On being disciplined

Discipline can be really, really hard.

At some point of time, we all know that it’s not motivation that helps us achieve goals, but discipline.

Being disciplined can be exhausting. It can feel like everyday is the same day, and it can be scary for some people.

Self help books can often be annoying because they all repeat the same content more or less, just packaged differently.

So here are some easy steps to actually being disciplined.

1.Understand that discipline comes from accomplishing small tasks.

Here’s a simple formula:

Doing a task consistently = executing that task properly = experience in that task grows = results in confidence in doing that particular task

• What’s something that you can do in practically your sleep? It could be something as small as making your bed (because you have practice!), baking a certain dessert that all your friends love (practice!), being able to understand how mitosis works (biology homework- practice!).
• Everything comes from practice.

You can read as many books as you like, attend as many self-help conferences, but if you don’t put in the work, it’s money wasted.

2.So what kind of small tasks am I talking about to increase your discipline?

Here are some examples:

• You really want to nap for 20 minutes. So you set your alarm, and you sleep. 20 minutes later, the alarm goes off.
• Do you wake up? Or do you snooze for another 20?

Waking up after the first alarm goes off requires discipline. Sheer willpower.

Nail this step first.

• By nailing just the art of waking of waking up at the time you were supposed to, you may be grumpy for a minute but you’ve done it! You battled the feelings of being lazy and sleeping in - and now you’re going to probably have a better day.

3.Outline 3-5 tasks that you think you need to do every single day in order to achieve what you want.

Here’s an example of mine:

My Goals:

1. To have the mornings to do my tasks, as opposed to sleeping in
2. To be able to learn something new everyday
3. To keep my brain and body active
4. To be aware of what’s going on in the world

This translates to my 5 tasks:

• Waking up at 7 am
• Working out
• Reading the news
• Playing brain games on my phone that help increase your thinking, creativity and intelligence (I use Elevate)
• Reading 3 pages of a book

For me, I’m someone who loves seeing progress being measured. So I maintain a habit tracker.

This method may not work for everyone, but I get happy when I can tick those 5 boxes of my list every night.

4.Here’s how you set the correct goals:

How exactly do you come with those 3-5 tasks?

• Make sure they’re relatively easy.

Reading 3 pages of a book, for example, is quite easy. It takes me around 5 minutes to do that.

Surely I can spend 5 minutes of my day to read just 3 pages?

• Make sure that they’re attainable and you have a choice in that task.

If you don’t exercise, but you want to start, don’t start heavy. Especially if you’re working out by yourself.

“I’ll do a 90 minute workout today!” Turns to “God, I hate this, I hate working out, I’m never doing it again.”

So keep it attainable, even if you feel like you can do more.

Aim for working out 30 minutes a day for 2 weeks.

30 minutes a day, your choice of work out. Human beings love choice. We love choosing what to do. So give yourself the freedom to choose what you want to do.

Then increase that to 45 minutes for 3 weeks.

Then increase that again, if you want to, and if you feel comfortable.

• Make sure it’s something you can do everyday for some time.

For example, reading the news is a daily ritual. I need to know what’s happening in the world. My work requires me to.

I can’t read the news weekly or monthly - it’s something that has to be done everyday.

So regardless of the type of day I’m having, this is something I need to do and is doable.

I can read the news on the train. On the bus. On the toilet. While I eat something.

It’s doable everywhere.

Obviously, it doesn’t apply to all your goals - you can’t workout on a train or in the classroom - but try to keep majority of your goals somewhat portable.

How to Manage Your Life Effectively

The more you cram on your plate, the more you’ll stress.

“Getting your life together” - if this thought excites you, you may overplan and fail; if it burdens you, you may procrastinate and never start.

So how do you start?

How do you get your life together without feeling like every day is like clockwork?

In short, these are the kind of things that would help you achieve your goals:

1. Making a list of “big” goals (career move; applying for colleges; moving out, etc.)

2. Making a list of “small” goals (eating healthy; working out; meditating)

3. Writing down a timeline for the same (“by the end of the year I will have finished the applications for college; by the end of the month I will have meditated for at least 5 minutes everyday).

4. Keeping a diary to mark the progress. (“I achieved my small goals in September; I’m halfway through my college applications/ big goals as planned.)

5. Accounting for mistakes. Of course you’ll go off track. Always keep a buffer period of a week or two, just so that it doesn’t stress you out.

6.Accomplishing your small tasks weekly. Rather than setting a daily goal, set a weekly goal. (“This week, I’ll workout 5 days out of 7 days. This gives me 2 days of a rest in case I get tired earlier than expected.”)

7.Talk to your friends and family as you achieve every weekly goal. It’s nice for your circle to know that you’re working hard to trying to do good.

8. Take a break every now and then. Go for a pottery class. Go paint for a while. Take a walk in the park. At least once a week, rejuvenate yourself.

9. If you’re someone who needs to be pushed, do this with a friend or family member!

10. Remember to enjoy the process, even if you don’t like it. Don’t let yourself think that you hate this or it’s too hard. Tell yourself you’re doing a good job and that you’ll get there soon. Having a positive mindset changes a lot.