imagine waking up every day feeling motivated and in control finally able to follow through on their commitments sounds like a dream right well it's not it's actually easier than you think of course I'm talking about self-discipline you don't have discipline you ain't nobody let me tell you I used to be the king of procrastination always promising myself I'd start fresh tomorrow does that sound familiar I was constantly caught in a cycle of setting ambitious goals and then watching them slip away because I just couldn't stick to a plan nothing about discipline it was frustrating and
honestly pretty disheartening but then something clicked I stumbled upon a few simple strategies that completely transformed my approach to discipline and today I'm going to share the exact steps that helped me go from a Perpetual procrastinator to someone who actually gets things done no more broken promises or feelings stuck just practical relatable steps to help you achieve your goals and become the disciplined person you've always wanted to be let's Dive In as Plato said the first and best Victory is to conquer self and honestly that's what's helped me too I'm sure you've heard everyone say
self-discipline is a Cornerstone of leading yourself and others effectively it's the secret sauce behind happiness success and fulfillment but how does it actually begin how do you become a better version of yourself how do you become self-disciplined think about it everything you want in life from achieving career Milestones to personal fitness goals hinges on your ability to to stay focused and exercise self-control sure it's hard to believe when you're eyeing that tempting all you can eat buffet considering a quick moneymaking scheme or debating between sleeping in and hitting the gym but studies consistently show that
people with self-discipline are happier why because discipline helps us bridge the gap between defining our goals and actually achieving them why self-discipline is difficult now here's the part where you're stuck you think self-discipline is tough but a big butt it's not and I'm going to explain it to you in simpler terms you see self-discipline is all about controlling your impulses than staying committed to your goals even when no one is watching on the surface this sounds extremely tough especially in a world filled with distractions social media at instant gratification and the constant lure of convenience
all make it seem like self-discipline is an upill battle but here's the thing it's not as difficult as it seems I used to be a person who struggled with self-discipline I'd set a goal to wake up early and exercise but when the alarm went off my bed seemed like the most comfortable place on Earth I'd promise myself I'd work on my side project after work only to end up binge watching YouTube channels and Netflix instead I was stuck in a cycle of intentions and disappointments feeling frustrated and unfulfilled then I started breaking it down instead
of seeing self- disipline as this massive insurmountable task I began to approach it step by step but before I tell you those secret steps I'm going to explain four big reasons why you think self-discipline is difficult and I'm going to tell you my own story side by side as well reason one self-discipline is difficult due to the resistance you experience okay so imagine you're a character in a video game and you control every action with the Press of a button if you wanted your video game self to accomplish a goal you'd simply click and it
would be done in real life though getting yourself to do things is so much harder the reason lies in the resistance you face which your video game self doesn't have to deal with this resistance comes in many forms pain effort stress fear of failure fear of the unknown lack of energy and lack of confidence these negative physical mental and emotional Sensations can be incredibly tough obstacles for example I remember trying to start a regular exercise routine with calisthenics at first the thought of waking up early and putting in the effort felt almost insurmountable the physical
discomfort of push-ups and pull-ups and the mental hurdle of pushing myself out of bed were significant barriers but over time I realized that acknowledging this resistance was the first step I started small doing just a few reps each morning and gradually buil up my routine eventually the resistance diminished and callisthenic became a habit I looked forward to reason two the problem of present bias makes self-discipline challenging another challenge is the problem of present bias a well-documented phenomenon where we prioritize immediate reward s over long-term benefits our present self doesn't like the idea of doing hard
work now just so our future self can reap the rewards this makes self-discipline especially tricky because it often involves sacrificing short-term pleasure for long-term gains I used to struggle with this a lot for instance I knew that spending time on my side projects would benefit me in the long run but after a long day at work all I wanted was to relax the idea of trading my evening relaxation for future benefits felt like a bad deal what helped me overcome this was learning to delay gratification in small manageable ways instead of committing all my free
time to work I started with just 15 minutes a day this made the sacrifice feel less daunting and gradually build up my ability to focus on long-term goals reason three self-discipline is difficult because habits are tough to develop our lives are made up of countless habits we've accumulated over the years once a habit is formed it requires little conscious effort to maintain however adopting new habits can be incredibly difficult take exercising for example for some people it's already a habit and they do it without a second thought but for those who haven't developed this habit
