Hello everyone, Creator is here. It’s an amazing fact, but even the most organized and hardworking people wonder how to become even more disciplined. Therefore, it is not surprising that you turned to the Internet for help to find out how to develop discipline in yourself. Besides, I came to the right place.
In this article you will learn 11 ways to help develop discipline and willpower.
Ps After 11 ways, read the top 5 books that will help develop your discipline.
The essence of the concept
So, discipline is a conscious attitude towards one’s responsibilities and one’s own behavior. It is formed in parallel with the development of certain skills. The most important of which is self-discipline.
This is a person’s ability to subordinate his activities to reasonable grounds, to fight inclinations and inclinations of a lower order, which only lead him away from fulfilling certain duties. And that's a good quality. Because a person who follows notorious hobbies does not have a strong will. He feels only lethargy and depression. And in the fight against laziness, he manages to develop a sense of duty and strengthen his will.
Personal discipline is at a decent level among those people who have more or less well-established moral convictions, observe the established regime and certain habits in their lives. All this plays a role in the development of the above-mentioned quality.
Disadvantages of Self-Discipline
Those who do not have willpower believe that the formation of personality and the development of internal discipline will not lead to anything good. From this point of view, you can often hear the phrase that self-discipline is violence against oneself, because a person sets limits for himself that he should not go beyond.
The second negative quality of this type of discipline is considered to be the excess of motivation over self-discipline. Like, if there is a good incentive, then why do you need discipline within yourself at all?
Third, discipline is boring. Constantly keeping yourself within limits and giving up your own desires means missing out on everything interesting.
All of these points are an erroneous opinion, since the concept of internal discipline does not mean putting oneself into a framework, but setting priorities. Sometimes you give up what is “interesting” at the moment in favor of something “more meaningful” in the future.
Examples:
You are at an operational meeting or on a date with your loved one, but you suddenly want to eat. Let’s set priorities: the meeting is important, the physiological needs are less important. You won't leave meetings to eat. You will abstain. This example clearly shows internal discipline.
You really like spicy foods. Can't eat food without peppering it. But you understand that such food should be in moderation, because if you eat more of it, you can harm yourself. Likewise with internal discipline, it should be in moderation. Therefore, if you correctly build a boss within yourself, then self-development will never become a burden and will not deprive you of all the colors in life.
About the mode
Cultivating discipline largely lies in following a routine. And it's clear why. After all, the regime implies a strict time distribution of different types of activities. If a person copes with this, then, as a rule, relative order reigns in his life. And there is no place for chaos, spontaneity and chance. But disorder and disorganization is something that requires large and wasted expenditures of volitional effort.
In addition, as mentioned above, discipline is the ability to comply with rules, norms, etc. Regime is a related concept. Because in a narrow sense it means a clearly established, standardized, correctly structured routine. Here, for example, is the daily routine. This is the daily routine. Which a person has determined for himself and follows it. The work schedule is the order of work and rest, observing which, it is possible to act more productively. And a person, following it fully, shows his discipline. And demonstrates an attitude towards work. This is a necessary quality to achieve the established objectives as efficiently as possible.
Consequences of breaking order
It is also very important to become familiar with the consequences of violation of discipline. If it is an unprepared report for a lesson, an unexamined topic, an unwritten composition or essay, an unlearned summary, an unmade presentation, a table, a diagram or a poster for an event, then, of course, it will not harm anyone. In the worst case scenario, the student may be retained for the second year.
However, there are more dangerous consequences of violation, for example, a person may be fired for unexcused absence from work. This will negatively affect the family budget and marriage as a whole. If we talk about violation of generally compulsory labor discipline, the consequences will be even more serious. That is why every citizen must adhere to general rules and special regulations.
About habits
Not only the regime is associated with such a concept as discipline. These are related concepts, and habits are also closely intertwined with them. Representing a certain moral value, of course. And promoting the development of discipline.
For example, the habit of being active and not sitting still. Such people usually allocate their resources wisely and achieve a lot. Another useful habit is to finish what you start. If a person did not abandon him halfway, then he is responsible. This is an important quality. It is inherent in people who are not afraid to bear responsibility for their actions and deeds, as well as to be honest with themselves and others.
Any useful habit is formed through action. A person cultivates certain qualities in himself by constantly repeating a method of one behavior or another. It is easier for people who practice this to develop discipline - since they are used to it. Although they often do not need to develop this quality. Since their way of life itself developed it a long time ago.
