Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is the ability to control one’s feelings, emotions, and behaviors in order to achieve long-term goals through daily behaviors. It involves being able to overcome short-term temptations and distractions to stay focused on what you ultimately want to accomplish.

Self-discipline is crucial because very few people ever feel motivated 100% of the time. Having the willpower and inner resolve to stick to your goals even when you don’t feel like it separates those who succeed from those who fail. Self-discipline is a key ingredient to success in all areas of life whether it’s careers, relationships, health, finances, or personal growth.

Some common misconceptions about self-discipline:

• It’s about depriving yourself. In fact, self-discipline is about self-care and choosing your future self over your present self. Depriving yourself leads to burnout.
• It’s a fixed trait. Actually, self-discipline is a skill that can be developed over time with practice. People are not inherently disciplined or not. Everyone can build their self-discipline muscle.
• It means resisting all temptations. You can still enjoy yourself in moderation with self-discipline. It’s about creating healthy habits that align with your goals.

The truth is self-discipline is self-mastery and personal freedom. It allows you to take control of your life instead of being controlled by impulses, emotions, and distractions. Anyone can cultivate it.

Assess Your Current Self-Discipline

The first step is to honestly evaluate your current level of self-discipline. This will help you identify areas where you excel as well as weaknesses to improve.

Start by rating your self-discipline on a scale of 1-10 in the following areas:

• Completing tasks without procrastination
• Resisting temptations and distractions
• Sticking to routines and habits
• Meeting deadlines and commitments
• Bouncing back from setbacks

Make a list of your self-discipline strengths. When are you most able to focus, avoid temptations, and complete tasks? Reflect on times when you demonstrated strong willpower and self-control.

Also make a list of self-discipline weaknesses. When are you most likely to procrastinate, overindulge, or abandon routines? Identify your biggest struggles related to self-control.

Pinpoint any patterns in your strengths and weaknesses. For example, is your self-discipline lower in the evenings? Do certain people or environments make it easier or harder for you to stay disciplined?

By evaluating your current self-discipline, you gain awareness of where you excel and where you need improvement. This assessment will guide you in setting realistic goals and choosing strategies to build self-discipline. Review your ratings and lists regularly to track progress over time.

Set Clear Goals

Setting clear, measurable goals is crucial for improving self-discipline. Goals provide direction and motivation to stay focused. Make sure your goals follow the SMART framework:

Specific – Clearly define what you want to accomplish. Goals like “get in shape” are vague. “Run 2 miles without stopping 3 times per week” is specific.

Measurable – Include quantifiable criteria to track progress. “Weigh 150 pounds” vs “lose 10 pounds.”

Achievable – Set realistic goals you can reach with effort. If new to running, “run a marathon next month” is too advanced.

Relevant – Goals should align with your overall objectives. Don’t set goals that don’t relate to building self-discipline.

Time-bound – Include a deadline. “Run 2 miles without stopping by the end of the month” drives urgency.

Here are some SMART self-discipline goals to consider:

• Wake up at 6 AM every day for the next 2 weeks
• Only check phone twice daily for 1 month
• Go to the gym 4 times per week for the next 3 months
• Save $300 per month over the next 6 months

Start with just 1-3 self-discipline goals. Too many goals leads to spreading yourself thin. Review and reset your goals monthly. Achieving small goals builds the self-discipline needed for bigger accomplishments.

Remove Temptations and Distractions

One of the best ways to improve self-discipline is by removing temptations and distractions that can derail your progress. Here are some tips:

• Identify your personal temptations. What tends to divert your focus or distract you from your goals? Common temptations include social media, television, video games, unhealthy snacks, etc.
• Remove or limit access to these temptations. Delete social media apps from your phone, restrict TV or gaming time, avoid keeping junk food in your home. Out of sight can mean out of mind.
• Create an environment that will encourage your goals. Choose a workspace with minimal distractions. Silence phone notifications. Set house rules to limit interruptions.
• Schedule distracting activities. Give yourself set times for entertainment so it doesn’t bleed into productive time.
• Use website blockers. Browser extensions like StayFocusd allow you to block distracting sites during work hours.
• Start habits like reading or meditation to replace tempting activities.
• Enlist others to help limit access to distractions. Ask your partner to hide the remote.

Removing temptations takes self-awareness. But consistently avoiding them helps establish self-discipline over time.

Start Small

The key to building self-discipline is to start with small, manageable habits. This concept is known as “tiny habits” – where you focus on one tiny new behavior at a time until it becomes automatic.

Some examples of small habits to build self-discipline:

• Make your bed every morning
• Read 10 pages of a book each day
• Take a 5 minute walk after every hour of work
• Drink a glass of water right when you wake up
• Do 10 push-ups after your morning shower
• Take 5 deep breaths when stressed
• Clean off your desk at the end of each workday

The power of tiny habits is that they are so easy to do that they can become ingrained behaviors. Once you master one tiny habit, celebrate your success and build upon it by adding another small habit. Compounding these tiny habits over time will lead to dramatic gains in your self-discipline. Focus on the process rather than the end goal, and don’t let setbacks discourage you. Building self-discipline takes patience, but with consistency, small steps make a big difference.

