Self-discipline — made easy!
Self-discipline is crucial to success. This is valid in all walks of life. On an extremely simple bifurcation we can say that life has two modes : professional and personal. Success in any of these depends on our efforts and efforts that are synchronized, well-coordinated and disciplined. While this seems to an easy to pontificate idealistic thinking, but there are people who are disciplined and benefit from it. I would like to share some ways it can be achieved. This list is ‘supposed’ to be as practical as it can get. It is not exhaustive, and not universally valid but there is no harm in trying. Trying is the first step to success.
You are not alone in this, this is a common problem faced by all of us. The very nature of maximizing pleasures and avoiding effort is deeply there in all of us. We would show a preference for instant gratification over delayed one. I hope these tips would help you inch a little closer to being a better version of you:
1. Simplify — less things means more focus on them. Do you really need to be active on so many social network sites? Do you need to post every moment of your life online? Do you need to watch the new TV series about zombie aliens? Do you need to follow every trend that comes up? Do you need to read/watch news? In essence — don’t install every new app start starts trending, reduce the number of interactions online to few, meaningful ones. Don’t start new TV series. It is much easier not to start than to stop watching.
2. Partition you time — set aside some time only for work, only for fun and only for others. You will instantly feel more satisfied with life. Don’t forget the time for others — take out time for your close ones and community. Also take out time for far ones(in the age of social media, they also deserve your attention) — help people on forums, answer questions on social media, write a blog about self-discipline, etc.
3. Kaizen your efforts — these changes won’t happen suddenly. Just be happy if you are 1% better today than yesterday. In a year 1% will lead to ~40% change due to compounding. First define some habbit like watching Netflix that you want to reduce. Start tracking the total time you spent manually or using time-tracking apps. Try to keep weekly targets and reduce it week-over week.
4. Reduce or eliminate abuse-substances –It is not just about your health or fitness. The issue is that it makes you dependent on them for every small thing, happy or sad occasion. Reduce the intake and take more control of your life.
5. Meditate — A simple 5 min time to focus on your breath will help you stay little bit more calm and focused through the day. You can try to increase the time gradually.
6. Connect with nature — We feel better and happier in company of nature. Take in fresh air and relax. Sit down and observe the creation of nature. It is almost like a meditation.
7. Set up a routine — wake up early and do the most important work in these 1–3 hours of morning session. Keep time just before sleeping for calming activity. Don’t keep this time for media consumption, it can ruin your sleep time. Listening to music (pure music, not Youtube) would be better than binge watching a TV-series.
8. Take a walk — It has been shown that physical exercise will help you stay focused and have been shown to make you happier overall. So just take a stroll, jog or gym, whatever rocks your boat. Your body and mind will thank you later. Rigorous exercise can be tough for some people to follow and they give up. In that case, make it a point to walk for some time whenever you feel comfortable.
9. Spacial partitioning — mentally set up specific places for specific tasks. It is better to work/study on a table and it helps in posture as well as concentration. Keep your phone on silent no notification mode and at least 4 feet away from you while sleeping. Some phones have option to supress the 1st call and allow only repeat calls to get through, use that.
