How to develop self-discipline: 10 effective ways

Self-discipline is a word that causes tension or even rejection in most people. The imagination pictures the army order of life, grueling austerities and “taboo” on creative self-expression.

Is this always the case, or are these just imposed stereotypes?

The dictionary defines self-discipline as the ability to force oneself to take action regardless of one's emotional state. The key is the ability to not be swayed by the constant “winds of change” of our emotions.

It's no secret that the most successful people are those who know how to set goals and unwaveringly pursue their dreams.

Let's look at 10 effective ways to help develop self-control and self-discipline.

Know your weaknesses in person

Each of us has our own weaknesses and shortcomings.

Most people are afraid to admit even to themselves their existence or, on the contrary, loudly defend their right to exist.

Psychologists recommend learning to develop

an honest position towards yourself first. Admit to yourself the existence of certain shortcomings and weaknesses, honestly without embellishment. At this stage you can interact with them. Very slowly and gradually, step by step, small victory after victory.

The psychologist claims that an inferiority complex appears when a person expects constant evaluation of his actions from the people around him and is afraid of their disapproval.

“A person with an inferiority complex is afraid of his shortcomings, afraid to admit them (even to himself), because he feels that it would be right for him to be judged, ridiculed, not counted, not included in the lists, omitted - in general, ostracized in any form. An inferiority complex is negative self-acceptance."

So the first step to being more self-organized is learning to be honest about your own weaknesses.

Self-control: developing self-control

According to Wikipedia, self-control is the ability to control your emotions, thoughts and behavior. It is based on will - the highest mental function that determines a person’s ability to make conscious decisions and implement them. It can also be trained and improved, which requires specific methods and strategies that will help you resist or avoid temptation. Yes, these are two fundamentally different ways. The first is considered hardcore, effective and incredibly difficult to implement. The second is perceived by many as weakness, because how can you train willpower and self-control if you simply avoid temptations? But it is both methods in combination that work perfectly. Read more…

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Learning to overcome temptations

The next step towards our goals is to develop the ability to overcome temptations.

As the proverb says: “Out of sight, out of mind.” No matter how simple it may seem, everyone can appreciate the effect; psychologists recommend simply removing the objects of your affections from sight, this will greatly help in the development of self-discipline.

If you want to eat healthy, just don’t buy unhealthy foods; if you want to increase your productivity, turn off your mobile phone, get off social networks.

The fewer distractions, the more focused you are on achieving your goals. You need to learn to be focused on what you are doing right now. This is a large part of the success of any endeavor.

Examples

Be the master of life, and self-discipline will help with this.

Examples of how to establish the process of discipline development:

1. You can start working on yourself with morning exercises. First perform the exercises for 5 minutes, and then increase the load.
2. Do one thing well, not 10 at once.
3. Read a book every day, starting from 30 minutes.
4. Get up in the morning not every minute, but half an hour earlier.
5. Don't be late for anything.
6. Build a biorhythm - learn to go to bed no later than 23.00, get up before 7.00. This rhythm will help you get a lot done in one day.
7. Make it a habit to thank yourself.
8. In the morning and evening, visualize your desires.

Make time for quality and timely meals

Most people suffer from various diseases

caused by irregular, low-quality nutrition. Achieving any goal requires, first of all, good physical shape. To do this, you need to regulate your food intake, consider the healthfulness of the foods you most often consume.

If you suffer from overeating, psychologists recommend

be very mindful while eating. Try to monitor your desire to constantly eat - whether this is “eating” problems.

Ekaterina Burlyaeva, nutritionist

, head of the consultative and diagnostic department, claims that people who are accustomed to constantly overeating cannot limit themselves to the normal amount of food; they constantly feel like they are hungry.”

Thus, timely intake of healthy food is an integral factor in a healthy lifestyle.