Track Your Progress

Tracking your progress is crucial for building self-discipline. When you measure your habits, you can clearly see your improvements and hold yourself accountable. There are various ways to track progress:

Habit Tracking Apps

Habit tracking apps like Habitica, Way of Life, and StickK allow you to input your goals and log your progress. You simply check off each day you stick to a habit. Over time, you build streaks and can visually see your consistency. Apps provide reminders, statistics, charts, and other gamification features. Popular options include:

• Habitica – Turns habits into a roleplaying game by creating a character who gains experience points and treasures for sticking to habits. You can join parties with others for accountability.
• Way of Life – Simple app to track habits using a productivity score. Just tap on each day you complete a habit. Shows streaks and history.
• StickK – Uses commitment contracts to keep you accountable. Put money on the line that you’ll lose if you fail to uphold habits. Integrates with coaching.

Habit Tracker Templates

You can create DIY paper habit trackers using templates, bullet journals, or simple tables. Draw out a grid with habits as rows and days/weeks as columns. Color code the days you stick to each habit. Templates allow customization and flexibility. Some options:

• Printable habit tracker templates – Search online for templates to print monthly, weekly, or daily trackers. Customize with your habits.
• Bullet journal habit trackers – Create a habit tracker page in your bullet journal. Draw the grids and columns. Decorate and organize.
• Excel/table templates – Make a table in Excel, Google Sheets, or Word to track habits. Add colorful formatting.

The key is finding a tracking method that fits your preferences and lifestyle. Over time, watching your progress can motivate you to keep improving your self-discipline.

Reward Yourself

Reinforcing a new habit by rewarding yourself each time you practice it is a powerful way to build self-discipline. The human brain loves rewards and positive reinforcement. Each time you successfully do your new habit, give yourself a small reward. This trains your brain to associate the habit with something pleasurable.

Rewards help motivate you and establish the habit. Over time, as the habit becomes automatic, you can phase out the rewards. But especially at first, use rewards to make habit formation easier.

Good reward ideas include:

• Treating yourself to something special – your favorite snack, a TV show, relaxing time, etc. Just make sure it fits within your larger goals.
• Checking off your progress on a calendar or habit tracker app. The sense of satisfaction can be its own reward.
• Doing a quick celebratory dance, fist pump, or shouting “yes!” Finishing your task is exciting!
• Texting a friend to share your latest accomplishment. Social praise can be very motivating.
• Adding money to a jar each time you stick to your habit. After reaching milestones, use it to buy yourself something fun.
• Taking a brief break or walk outside. Enjoy the fresh air and sense of freedom.
• Mentally congratulating yourself and recognizing the effort it took. Be your own cheerleader!

The key is choosing small rewards that motivate you to keep going. Experiment to find what works best for your personality and goals. Then enjoy the positive reinforcement as you build life-changing self-discipline.

Get Accountability

Getting accountability from others can be a great way to build your self-discipline. Having someone else help keep you on track makes it harder to procrastinate or give up when things get challenging. Consider finding an accountability partner – someone you check in with regularly and who will motivate you to stick to your goals. Tell them your goals and have them follow up to ensure you are making progress. Ask them to hold you accountable if you get off track. Joining a support group, class, or online community related to your goal can also provide accountability through encouragement from others working toward similar aims. Surrounding yourself with people focused on self-improvement will inspire you to stay disciplined. Make sure to return the favor and hold your accountability partners responsible for their goals as well. Having mutual accountability will strengthen commitment and discipline for everyone involved. Knowing others are counting on you and supporting you will help ingrain the self-discipline required to achieve your objectives.

Be Patient

Developing self-discipline takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight. When trying to improve your self-discipline, you need to take a long-term view and persist despite inevitable setbacks along the way.

It’s easy to get frustrated when you don’t see immediate results. But real change comes slowly, through daily practice and continually strengthening your self-discipline muscle. Don’t be discouraged if you slip up or make mistakes. That’s part of the process.

The key is to get back on track and not let isolated failures derail your efforts. Accept that there will be ups and downs. But as long as you keep working at it, you can steadily build your willpower over time. Your self-discipline today doesn’t have to be the same as your self-discipline tomorrow.

So be patient and focus on progress, not perfection. Celebrate small wins and milestones. Stay motivated by keeping the big picture in mind and trusting the process. If you persist through the challenges, your self-discipline will grow stronger. Don’t give up just because change doesn’t happen overnight. With commitment and patience, you have the power to transform yourself one step at a time.

Develop Self-Awareness

Developing self-awareness can help improve your self-discipline by allowing you to identify triggers and thought patterns that may be hindering your progress. Practicing mindfulness through meditation, reflection, and self-observation can increase your understanding of your own mind.

Try setting aside time each day to sit quietly and observe your thoughts and emotions without judgment. Notice when your mind wanders and gently bring it back to the present moment. Pay attention to when you feel urges or impulses that go against your goals. Identify the triggers preceding those impulses, like stress, boredom, frustration, etc.

Keep a journal to record your insights, emotions, triggers, and reactions to situations. Review it periodically to detect patterns in your thinking and behavior. Over time, you may uncover unconscious beliefs, biases, and habitual thought processes that make self-discipline more difficult.

Increased self-awareness allows you to recognize these patterns as they arise so you can consciously choose to redirect your thoughts and actions in alignment with your goals. Be patient and non-judgmental with yourself as you cultivate greater self-knowledge. The more mindfulness you bring to your inner experience, the easier it becomes to exercise self-discipline.