it's a real challenge to rewire their brain to include regular workouts I vividly remember trying to make exercise a part of my daily routine with calisthenics initially it was tough I had to force myself to do those push-ups pull-ups and squats and every session felt like a Monumental effort but I started small committing to just 10 minutes of calisthenics each day gradually as I pushed past the initial resistance it became easier eventually it turned into a routine that I actually looked forward to the key was persistence and recognizing that building new habits takes time reason
four the try to hard cycle can make self-discipline harder the try to hard cycle is another significant barrier to self-discipline it goes like this you decide to change your life try to do Everything at Once burn out give up do nothing for a while get bored and frustrated and then start the cycle over again I've been there countless times but I decided to get in better shape I dive into the most intense workout plans only to burn out within a week and not work out for months this cycle isn't limited to Fitness I experienced it
with job applications trying to eat helpfully and many other goals what I learned was that trying to change too much at once is a recipe for failure and self-destruction and instead I began focusing on small incremental changes procrastination is a related issue it often involves spending too much time planning and perfecting your approach rather than taking action I spent years reading about the benefits of meditation without ever actually meditating the key is to start small and build momentum once I finally started meditating for just a few minutes each day I quickly saw the benefits and
was able to build on that Foundation how to make self-discipline easier now comes the fun part I'm excited to share five methods that have dramatically made self-discipline easier for me my life has improved significantly since I started using these techniques touching on every aspect from health and relationships to my career and overall well-being let's dive in method one be as specific as possible with your goals one of the biggest changes that improved my self-discipline was forming clear specific goals I used to have broad vague goals like I want to start meditating I want to take
my film making to another level or tomorrow I swear I'm going to create my YouTube channel when it came time to meditate and work on my goals I get overwhelmed and give up after years of this frustrating pattern I decided to try something different I began writing down super specific goals in my to-do list such as I will meditate for 5 minutes every day without distractions suddenly I found self-discipline wasn't as difficult being specific helped me plan exactly how to accomplish my goals when I started making a to-do list each a helped me with my
discipline so I knew these were the tasks I had to complete no matter what plus it turned out some of my broad vade goals were things I didn't even want to do they seemed great in theory but once I detailed the steps I realized they didn't fit my interests focusing on specific goals I truly wanted to achieve made it easier to stay disciplined and freed up my mental space for what really mattered method two don't have an All or Nothing mentality in the past I had an All or Nothing nothing mentality when pursuing goals I
either achieved my goal or felt like a failure this approach led to discouragement whenever I fell short of a big final goal for example during a 2-year period of job hunting i' get demoralized when I didn't get an offer which often deterred me from applying to jobs for weeks but when I landed the job I was not disciplined enough I began to realize my life was getting harder day by day there was a time when I started good habits and hobbies but stayed within my comfort zone when life became difficult especially when I work ships
in remote areas I struggle to stay consistent because I lack discipline this inconsistency made things worse during tough times I realized I needed a strategy to maintain my habits and discipline even when life got hard over the last 2 years I focused on building a strong foundation for discipline I started giving myself credit for small achievements this shift in mindset made me more disciplined and persistent in my job search I approached the process with more enthusiasm and confidence so you see celebrating small wins kept me motivated and moving forward implementing these strategies helped me build
and maintain discipline aligning my daily habits with my long-term goals now I can stay disciplined even when life gets tough and I'm better prepared to handle challenges as they come although I wouldn't say it's my dream job at least I am now self-disciplined celebrating small wins kept me motivated and moving forward implementing these strategies helped me build and maintain discipline aligning my daily habits with my long-term goals I believe that if I keep going at the same Pace one day I will achieve my biggest goal now I can stay disciplined even when life gets tough
and I'm better prepared to handle challenges as they come method three start small and take advantage of the spillover effect the spillover effect refers to the idea that progress in one area even if small can lead to significant breakthroughs in other parts of your life this was exactly my experience when I turned my life around after school I fell into a bad slump spending all day playing games watching YouTube and Netflix eating junk food and doing nothing productive then one summer I made a small change I decided to learn about film making and cinematography each
