Great question.
I believe that self-discipline — the ability to control, correct, or regulate oneself to work hard or behave in a particular way for the purpose of improvement — can make our lives better in many ways.
It boosts our focus. You learn to prioritize what’s relevant so that your brain can focus on top priority tasks before anything else.
It helps us own the day. You learn to take full ownership of those 24 hours, which will give you the necessary time you need to work on your goals.
It trains us to do work before doing something for pleasure. You get into the habit of completing tasks first, before you do anything just because it feels great.
It increases our attention span. You train yourself not to waste time on activities that aren’t directly linked to your goals and priorities.
It takes our attitude about life to a whole new level. You make changes in your attitude and mindset that reflect your focus on goals, and you adjust the language you use when you talk to yourself.
On a more personal note, I also strongly believe that self-discipline affords me freedom. It creates more time in my day, improves my decision-making process, and allows me to take control over what’s truly important to me. By practicing it, I feel like my life has more purpose. And that’s quite a big deal.
Does self-discipline have to be a long and arduous process?
I don’t think so.
It takes some practice and it’s quite doable. You can begin by incorporating a few small habits into your day.
For example:
#1. Boost your focus.
Like any other kind of lifestyle, leading a self-disciplined life starts when you start the day—in the morning. That’s the time when you set the tone to the next 12–16 hours of your life. You can choose to be reactive, which means you wake up, get your phone, and start checking emails, Twitter, or Instagram. You might watch the news and get caught up in world events, none of which you can control. Or, you might answer calls or respond to text messages that your friends start sending you during 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.
What’s an easy way 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 big bold 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 or getting ready for work or school. 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.
#2. Learn how to own the day.
You can say a lot of things to describe a self-disciplined life, but being spontaneous in how you go about your day isn’t going to be one of them. There’s time for spontaneity, and then there’s time to do what you need to do. 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.
What’s an easy way 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. Working early allows your brain to focus fully on the problem at hand, with fewer distractions, and less inputs from your environment.
#3. Delay your gratification.
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? You’d be surprised how far-reaching this practice can be. In a study performed by Stanford University scientists, 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 your personal life choices. Check it out for yourself — this famous study is called the Marshmallow experiment
.
What’s an easy way to do this?
While it’s not exactly super easy, it’s not as hard as it sounds. You can start by observing the things you’d like to indulge in whenever the opportunity presents itself—for example, seeing a slice of double-chocolate cake at your coffee shop. 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, go to the gym just for an hour, listen to a podcast on a topic that fascinates you, or cook dinner early so you have time for a walk later in the evening.
#4. Increase your attention span.
Leading a self-disciplined life means that you learn how to say no to many different things: giving in to temptations to indulge in pleasant activities, curbing your desire to procrastinate on daily priorities, and not letting distractions take over your day. They may seem harmless to begin with, but distractions can easily make you slip from your work. One minute you’re just catching up with an old friend on WhatsApp, and the next thing you know it’s two hours later and you haven’t picked up your notes to start prepping for your exam. But when you turn off what distracts you, you have a better chance to actually do what’s important.
What’s an easy way to do this?
Distractions come from different sources, not just your electronic devices. Your goal, if you’re going to lead self-disciplined life, is to dial down all types of distractions so they’re not in your way. How do you start? First, set your phone to Airplane mode when you need to focus on your work—try it for a 2-hour period to begin. Next, let people around you like family members, friends, or roommates know you won’t be available to talk to them in the next few hours. Check your email and social media apps only 2–3 times a day; start around lunchtime and then check them later in the afternoon. Avoid browsing the Internet or reading news throughout the day; close all tabs in your browser to avoid temptations to use your friend Google.
#5. Adjust your attitude.
Like with all other areas in your life, self-discipline is for the most part all about attitude. How do you define self-discipline? Does it sound like a practice that is uncomfortable, unusual, or maybe extreme? If it does, maybe it’s time to take a second look because the attitude you have towards self-discipline will either help you or deter you from instilling it in your daily life. For me, it’s never been about what I “should” do or what feels uncomfortable to do. It’s all about what it can afford me. And I’ve realized this: self-discipline = freedom. With daily practice, self-discipline trains my brain to prioritize the things I can control, allows me to let go of what I cannot, and frees me up to focus on what will get me to my ultimate goal: becoming a better version of myself.
What’s an easy way to do this?
Instead of just living life day by day, start thinking about the big picture of your life. Even if practicing self-discipline may feel like you’re sacrificing some things right now like spending time with friends or indulging in a delicious dessert, think about what leading a self-disciplined life will afford you. Write down a list of new habits you’re practicing (or want to start practicing) that can add up to bigger results a year from now. Make sure you create time in your calendar to devote to these new habits so you can make progress—even a 30-minute session of practicing a new skill or habit is enough to begin. When you understand the benefits of leading a self-disciplined life, you are more likely to invest in it and nurture it. It will become a lifestyle that can afford you your future.