Would you consider yourself a disciplined person? Many of us can see the dedication, commitment, and willpower in others and think, “Oh, man. I could never do that!”
It's important to remember that discipline, while not innate, is a skill that can be developed by anyone.
Discipline goes against our natural tendencies. Our brains are wired for comfort, instant gratification, and energy conservation, which makes it difficult to choose effort and delayed rewards over immediate pleasure. Overcoming this isn’t easy, whether you’re trying to build a career or get in shape. (I’ve been through it myself! No one becomes an endurance runner overnight.)
So, what’s the secret?
Building discipline from scratch is about small, consistent actions that build momentum over time. Here are the best rules for infusing discipline into your daily life:
The Rules for Establishing Discipline from Ground Zero
Rule #1 – Start Small and Be Specific
Pick one habit or behavior to improve. Trying to change too much at once leads to failure. I understand wanting to pack everything in all at once, but it’s unrealistic—one thing at a time. Be patient. Get specific once you’ve picked the behavior or habit to focus on.
Example: Instead of saying, “I want to work out more,” say, “I will do 10 push-ups every morning.”
Rule #2 – Commit to a Non-Negotiable Routine
Discipline is about consistency, not motivation. Motivation is fickle and fleeting. Discipline is about doing things regardless of the motivation to do them. You can feel tired, uninspired, or just plain unwilling. Discipline will have you doing it anyway. Setting a schedule for yourself with the new habit as a non-negotiable part of your routine is the best way to solidify it.
Set a fixed time and place for your habit, like “Every morning at 7 AM, I will write for 10 minutes.”
Rule #3 – Use the 2-Minute Rule
When starting a habit, make it ridiculously easy. Painfully easy. So easy it seems like you’re not doing anything at all. If your goal is to read daily, start with 2 minutes. Anyone can do anything for two minutes. Think about endurance runners. We don’t start by running marathon-length races. Most runners start with interval training, which consists mostly of walking with small bursts of running.
Once the habit sticks, you can build on it.
Rule #4 – Remove Friction
Make good habits easier and bad habits harder. Simple, right? Remove the inconveniences and obstacles while setting up walls between you and temptation.
For example, pack your gym bag the night before or delete social media apps if they distract you. Stop buying junk food if you can’t resist it.
Rule #5 – Track Your Progress
Keep a simple checklist or use an app to mark completed habits. There’s something about it that makes us feel accomplished. It also leaves a track record of your progress, building momentum and reinforcing habits.
Rule #6 – Use External Accountability
Tell someone about your goal or join a group. If you’re for a marathon, find a running partner or log your runs publicly. Fitbit has a community where you can compete and compare your fitness progress. Sometimes, we need peer pressure to stay committed to our goals.
Rule #7 – Develop a “Do It Anyway” Mindset
You won’t always feel like it, but do it anyway. Discipline is about action, not feelings. Focus on showing up, even if you don’t perform at 100%. I don’t have to top my last best run to feel like I accomplished something. Just getting out and doing the thing is a victory on its own!
Rule #8 – Learn to Embrace Discomfort
Growth comes from pushing through resistance. There will be times of plateau. You may feel you’re not progressing and that all of this is for nothing. But don’t give up! Reframe challenges as opportunities to strengthen your discipline muscle.
Rule #9 – Set Up a Reward System
Celebrate small wins to reinforce habits. If you stick to your goal for a week, treat yourself to something small. Just be sure that your treat doesn’t undermine your progress. (Don’t reward yourself with a “hall pass” for your new habit.)
Rule #10 – Expect Setbacks but Don’t Quit
Even as you do everything in your power to make it easy to cultivate discipline, things won’t always go to plan. Failure is part of the process. You will falter because we all do. You’re human. Just don’t make the mistake of using a setback as an excuse to give up. If you miss a day, don’t miss two.
Focus on getting back on track quickly rather than being perfect.
Where in your life do you consider yourself most disciplined? Share how you got there in the comments.