day at first it was just a way to fill the time but soon it became a passion as I immersed myself in cinematography I began to develop a routine this routine then led me to explore other interests like calisthenics I started with simple body body weight exercises and gradually built up my strength and endurance the discipline I cultivated through my daily cinematography practice spilled over into my calisthenics workouts I found that as I became more disciplined in one area it became easier to apply that discipline to other areas of my life learning about film making
and practicing calisthenics had a transformative effect on my overall well-being the physical activity improved my health boosted my energy levels and increased my confidence the creative process of film making sharpened my focus ignited my passion and provided a sense of accomplishment as I became healthier and more confident my social skills improved and I found myself more engaged and productive in other aspects of my life method four align the interests of your present self and future self earlier I mentioned how self-discipline is challenging due to present bias where our present self prioritizes immediate rewards over long-term
benefits for our future self but what if you could align the interests of your present self and future self this alignment has been a GameChanger for me aligning the interests of your present self and future self is a powerful strategy to enhance self-discipline here's how you can make this alignment work for you prioritize enjoyable goals choose goals that your present self enjoys or can learn to enjoy for instance if you love dancing take dance classes instead of forcing yourself to run if you hate it personally I found that incorporating Hobbies like film making and CIS
athetics made it easier to stay disciplined because I genuinely enjoyed these activities this enjoyment helped me stay consistent and committed do the less enjoyable most important tasks first thing in the morning tackle the most important and complex tasks first when your energy and focus are at their Peak this way you get the critical tasks out of the way early leaving the rest of the day for Less urgent or more enjoyable activities think of it like eating your vegetables before dessert for example I make it a point to complete my work-related tasks in the morning ensuring
that I meet deadlines and make significant progress on my projects later in the day I reward myself with activities I enjoy structure your day by priority and complexity organize your day in a way that balances importance and enjoyment start with important complex tasks then move to important less complex ones followed by enjoyable important tasks and finally enjoyable less important tasks this method helps maintain productiv ity while ensuring you stay motivated here's a rough outline important complex tasks these are your top priorities that require significant effort and concentration by tackling them first you ensure they get
done when you're most alert important less complex tasks these tasks are still crucial but easier to accomplish they're perfect for when you need a break from the intense Focus required by complex tasks enjoyable important tasks these tasks are both significant and enjoyable they help you stay engaged and make progress towards your goals enjoyable not important tasks these tasks are fun and help you on why they're great for maintaining a balance between productivity and relaxation relaxation end your day with activities that help you relax and recharge ensuring you're ready for the next day when you structure
your day in this way you can ensure that you're addressing your priorities effectively while also making time for enjoyment and relaxation this balance not only keep keeps you productive but also prevents burnout making it easier to maintain self-discipline over the long term method five forgive yourself when things don't go perfectly when self-discipline was more difficult for me I felt horrible whenever things didn't go as plann missing a workout led to regret procrastinating on a spool deadline led to guilt and not getting a job after applying led to shame these negative emotions often make me want
to give up over time I learned that failure is inevitable no matter how hard you try things won't always go perfectly the most important thing is to forgive yourself and keep moving forward oh I haven't eliminated negative emotions entirely I've gotten better at moving past them quicker remember don't put pressure on yourself to be perfect everyone slips up occasionally the key is to forgive yourself and not give up for good ultimately self-discipline isn't about being perfect it's about making progress however small every day by understanding your triggers setting realistic goals and celebrating your achievements you
can make self-discipline a part of your daily life and trust me once you start seeing the results you'll realize that becoming disciplined is easier than you ever imagined easy peasy right and with that said making self-discipline easier involves setting specific goals avoiding an All or Nothing mentality starting small aligning the interests of your present and future self and forgiving yourself when things don't go perfectly when you implement these methods you can build self-discipline that improves every aspect of your life from your health and relationships to your career and overall happiness what is the biggest hurdle
you face and how will you overcome it starting today let us know in the comments below and if you think a friend should watch this for motivation don't forget to share it with them see you in the next one
