Discipline is a highly sought-after trait, and at some point in their lives everyone wishes for more willpower, greater self-control, and wonders how to be more disciplined.
It’s no surprise. With enough discipline you can do anything you want in life, because it allows you to spend your time exactly as you please. If you are lacking discipline and self-control, then learning how to be more disciplined is the key to greater work output and productivity, better health, and generally higher quality of life.
So How to Be More Disciplined?
Below I have outlined three methods I have used to effectively build self-discipline. I would recommend you follow any one of them. For best results, follow all three.
1. Consistently do small things that are hard
An excellent way to build discipline is to do one small thing, every day, that is hard for you to do. This is nothing fancy. Just choose a small daily task that you would normally avoid or procrastinate on, and do it every day. For example:
- Make your bed every morning
- Wash your dishes immediately after eating
- Track all of your expenses daily
- Keep your room or apartment clean and tidy at all times
- Floss your teeth before you brush them, twice a day
2. Resist temptation on a regular basis
Another excellent way to develop discipline is to resist the temptations you face in daily life. The more you resist temptation, the better you get at resisting it, and the more disciplined you get. For example:
- Limit your time wasting activity to an exact (small) number of minutes per day (set a timer!)
- If you are a regular coffee drinker, stop consuming caffeine altogether
- Completely eliminate ONE unhealthy food (that you like) from your diet
- If you drink alcohol daily or have a “nightcap”, stop doing this
- Stop watching porn or go all the way and quit masturbating completely
3. Follow 30 Days of Discipline
The most effective thing I have ever done to be more disciplined was to follow the program 30 Days of Discipline. 30 Days of Discipline is an e-book program that consists of 12 daily habits to follow for a 30-day period.
In this post I mentioned that I was following the program, but didn’t go into any detail. That was back in the summer of 2014. So how was it? Did it help me build more discipline?
Following 30 Days of Discipline was the most productive month of my life. I was able to work on both my first internet business and starting this blog, achieve excellent results in the gym and eat an ideal diet, as well as consistently carry out a number of other positive habits.
As someone who once considered myself a night owl, for me the habit that had the most impact was waking up at 5AM every day. During the month I also modified the program somewhat, for example I added in the habits of meditation and juicing vegetables, omitted the bodyweight exercises because I was already lifting 5-6 days a week, and planned out every day with a schedule.
All together this was extremely effective. After the 30 days I noticed a permanent difference in my capacity for self-discipline. While the modifications made the experience ideal for me, I couldn’t have done it without Victor Pride’s program. I would highly recommend you check it out.
If you want to become more disciplined, check out my book Self Improvement in Practice.
Final thoughts on how to be more disciplined
If these methods sound hard, it is because they are supposed to be. Discipline is like a muscle, and if it’s weak then it needs to be strengthened with regular exercise. Imagine these activities as different sized “weights” for your discipline muscle to lift. As it gets stronger, you will be able to act with greater self discipline and have more control over yourself in day-to-day life. And then one day, you will never wonder how to be more disciplined again.
What do you think? What have you done in the past to build more discipline? What’s worked for you, and what hasn’t? Let us know in the comments section below.