, and make conclusions and decisions on my own based on what I’ve learned. These are all examples of independent and critical thinking.
There are 3 qualities of self-discipline that I like.
- It puts me in charge. This means I’m the one who decides today that I’ll get better at something, create something that has value, or commit to a goal that will benefit me 10 or 20 years down the road.
- It affords me freedom. I am talking about my freedom to grow. Freedom to achieve mastery. Freedom to lead a life with more purpose.
- It empowers me to take the first step. When I act with self-discipline, I can complete one step, no matter how small, right now. And I know that when I add up all those small steps, I will create something important.
Why am I mentioning all the benefits of a self-disciplined lifestyle? Because the way you think about this concept will determine whether you will adopt it and make it your own — or not. I often hear people talk about self-discipline in a mostly negative way. Students ask, how can I force myself to be disciplined and study for 12 hours straight? Many people believe that this is a practice that is harsh, uncomfortable, and something that feels like punishment — but they “must” practice it because others say it is good. And if you think of it this way too, if you try to force yourself to do something without really thinking about the benefits, you won’t be successful. Because you won’t give yourself the time and space to understand the WHY before you get to the HOW.
But if you can see the potential and the benefit of having a self-disciplined lifestyle, you can find different reasons and ways to implement it in your daily life.
I’ll give you 5 examples.
You can improve your focus.
Like any other kind of lifestyle, leading a self-discipline life starts in the morning. That’s when you set the tone to the next 12–16 hours of your life. You can choose to be reactive by reaching for your phone and checking emails, Twitter, or Instagram. You might watch the news, answer calls, or respond to text messages from your friends before even having breakfast. If you’d like to create a different beginning to your day, get proactive by training your brain to be focused as soon as you wake up.
How to do this?
Start your day with this question: “What is the one thing I am committed to completing today?” This technique trains your brain to focus on which goals are important to you right now, and it forces you to prioritize the goal you believe to be the most relevant in this moment. How do you start? Put it in writing. Write it in large letters on a sheet of paper and hang it on your bedroom or bathroom wall. Read it out loud as you start your day, for example as you’re brushing your teeth. Come up with an answer on the spot and answer it out loud. Then follow up by taking action — focus your energy throughout the day to completing your one thing.
You can take advantage of peak performance hours.
You don’t eat breakfast just before going to sleep, or go grocery shopping in the middle of the night because you are (or should be) fast asleep. Right? In other words, timing — just like in most other aspects of your life — is everything. Being self-disciplined means you do your hard work first before you do anything for pleasure. It means you are aware of which times of day should be devoted to doing hard work, and which times can be allotted to entertainment and socializing.
How to do this?
Make the most of your mornings by building a habit of doing your hard work early. This means taking full advantage of your circadian rhythm (your body’s biological clock), which is your natural rhythm that “knows” what are the optimal times for you to perform certain tasks. For most people, the early morning hours are optimal for doing deep work—work that requires a lot of concentration. Specifically, the brain’s peak performance is 2-4 hours after we wake up. So if you wake up at 6, then your peak times are between 8 and 10 a.m. Make the most of these hours by tackling the most complex cognitive tasks like studying, writing, or problem-solving.
You can transform your life into the Marshmallow experiment.
If doing hard work early helps you focus better and get those responsibilities out of the way, the natural side effect of self-discipline is that you start postponing things that are more pleasurable. What’s the point of doing something difficult first in order to reward yourself later? In a study performed by Stanford University scientists called the Marshmallow experiment, results showed that delayed gratification can increase your chance at succeeding in many areas of your life — your education, career, short and long term goals, even who you choose as your life partner.
How to do this?
Observe the things you’d like to indulge in whenever the opportunity presents itself — for example, buying a slice of cake at your grocery store or bakery. Then, resist the temptation to immediately choose to treat yourself by thinking of one reason why not to indulge: maybe you’re starting off the new year with new fitness goals or better eating habits. And follow up — take your attention away from the distractions and focus on your priorities for the day: complete your homework, make progress on a research project for work, go out for a run, listen to a podcast, or prepare dinner.
You can turn off what distracts you.
Everyday distractions may seem harmless to begin with, but they can easily get you into the procrastination habit which negatively impacts your work. One minute you’re catching up with a friend on WhatsApp, and the next thing you know it’s two hours later and you haven’t picked up your notes to start preparing for your exam. When you turn off what distracts you, you have a better chance to actually get stuff done.
How to do this?
Distractions come from different sources, not just electronic devices. Your goal is to dial down all types of distractions so they’re not in your way. Set your phone to Airplane mode when you need to focus on your work — try it for a 2-hour period to begin. Let people around you like family members or roommates know you won’t be available in the next few hours. Check email and social media apps at certain intervals only 2–3 times a day instead of throughout the hour, every hour. Close all tabs in your browser so you’re not tempted to do a Google search on something every few minutes.
You can say thank you.
Being self-disciplined means you don’t allow comparing yourself to other people and what they have, the lifestyle they lead, how much money they keep in the bank, or how far they travel on vacation. Many people find themselves doing this, and then they’re stuck in an endless look of negativity and self-criticism. Why can’t I do what he did? How am I not that successful? Why am I always doing less, achieving less, earning less? This way of thinking is disempowering and limiting. Practicing gratitude can rewire our brain to think about positive things (the things that we do have going for us) instead of obsessing about everything we don’t have that only leaves us feeling frustrated and unhappy.
How to do this?
Do it early — take a few minutes after you wake up and before you start getting dressed. Give yourself some quiet time to focus on what you want to say. You might want to write your thoughts down, or you may prefer to think about it or even say it out loud. Focus only on 3 things you are grateful for today — it can be something small like having a dog or cat as your pet; a fridge full of food; hearing birds sing outside your window this morning; having a pleasant conversation with a friend the day before. Repeat this practice daily to turn it into a positive habit.
Nela's Blog 