How to become disciplined
To develop self-discipline, you need to make commitments that you can build on in the future. A person who has become morally stronger will be able to inspire himself and others to new achievements. To develop discipline, experts recommend writing down your goals and plans on paper, and setting a specific time frame for them. Reporting should be introduced periodically to track progress and also see what else needs to be worked on to achieve what you want.
To develop self-discipline, you will have to give up empty entertainment and concentrate all your attention on your goal and awareness of the matter. However, this is often hindered by excessive impulsiveness and distraction. As fatigue increases, a person may also lose the desire to develop discipline. The Internet, TV, junk food, social networks, constant messaging in instant messengers are also enemies that interfere with self-development. Effective methods of increasing discipline:
A disciplined person can be called one who is able to think and separate the secondary from the important. If you learn to set your own priorities, move only towards your goals, and specifically free yourself from those beliefs that are often imposed from the outside, then you can cultivate self-discipline and responsibility. When a person learns self-discipline, it will become much easier for him to manage himself, as well as achieve real results.
Ability to think
It is also very important. Discipline means completing assigned tasks. Which often require motivation - an incentive to action by presenting an image that has value and meaning of activity. To do this, you need to think and be able to ask yourself questions. “What should I do? Why? When should this be done? Why do I even need this? What will I get?" — don’t be shy about asking such questions. And find answers. Because it is possible to achieve a goal only if the rules and priorities are precise, clear and fixed in memory.
It is important. Rules make doing anything much simpler and easier. If they did not exist, then every time a person before starting work, he would experience complex experiences that prompt him to act. And volitional manifestations, accordingly, would be complicated.
Books to Help Develop Discipline
“Get out of your comfort zone. Change Your Life, Brian Tracy
The meaning of the book is in a few lines: to achieve success, you need to overcome yourself and do what you don’t like for the sake of what you need.
The book is easy and quick to read. After reading it, I want to get up and just start doing it. The methods are effective, but only if they are applied.
Quote from the book:
“Success is achieved by those who are willing to sacrifice immediate pleasure for greater rewards in the future. Losers, on the contrary, are busy with today's joys and completely forget about the future."
"Strength of will. How to develop and strengthen" - Kelly McGonigal
This is a book that I can recommend to every person. 1 hour a day of useful reading will not be in vain, since the book contains many techniques, rules and tips. Surprisingly, for works of this genre, each thesis is argued and justified from a scientific and practical point of view.
The book will be especially useful for people losing weight.
Quote from the book:
“If you're chronically sleep-deprived, chances are you'll often regret at the end of the day that you gave in to temptation again and broke your promised routine. It’s so easy to get caught up in this whirlpool of shame and guilt.”
“I'll do it today! How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Taking Action - Steve Pavlina
If you are interested in the topic of personality development, you can glean interesting thoughts and ideas.
Quote from the book:
“Accelerating does not mean working like crazy without rest. This means starting to think differently about work, focusing better on it and enjoying it."
“Don't put it off until tomorrow. A short guide to fighting procrastination - Timothy Pychyl
A very useful book for procastinators, which is the majority of the population of large cities.
Under the influence of stress, we constantly put off things until tomorrow that need to be done today, and from tomorrow to the day after tomorrow, this happens forever. The author offers real solutions to this problem and suggests how not to waste time on useless activities that take away years of our lives.
Anyone who needs a “kick” in the form of effective solutions should read this book.
Quote from the book:
“Procrastination is the inability to cope with life.”
"From Urgent to Important" - Steve McCletchy
The author talks about how to define your goals, how to work with them and how to find time to achieve them.
This is a really worthwhile book for those who are tired of running in a vicious circle.
About the rules
Now you can pay attention to examples of discipline. Or rather, on the rules that are aimed at nurturing this quality.
They must be expedient. A person is obliged not to obey them blindly, but to follow them wisely, understanding the benefits. But you need to follow the rules - that’s what they were created for. Otherwise, these provisions will lose their essential quality. And of course, they must be brief, clear and clearly formulated - so that the possibility of conflicting interpretations is completely excluded.
What is the power of self-discipline
In our fast-paced times, you need to be able to organize yourself, your personal time, in such a way as to keep up with the new trends of our time and carry out a hundred planned tasks. At the same time, it is important not to drive yourself into a corner, not to lose the sense of flight and freedom.
