How to Practice Self-Discipline

Building the life you want begins with yourself

To strengthen your motivation, it helps to define the purpose of your goals. (Biba Kayeiwch)

Whatever you aim to do and achieve in life, whomever you wish to become—the ability to discipline yourself is sure to play a major role in your success. Whether you’re seeking financial security, increased physical strength and fitness, a clear and organized home, professional achievement, improved relationships, or inner peace—if you can cultivate the ability to discipline yourself, you’re halfway there.

It’s all too easy in life to get caught up, to drift along, and to let life pass you by. In modern society, the forces vying for your attention, your focus, and your will are sophisticated and ubiquitous. You have every tool of distraction you could ever dream of at your disposal. Most people, it seems, choose the path of least resistance—succumbing to temptation, choosing comfort, and avoiding the reality of the gap between where they are and where they could and should be.

Self-discipline is what’s required to overcome such forces and live in alignment with your core values. After all, isn’t that what your aims and visions are truly about?

Define Your Why

In order to strengthen your will to maintain discipline, it helps if you’ve defined the purpose of your goals. Why do you want to accomplish these things and steer your life in this direction? Why are fostering certain habits important in the grand scheme of things? Why do you believe you exist?

That’s right—ask the big questions to get closer to the big answers, and the pull of that North Star will be stronger than that of petty diversions.

Systematize

Once you know what you’re aiming at and why you’re aiming at it, increase the odds of your success by putting systems in place to support you. Consider your daily routines, your schedule, your habits, and your environment.

For example, if you’re aiming to improve your fitness, a habit of getting your workout clothes on upon waking might be a helpful routine to employ. The routine of walking out the door right after you brush your teeth to head to your gym or on a walk might leverage an already established routine (teeth brushing) to spur you on. Committing to a frequency and time of exercise on your calendar can also help to maintain your drive and prevent other activities from taking over those time slots. Keeping your alarm clock on the other side of the room may help you to wake up earlier to guarantee the time for exercise.

Think through what you’re trying to do and set up any and all systems in your life that can make it a simpler and easier task.

Track Your Progress

One secret to achieving your goals is realizing that the real joy comes from the progress you make along the way, not the final achievement at the end of your journey. Further, many of life’s aims are lifelong pursuits with no set finish line. You don’t completely stop practicing good nutrition when you reach your goal weight, for example.

Set up tools to measure your progress as you go. Any time you improve and make progress toward your aim is worth celebrating. If you’re trying to lose 30 pounds and you lose one, celebrate. If you’re trying to pay off $10,000 worth of debt and you pay off $100, celebrate. Tracking allows you to see incremental improvements all along the way, spurring you on.

Slow Down

Sometimes, we deem the small details of life that we’re responsible for as insignificant minutiae, but doing well with each is an act of discipline. Find the art in washing the dishes, folding the laundry, and wiping down your countertops. Caring for the small details is a blessing to yourself and those you share life with. It’s an inspiration to those around you. It also builds a foundation from which to tackle those tasks you deem more significant. Don’t carelessly rush through. Slow down, take care, and do those little things as well as you possibly can.

Caring for the small details, such as
when doing chores, is a blessing to yourself and those you share life with. (Biba Kayewich)

Discipline Your Mind

Your thoughts play a major role in the quality of your life. Take a look at the thoughts that run through your mind on repeat. Are they kind? Are they true? Are they bringing out the best in you? Are they limiting your ability to reach your greatest potential?

Discipline yourself to forgo thoughts that hinder your life. Pay attention to the thoughts that run as if on a repeating record and change them if they’re doing you a disservice.

Discipline Your Tongue

Similarly, mind your speech. How often do you look back on a conversation or even an email and regret what you said? Your words have power. Maintain truthful speech as much as possible. Listen more than you talk. Choose to refrain from sowing discord and negativity in general. Use your speech to extend kindness. Recognize that every word is a choice. Choose wisely.