A DIY Guide to Forming Self-Discipline Habits

Gone are the days when people driven by the zeal to excel in different spheres of life used to simply observe their role models. It was through observation, followed by imitation, that they improved themselves as individuals. Improvisation, however, needs discipline.

Not very long ago, a metamorphosis came in the form of the World Wide Web, offering simple life hacks that can help us lead a disciplined life. Self-discipline, which works around a set of preset objectives set by you, brings you closer to achieving goals, all of which can be tagged under the head of your “life-changing habits.”

Guide to Forming Self-Discipline Habits

Here are a few chosen tips to bring self-discipline into your life:

1. Set Active Goals

In an attempt to discipline yourself through a series of life-transforming habits, it comes as a wise move to set up “Active Goals.” Accurately defining your goal is the first step to forming a good habit.

Such a goal is basically etched in black and white and pasted in places that attract attention. Just look at your handwritten message and you are back in action towards your life goal. It is here that the SMART objectives come into place. Targets which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely summarize the characteristics of active goals.

For example, if you are a writer with a goal to write a 2000-page novel in two years, you can begin by writing down your goal as “A NOVEL IN TWO YEARS.” To make this happen, the daily goal of writing a few pages per day should be achieved so you can achieve your final objective by the end of two years.

2. Keep a Watchful Eye on the Future

It always pays to be prepared, and this preparation comes when we strive to discipline ourselves through a plan; keeping an eye on the days ahead. Striving to achieve goals in sync with your aspirations, there’s a lot you can do to prepare for the future.

For example, you may want to maintain better personal relationships or be driven to learn a new skill that will make an impact on your CV, both of which are long-term goals. Driven by a move to sport a fit body, you can sign up with a gym to flex your muscles, thereby taking pride in a well-toned physique.

3. Eat and Delete

A sense of disciplined consumption can be brought into place by consciously choosing to include nutritious foods and deleting harmful foods from your daily meals. While you can occasionally enjoy a bite of a pizza bursting with cheese, it is important to demonstrate self-control and discipline through a healthy diet program. This way, you can be a living example of the famous “Health is Wealth” adage.

4. Set and Follow Healthy Sleep Patterns

Given the overload of information that the present generation is experiencing through the Web and smartphones, getting the normal 8 hours of sleep time is slowly turning into a luxury. Erratic sleep schedules wreak havoc in the form of lethargy and increased stress levels teamed with reduced concentration levels.

The maxim “early to bed and early to rise” should be your prerogative to follow a healthy sleep pattern as a good habit. Ensure that your mind and body enjoy adequate periods of night-time relaxation, this practice will help you wake up fresh and face the world with renewed vigor.

5. Unleash the Power of Regular Exercise

Regular exercising offers a plethora of benefits to people who practice it. Engaging in any sort of physical activity, whether it is walking, jogging, swimming or even enjoying a game of tennis on a regular basis can be helpful. Physical exercise is great for rejuvenating after a tiring day at work. The rush of the feel-good stress-busting hormone, Serotonin, comes as a huge plus.

Invest your time in flexing your muscles and you will be proud to witness healthy changes, both physically and emotionally. A soothing practice that offers a plethora of physical and mental wellness benefits is to make time for introspection. Following the numerous forms of meditation can help you soothe your nerves, assisting you with self-control over your emotions, a noted self-disciplined hack for a peaceful life.

6. Add Method to the Madness

It goes without saying that we, as individuals, are multi-tasking most of the time. Working on a task and thinking of another drains our attention. This is where the application of the time-tested concept of methodical thinking comes into focus.

To arrive at this juncture, it is important to start doing one small task on a daily basis to gain a hold on your organizing skills. While it takes a while to get results with this habit, it is important that you focus on both your thoughts and actions.

De-cluttering your space is one trick that will help you focus on the task at hand. Wouldn’t a well-arranged desk prompt you to concentrate on your work, saving you a great deal of energy to scout for essentials? Try disposing useless stuff from drawers and make place for useful things.

Also, overflowing closets can be fixed by discarding clothes which haven’t been used in the last six months. With regard to thoughts, it is important that you focus on one thing at a time and move to the next after the first thought reaches a logical end.

7. Realize the Importance of Time

Adding on to the concept of putting things and thoughts in order, managing time makes for an important habit. Go by the unwritten rule that there is a right time for everything.

Mornings are for work, evenings are to build personal relations alongside focusing on health and overall well-being. Draw a line between these ordained duties and try not to cross it as you attach timelines to every activity. A holiday to unwind and a specific time to relax should be adhered to so as to make the most of the following day.

8. Differentiate between the “Important” and the “Not Urgent”

A habit can be formed by being vigilant to short-term necessities and long-term goals. Calling for your immediate attention are your short-term problems that should be tagged as “Urgent and Important.”

Consistency, teamed with a well-defined strategy, can be helpful in realizing long-term goals. Warding off distractions that come in the way of achieving your ultimate goal is of utmost importance. This way, you will be able to avoid activities that rob you of your creative time to better yourself. Put such activities under the head of “Unimportant” and don’t even spare a thought about them.

9. Give Yourself a Constant Push

Habit formation is a slow process. A task or activity performed repeatedly dons the hat of a habit, good or bad. Persistence is an innate quality among those who wish to better their good habits. It is an inner drive to make progress with every passing day.

Growth is a painful process which needs you to put your heart and soul into the task at hand. This is possible when you attach a reason to everything you do. When you want to quit, ponder over why you started it all in the first place. This introspection follows a realization that will eventually emerge out of the confusion. You will then fall into the groove of pushing yourself, stretching your limits with every single attempt to move closer to your goal.

10. Live and Let Live

“Where is the time to hate, when there is so little time to love?” This sentiment should come to your mind when you start harboring feelings of angst and disgust about somebody.

Practicing forgiveness, even with people who have wronged you, is a noble gesture that is paramount in these times that are driven by stress. This can be viewed as another act of self-control. Forgive and forget and extend an olive branch to the wrongdoer for a renewed relationship to flower.

Conclusion

In moving steadily towards your goal, every baby step that is taken in this direction should be counted. A long-term goal, which is effectively the summation of several important daily goals, brings into focus the concept of consistency so as to arrive at a level of perfection.

Come what may, you should be meeting your daily goals so you do not compromise on the deadline set for your long-term ambition, which is the basis of habits favoring self-discipline.