Self-discipline will help you organize your time so that after your main work there will be time for entertainment, meeting friends, and self-development.
You shouldn’t completely dedicate yourself only to work, try to have time to do everything in the world. Such a desire can lead to a nervous breakdown and depression.
If you begin to feel that your plans are not being fulfilled, stop and remember the power of self-discipline and organization.
Stopping is needed not for excuses, but to mobilize forces to cultivate self-control.
Always know that you are stronger than you think you are.
Self-discipline cannot be developed without self-control and self-control. When a person controls his emotions and pacifies his appetites, he can make sober decisions, direct desires to achieve goals, and ultimately become a successful person.
Examples
Many people want to achieve the quality that so much has been said about. And some examples of discipline really inspire respect and admiration. Well, it’s quite possible to cultivate this in yourself.
There are several rules, following which, you can develop personal discipline. First, you need to keep your promises. Secondly, be honest. You can start small. Don't have enough time, have to stay late? You shouldn't keep others in the dark - you need to warn them.
Thirdly, you need to learn to speak and write correctly. Fourthly, you need to correct your mistakes, but this will require you to master the ability to admit them.
Fifthly, any idea that comes to mind that seems promising needs to be written down.
You also need to wean yourself from complaining about failures and problems to others, since they have their own troubles, which they will always consider more important. And yet, you shouldn’t get hung up on the same thing. You always have to move forward.
You also need to develop the habit of doing what you least want to do first. The ability to cope with difficulties can save you more than once in this life.
Positive aspects of internal discipline
If a person has self-discipline at a high level, then such a person in a team or in society as a whole has an advantage over other people. He succeeds in all areas of life. In the family of such an individual everything goes according to plan, in the team he shows better results than his colleagues, in his career he achieves high results faster than others, and so on. Such a person is characterized by such traits as concentration and organization.
If you look closely at such an employee or employee, they always have a weekly journal with them. They are never ashamed to make entries in their diary, but they know for sure that the task they set themselves will be completed on time.
Such an “action plan” is a small result of self-discipline; it is internal self-organization that helps to cope with the assigned tasks.
Thus, self-discipline is self-control and complete responsibility over oneself. External discipline, unlike internal discipline, will never help a person overcome his fears and self-doubt. It will only aggravate these qualities, which will ultimately have a negative impact on the formation of personality. Thanks to self-discipline, a person will be able to put his complexes in order and develop willpower.
Military discipline
This is another topic that cannot be ignored. Because the army, military service is what implies the development of discipline in the first place.
To begin with, let’s talk about the concept. Military discipline is the exact and strict observance by each military personnel of those rules and order established by law, the Charter and orders of higher commanders. It is based on knowledge of personal responsibility to the Fatherland and military duty.
Discipline obliges military personnel to comply with the laws of the Russian Federation, the Constitution and remain faithful to the oath. They must also take care of state and military property, cope with difficulties and do anything to protect their homeland. In addition, they must be vigilant, maintain military/state secrets, and show respect to everyone else. However, this is not all. The above, as well as much more, is brought up during service - by the method of developing moral and psychological values, fighting qualities, conscious obedience to superiors, etc.
How to develop self-discipline: 10 rules
Self-discipline can be learned. But first you need to develop self-control, the ability to control your emotions, soberly assess opportunities, and then make decisions.
How to develop self-discipline? There are several “golden” rules, you need to start with them.
Set yourself goals
Few people have been able to set a goal for themselves and then go towards it. Most want everything: money, a car, a house. But this is not a goal, but “wants”.
Where to begin? To choose a goal, take a more specific look at the dream, determine the deadline, as well as the end result.
First, write your plans, desired dreams on a piece of paper. Then think: why do you need them? What is the meaning of achieving them, will they bring benefit to you and others.
Next, check whether you have the resources to achieve what you want. Now decide if you have motivation. Motivation, as the basis of self-discipline, makes it possible to see where to move and why.
Now you can move on to practice. Every day, write down your daily tasks and how you accomplished them to reach your goal.
Soon these actions will become a habit, which will help you do not everything in a row, but what you strive for.
Difficulties are overcome “pieces”
There is internal motivation, the goal is set, but unexpected obstacles appear, from which many give up. These obstacles are in yourself, in your inability to organize.
To prevent this from happening, you will have to learn self-control. Try to break the problem into “pieces”. How to understand this? Schedule one task for the day, then divide it into several sections.
