3 Things to Improve Self-Discipline

 

1. Find your “Why”  

You need to really think about why you want to achieve a particular goal.  

E.g., You want to exercise more, why? Because I want to lose weight, why? Because I feel uncomfortable in my clothes, why? Because I feel insecure around others, why? And so on and so on. Really get the root of your why. 

This will help you to find your core motivation and focus and develop mental toughness. 

Having a clear picture of what your end goal is will help you to stay on track and say “no” to things that might distract you from reaching your goal. Always remember that the aim is to be productive, not to be busy.  

 

2. Developing a routine  

I don’t allow my motivation to decide what I do (99% of the time). Having quite rigid routines puts me in control of my energy and time and gives me freedom in other areas of my life. 3 things have helped me develop my daily routines:  

• I set the bar low when I am developing a new habit. For example, if I want to move more and know I typically get 6,000 steps a day, I’ll aim for 7,500 as a starting point. I know this is very attainable for me so it gets me moving more, gives me a sense of accomplishment, and sets a baseline I can build on.
• I habit stack, meaning doing one task automatically leads me to another. For example, I already have a good routine of reading in bed every night. I want to start the practice of daily journaling. To get me into this routine, I now journal for a few minutes when I get into bed and then read. 
• I set of my objectives on an annual, weekly and daily basis. Having a clear to-do list where the tasks have a deadline helps me to stay on track and takes the guess work/motivation out of deciding what I need to do every day/week/month.  

 

3. Remove distractions 

Reflect on what is distracting you from your goal. If it’s having a healthier lifestyle, remove the alcohol from your home, ditch all the easy-access high calorie foods, cancel your streaming subscriptions. If your goal is to get your thesis finished, stop checking your emails first thing in the morning, turn off social media notifications, put your phone on “do not disturb”. Do what you need to do to stay focused on the task at hand.