Struggling With Discipline?
It’s the end of 2023 already and I know that while some of us are super excited for what we have achieved throughout the year and can even go as far as giving the year a overall rating of almost 70 out of 100, other feel; bad they were not able to accomplish much. In other ways, I am confident we are definitely not who we were this time last year either negatively or the other way round.
As for me, one of the things I have learned for a long time now and practiced so well this year is self-discipline. It is an absolute trait to inculcate into our lives. What’s a person without self-discipline, having boundaries, goals, and working hard into achieving them?
To build up these, you need to be consistent and motivated which is the hardest part, isn’t it?
When I started this newsletter in January, I challenged myself to a write consistently for three months and I did it! I did not skip a day even when I had to go for hospital checks. We all know how staying consistent with a particular task is hard right??? I will tell you how.
As human, we often feel unmotivated because we haven’t generated momentum. You are not lazy, you are just momentarily stuck in a loop and your brain likes to stay in the comfort of that loop. So how do you develop self discipline?
Set a Low Baseline
Remember that you did not get addicted to your phone in a day, right? It statrted from you spending twenty minutes to thirty, and from thirty minutes to an hour. This can also be applied to discipline. Set a goal to do at least 5 minutes of that goal every day, like writing, studying, reading, and cleaning. Just 5 minutes. Make it 2 minutes if 5 feels like too much and you will see progress. We all like to start from the biggest and hardest part but we have forgotten that tiny drops of water makes the might ocean.
By setting a low baseline, you make your goals more attainable and you generate momentum. Before you know it, 5 minutes turn into an hour of productive work. It’s not about motivation, it’s about momentum.
Positive Affirmations
Recently, I had a session with someone battling low self-esteem and to help her fix that, I inserted a series of positive affirmations in her plan and guess what? It worked like magic. I had learned that I am my motivation. If you tell yourself you’re not motivated, you won’t be. But if you change the language in your head to be positive and instead say “I am super motivated!” Your options are endless. You are in charge of your thoughts. Choose wisely. Starting my affirmation session this year has been a game-changer.
Start small, slow, simple, and specific.
When I was having issues with my memorization then, it was for me to keep up to the extent that I felt overwhelmed and had to stop for a while before I resumed. However, I have stuck to starting small, slow, simple and specific for my routine and till now, I am still consistent. Eventually, the thing you’ve been disciplining yourself to do will just become a part of who you are, and then you move on to the next thing. Get addicted to the process, not the results! Read that again.
Always delay gratification.
Things like buying a takeaway, or gifts for yourself, should be a special treat that you reward yourself with after completing a difficult task that you’ve been dreading. Reserve your guilty pleasures after you’ve done a challenging task.
There’s no need to miss out on fun things. Just use them as rewards. Build a better brain by using that reward system that’s built-in. This will make you more motivated to do things in the future.
Start small and increase the difficulty of tasks over time.
Create to-do lists.
Same way you create a list of the movie you want ton watch, learn to create a list of what you want do. One of the best ways I tackle tasks is by creating following the list I have created for myself. I like to make a thorough to-do list and keep it running as things come up during the day. I hate keeping things in my head without writing them down. It makes me feel unorganized. I always check the task I am done with and proceed to the next one. It wasn’t easy at first, but now it’s a part of me.
Have a routine and stick with it.
This works like magic as nothing beats doing the same thing over and over again. I know it can be hard and sometimes we get tired and lazy but once you get into a routine your brain won’t let you stop thinking about it until what you need to do is done. You have to make time for yourself to be organized.
And that is a wrap. Thanks for reading. I sincerely appreciate those who have been sharing my works overtime. Kindly share this with your friends and let them also enjoy what have been making you glued to this newsletter.
Still here, don’t forget to leave claps. If you need help with self-development or need someone to talk to – email me at drsamaad02@gmail.com.