Hundreds of life coaches on and outside the internet cannot stop reiterating that self-discipline is the most important virtue for a successful life. They’re not wrong whatsoever. Never be fooled by the counter argument that life happens just once and you deserve to live how you want to. While to a reasonable extent it is fair to live how we want, life without self-discipline is a life thrown away. Decisions made from the influence of tacky social media reels might come to bite us back one day and it is important to make wise choices.
Self discipline for study, for meeting work deadlines, for fitness, or to achieve any simple to significant goal in life is a fundamental virtue everyone must master. I have struggled with it to an extent of marking my success with it eventually. Even though I have a long way to go, I believe that my experiences can be of help for someone who struggles with self discipline on practical levels like I do/did. Here are some steps I implemented that have helped me put a lot of my work on autopilot mode because now I’m capable of doing them even when I don’t feel as motivated. That is only possible with a reliable amount of self discipline, because anyone works hard when they are motivated; discipline is what it takes to complete mandatory/necessary tasks when there is no motivation.
There’s plenty of content on the internet about developing/enhancing self discipline. I’ll link some articles at the end so that you have greater context. However, this article is a list of the practical steps that I have employed that have worked very well for me.
1. Truly impressive to-do-lists
Make a list of the things to complete today, this week, this fortnight, this month, this year and so on, for however long you want to plan ahead. Strike out the things you do manage to complete to give yourself a sense of achievement. But more importantly, do not fret about the things you don’t complete. Revisit your list everyday and include the pending tasks in your next day’s list. Use your to-do list as a reference to plan out your day. Trust me, you’ll get them done.
But make your to-do-lists an extension of your brain. Buy beautiful journals, sticky notes, coloured markers and whatnots to add to the aesthetic value of it because it adds so much volume to the otherwise simple task. Lists are an addictive habit, but the best one at that.
2. Take notes.
As a student, as an employee, as an entrepreneur – TAKE.NOTES. Write every damn thing down – new things you learnt (even though they seem not-so-new or lame), plans you make, ideas that come to you, highlights of a meeting, instructions of a project, you name it. Note-taking is an underrated skill, especially with the advent of so many digital planners. Taking notes in your handwriting etches the concept/idea into your mind and improves your persistence massively. If you can organize your notebook well enough, in the long run you can organize your life too. Don’t assume that you’ll remember it – you perhaps will, but write it down anyway.
3. Breaking things down
This one’s simple. Break down bigger goals into smaller ones, and divide and conquer. On difficult days, even showing up to work groomed and determined to get through the day is an achievement – and a goal met. Always break down bigger goals into smaller ones and always show up even if you have no big plans for the day. Never give up on a day simply because it didn’t start well or because you feel unmotivated.
4. Incentivizing passions
Whatever you are passionate about, make sure that you are reaping some rewards for practicing it alongside your core profession. Perhaps as a side hustle, or even on a social media platform where people can appreciate your skills. Your productivity is always inspired when there is some kind of incentive to look forward to – even if it is a couple of likes on social media. If the productivity level leads you to eventually embrace your passion as a profession, that’s the best possible outcome. This blog of mine is evidence for how I implemented this step and incentivised my writing passion. Learning transfer helped me to apply this hobby and complete a number of other professional deadlines.
5. Unlearning the obsession with perfection!
Procrastinators are often procrastinators because we are perfectionists! We don’t start working out today because there’s a chance we’ll work late tomorrow and miss working out tomorrow. We won’t publish a social media post today because we never know if we can be consistent with it. We won’t start a research paper because we don’t know if the motivation will last long enough to complete and publish it.
Let perfection go. It’s completely okay if we don’t work out tomorrow, don’t publish a video for another month and don’t make an international publication. It’s not okay, however, if we don’t start something in fear of being unable to perfect it. Let the illusion go, and get started. It’ll find a way to persist.
6. Truly knowing and accepting my weaknesses.
Oftentimes the de-motivation comes from pushing ourselves and fretting over some things that we’re not very good at. No one can be great at everything. Acting, for instance, is not my cup of tea at all- so I’ve made it a point to stay away from it despite working in an environment that offers me small acting opportunities every now and then. The understanding and acceptance of our weaknesses allows us to focus on our possibilities, and if the shortcomings are rectifiable, then to focus on that. A lack of reflective understanding of our own strengths and weaknesses is not at all conducive to self-discipline.
7. A simple yet nourishing diet.
This I learned the hard way. No form of discipline or productivity will sustain with you if your food and sleep habits are haywire. To be fair, it is the first thing we must be setting right in the journey of self discipline. ‘A sound mind in a sound body’ is absolutely true. If you struggle with junk food addiction (I did for about five years – I ate packaged products like whole food) try this method that worked for me – junk food AFTER good food. Push yourself to eat your staple food first and then permit yourself some junk – most likely you won’t even be hungry anymore and eventually the taste will wear off once you see the effects of good food on your body and mind.
[Disclaimer – I’m talking about mild levels of addictions such as that of packaged chips, like the one I had. This is not medical advice if you have serious addiction issues; please take professional help in that case.]
8. Mindful gratitude
Pick out a favourite spiritual guru on the internet or two. Learn the right ways to express gratitude and why it is important. An extent of spiritual awareness is extremely facilitative for self-discipline. It has worked wonders for me.
That’s my list for now! You can do some extended research to find some more generic points that can further resonate with your specific purpose. I wrote this post because generic advice is sometimes not enough. Embrace the journey and trust the process. Come back to write to me here if the techniques worked for you, or if you have things to add!
I’ll surely try to implement all these in my life. Thank-you 😍