Let's look at a simple example: we have to write an annual report. You need to write down:
- Write reports for each month;
- Make reports for 6 months;
- Collect all semi-annual reports into an annual report.
This way you can write down any goal. You will have a joy of achievement as small pieces of the problem are solved.
It is important to remember: as long as a person is alive, he can do anything!
Joy from achievements
The development of a disciplined personality also occurs gradually, as does problem solving.
Try to maintain order in small ways first and enjoy it. Come up with motivation, and then learn to feel the joy of victory when you manage to accustom yourself to self-control.
Start small, for example, getting up at the same time, for example, at 6-00 in the morning. If the experiment is a success within 3 weeks, give yourself a gift.
Think if others can teach themselves self-discipline, so can you.
Set deadlines
To teach yourself discipline, be sure to set deadlines. Without this action it is difficult to achieve quick results. If you feel limited in time, you will act at an accelerated pace. Deadlines are a great motivation to solve problems.
If someone does not believe that you will succeed, then you must believe in yourself.
Consistency of effort
Those who persistently moved towards their intended goal more than once felt the desire to give up everything and live their old life. Even very successful people have gone through this test. Therefore, keep your emotions under control and be persistent until the task is completed.
What to do if nothing works out? You've probably written down more than one goal for yourself. Take on a simpler task. Why is this shuffling needed?
Having achieved a goal in an important, but small matter, you will feel an unprecedented rise. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the confidence comes that you can achieve more. Self-discipline will help you solve more complex problems.
No one gets the chance to jump over their heads. It takes time to learn something, gain the right skills, and then apply them correctly.
If they convince you that you won't achieve anything, don't believe them. Every person deserves to be successful. Stick to this position, without doubting for a moment, achieve your cherished goal.
Focus on others
This method has a positive effect on the development of self-discipline. What's the trick? If you don't want to do something for yourself, do it for others.
Every person has people who need to be helped. Help! Strength and energy will come to you to start moving towards your goal.
Prepare for discomfort
It is not so easy to follow the rules of self-discipline. Unpleasant feelings and sensations will definitely appear. This scares some people, but gives strength to others.
There are people who consider difficulties in achieving a goal to be the most valuable experience. To become healthy, many people undergo painful surgery.
Find replacements for old habits
To accustom yourself to self-discipline, you need to train your will. A simple example: to start getting up early in the morning at the same time, you need to go to bed early, and not wander around social media all night. networks. Replace this habit with a useful one: watch the latest news in the morning.
The new habit of going to bed early will help develop self-discipline.
You should gradually give up other bad habits. This way you will be able to increase your self-control.
Recovery from failures
Ideal people don't exist, so don't be upset if you fail. Tips on how to recover from failures:
- Don't lose your head, don't give in to depression.
- Analyze mistakes, find in them what can help in moving towards the goal.
- Have determination and patience to move forward
Discipline just involves going through strong prohibitions and mistakes. You can't give up! Only those who overcome difficulties make strong individuals. After all, they are more adapted and disciplined.
Awareness of mistakes, as well as subsequent work on them, helps to achieve self-discipline, determination, and greater motivation.
Get support
It is easier for a person to develop if there is support from reliable people nearby. Take a closer look at your surroundings, find a person who will not only support, but will help you maintain discipline. Advice from the heart, unobtrusive and sometimes strict control can do more than pity.
Don't be afraid to appear weak or less than perfect. Everyone can make mistakes. Be open to the person who sincerely decided to help. He will be more eager to support and provide assistance.
About the manifestation of quality
A disciplined person is easy to recognize. This is a good quality of personality. People who are characterized by it live according to moral laws, look responsible, purposeful, maintain harmonious relationships with others, show respect, caring and selflessness. Discipline has many facets. It can even appear “under fire”, on orders. For example, in the work sphere - simply because it is necessary, the boss ordered it. But discipline can become a personal quality only in conjunction with a sense of duty, consciousness and awareness.
What is what
Famous people convey the essence of concepts very succinctly, so I will give their definitions of discipline and motivation.
I think South African writer Joe Maxwell said it best:
“Discipline is the decision to do what you really don’t want to do in order to achieve what you really want to achieve.”
You can understand a lot about motivation from the statement of American entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie:
“People who cannot motivate themselves must settle for mediocrity, no matter how impressive their talents.”
Obviously, both concepts are directly related to a person’s personal growth and achievements, but they have a number of differences. Let's talk about them.