Ways to self-motivate

Self-motivation is an internal struggle between “confidence” and “fear” - you either achieve a lot or lose everything. Also, self-motivation is a set of methods, techniques and exercises that set in motion an internal engine that helps you solve complex problems and conquer any heights, but only if you are focused and self-confident. The “executioner” of motivation is uncertainty, inaction and lack of clear plans. In this article, we will look at several effective self-motivation exercises and give recommendations that will help you learn how to motivate yourself. Read more…

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Set clear goals and write a plan to achieve them

Stephen Covey, in his best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, states:

that every person will feel truly significant if he realizes that his activities bring good to the world. He recommends clearly articulating your goals and mission. Goals are dreams with specific dates; a mission is what a person generally lives and acts for.

Stephen Covey argues that to truly be a highly productive person, you need to take full responsibility for your life and overcome the fear of looking “bad” in the eyes of other people. A purposeful person is a holistic person, he clearly understands the value of his time and the people around him.

So, first of all, write down your plans.

and goals on paper and then figure it out for yourself - why you need to implement them, what is the point of achieving them. It is also important to realize whether their implementation in life will benefit others, or is it just personal ambitions.

Definition

Self-discipline is a person’s ability to do what he doesn’t want to do now. This is a valuable personality quality: to perform one’s duties accurately and on time. Obligations may be dictated by moral qualities, a sense of duty, or officially prescribed.

The individual understands that by giving up immediate pleasure, he can later receive incomparably greater satisfaction from the achieved result.

Self-discipline makes a person the master of his life, helps him live by his own rules, and not by someone else’s. A disciplined person knows how to control his feelings, desires, and behavior without much stress.

But this kind of discipline is difficult to achieve in a short time. Only long-term painstaking work will lead to success.

And success may be just around the corner. Nobody knows exactly when he will come.

Create your own discipline

Self-discipline is not an innate quality.

Each of us acquires it with experience and conscious effort. Like any other skill, it requires daily practice. Developing willpower takes a lot of effort.

Psychologists recommend taking small steps towards achieving your goals, but every day.

There is a so-called “20 minute rule”.

We devote only 20 minutes a day to activities that bring us closer to achieving our goals. After a short time, the result will be obvious.

Self-discipline is inextricably linked with self-restraint

and making constant efforts. Psychologists recommend analyzing your progress, thus developing awareness and responsibility.

What interferes with self-discipline

In any work on yourself there are pitfalls that no one talks about. Likewise, while developing self-discipline by any means, you will see that sometimes you will be overcome by a huge temptation to give up on everything and relax completely. But don't give up! Forewarned is forearmed! So, what can interfere with your self-discipline:

1. Fear of mistakes. It is very insidious, as it leads to a refusal to act and a person is left without initiative and without action. Often fear originates in childhood, when parents scolded for work done incorrectly. The brain doesn’t care what your result is, it protects you from negative emotions. Therefore, prepare yourself for the fact that negative experience is also experience!
2. Fear of losing freedom. When you develop this important skill, sometimes fear arises: “everyone is having a blast, but I’m going to sleep,” “many people have things where they need them, but I have to put things on the shelves.” It arises from parental pressure when mom and dad actively instill responsibilities. But self-discipline is not only about responsibilities, but about “goodies” too.
3. Fear of lowering the bar. When once a big and noticeable result is achieved, there is a danger of lowering the bar, and a person bends over backwards just to match the previous achievement. In fact, a person is afraid of losing love and being left alone. Tune yourself to the fact that life and your results are dynamic and you cannot always be ideal.
4. Fear of responsibility. This is a very close friend of lack of self-discipline. Sometimes responsibility for children's memory is regarded as a danger of “thrashing” from parents for an uncompleted task. To overcome, you need to ask yourself the question: “What will happen if I stop adhering to the rules of self-discipline?” I assure you - nothing special!
5. Fear of envy. This is the rock that many celebrities trip over. But some “get up” and move on, while others “fall” and can no longer do what they love. What emotions does the envy of others make you feel? Do you want to protect yourself? You can overcome this fear by at least tuning yourself to the fact that there are always a lot of envious people and paying attention to everyone - life is not enough!

I will improve my self-discipline skills

Yes it will improve my life