7 ways to build self-discipline

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

These simple tips will help you become more disciplined, do what you set out to do, and resist temptations.

1. Perform challenging tasks in the morning

Scientists from Harvard University conducted an interesting experiment. The subjects were shown 20 points on the computer screen - right and left for one second. Then they had to tell which side there were more dots on.

Then the task was repeated, only the number of points increased to 100. For the answers, the participants received money. If they said that there were more dots on the right side, then the amount of the reward increased 10 times, regardless of whether this answer was correct. This was the catch.

It was noticed that for the sake of profit, the subjects often answered that there are more dots on the right side. However, those who participated in the experiment from 8 am to noon did so less often than those who participated from noon to 6 pm.

Although scientists have called this phenomenon "the effect of morning morality", it can be explained in terms of self-discipline. By the evening, our energy dries up, and it is more difficult for us to resist temptations. It was in the afternoon that the participants in the experiment were more likely to cheat, unable to resist easy money.

2. Eliminate what's bothering you

Our environment and external factors directly influence our behavior. And the best way to resist temptation is to simply eliminate it.

The simpler the decision you need to make, the longer your determination and desire to act will last.

If you once again caught yourself browsing social networks, install an application that will block them. If you constantly eat fast food, risking your health, bypass fast food establishments. If there are no temptations and hindrances nearby, then you will not have to make an effort to resist them.

3. Track your progress

Notice and write down anything that disrupts your self-discipline and pushes you on the wrong path. This can be impulsive purchases, card payments, lack of sleep, and hundreds of other reasons.

Keep diaries of food, exercise, and sleep. Pay attention to your health and financial condition. Tracking can help you break bad habits.

4. Watch yourself

If you are trying to replace your bad habits with good ones, sitting at your desk all day, install a mirror next to you. So you look at your behavior from the outside. When you notice yourself eating chips or wasting time on social media, you can pull yourself together and gradually kick these habits.

5. Give Time Material Shape

If you have a lot to do in the morning, set a timer that chimes every 3-5 minutes. So not a single passed minute will go unnoticed. You will be able to track the time spent on a particular activity, and subsequently adjust your habits. You will be surprised how much you can do in such a seemingly small period of time.

6. Promise yourself a break after doing business

Every procrastinator is confident that he will begin the task a little later. Instead of putting off tough things for later, put off entertainment and distractions for later. So promise yourself.

Remember: you do not forbid yourself to rest, you simply postpone it to a later date. This clever trick will surely work.

7. Sometimes forgive your weaknesses

If you are a workaholic or perfectionist, sometimes allow yourself to follow the whims of your nature. After all, what we cannot afford, we often want to get the most. The more we resist the temptation to wander aimlessly on the Internet, the more we want to. Therefore, it can be helpful to succumb to weaknesses. But only sometimes.