Here are three tips (plus a number of practical steps) that you can use to increase your self-discipline and succeed on
achieving your goals.
Strategy One: Take it Easy
Push for that momentum
Once you’re done with work, do not just lounge onhathe couch but also ensure that you’ve made some strides in reaching your goal. It might take a while before you can have that so much amount of energy again after spending some time on just sitting and being too lazy for comfort, so never attempt to sit down on that sofa again!
Whenever I still need to do something, I will go and rest on the coffee table in my lounge. As I do that contentedly, I am reminded that I need to stand up and keep things going again. The same is true if you leave and go to a place somewhere like in a gym; proceed directly there as you get off from work. BE AT THE GYM INSTEAD OF GOING HOME! It is certainly easier to move and push for that momentum of yours – keep whatever is going but never pause and then begin all over again.
Check if there is a better approach to achieve the desired results
I need to work out, but I just don’t like the idea of having to leave the house, put all my stuff into a locker, use the equipment that will be available first and try not to show up late to the gym class. It really just annoys me. What if I wake up from bed with dishevelled hair and uncleaned teeth while having my own YouTube workout routine at home? It’s practically the same as going to the gym but it is definitely much better as I am also engaged in some form of exercises at my comfort. Since this is better, I actually go for it.
Work on your goal all the time
If you wore your gym clothes the night before as you slept, then it is best if you look that way as you rise in the morning. Then, go ahead with your exercise for the day. It will just add up to your time to change clothes.
If you take out all the unhealthy food from your kitchen, the next thing to do is to consume whatever food is left. You will have to make an extra mile to acquire unhealthy food that will just add up to your weight
(another idea is not to bring money at work so you do not get additional food on your lunch break!).
There are apps available and you can make use of them to stop the timewasters (e.g. Facebook) during your work time. Thus, you will really have to work. It is ana struggle to put things off, to be not in focus to what you’re doing. Check and use the app
“Offtime” on your phone if this will continue to be a concern for you.
Focus to what you’re doing. by April Kirkwood
Maximize while in active conditions
At the end of a tiring day, I have no desire to cook a healthy meal. So I capitalize on those weekends when I am inclined to cook as I can focus on solely that activity at this time. There will be no disturbance. I can prepare 2 or 3 meals at the same time and then put them in the freezer afterwards. Once you’ve done one meal, it will be less tiring on your part to make a second or third meal simultaneously.
Take advantage of the period when you are most active and hyper. I usually maximize my time doing all the work I need before 10pm since this is when I usually end my day. For weekends, I like to wake up and proceed on my tasks without dillydallying while my boyfriend will go on a more relaxed and easy mode to begin the day, as he is a “night owl.” He’s at his best during nighttime. Take advantage to do your activities at such time that you are most alive and energetic.
Plan on your goal-defining activities ahead of time
We are actually leading full, demanding lives that at times, the problem is not on what the task is but rather when is the time to do it If you’re like me, you quip, “ yeah, I will make time for this activity tonight.” But then you get sidetracked so the task is left unattended, but then you’d declare, “I will make time for it tomorrow.” The same thing happens tomorrow: the task is left out. You continually assure yourself for all the days of the week yet still, nothing happens because no actual effort is being done on your part. But when you plan in advance, “Tuesday is my practice day,” then you follow this schedule. No more incessant re-planning that consumes so much of your time. The day is set as you resolve to complete fully whatever task is at hand. There’s really no more time to deal with changes or delays.
Strategy Two: Make it More Satisfying
Group your “wants” and your “shoulds” together
Research from the University of Pennsylvania implies that one way to ensure the effectiveness of us doing more of the things we don’t really like to do but should actually do is to get into a temptation bundle. Once you’re on the act of realizing your goal, do the fun things you’d like doing all at the same time.
For example, as you stretch – turn the remote to your favourite TV programme or maybe as you run is the only time you can tune in to your much-loved podcast. Or you can indulge on a hot chocolate from a coffee shop only when you can write. Surely, this will entail some control on your part to not engage in the fun stuff while you are not doing the tasks to attain your goal. But still, it makes for some happiness and satisfaction to be rewarding yourself.
Try if there’s a more pleasing method to realize what you want
There are several ways intended to make you attain your goal. Take for instance losing weight, if you happen to check any bookshop you will see loads of different shelves carrying books on different diet methods. You can choose the diet that works best for you or you may just opt to go for the latest fad diet.
For example, my boyfriend tested all those “eat in moderation type of diets” and he really made the effort to keep through them all the way but his weight loss didn’t improve. Then he also pursued the Slow Carb Diet from Tim Ferriss which
promotes eating solely vegetables and meat for 6 days with one day as cheat day every week.
The diet worked well for him and he adored it! Conversely, I am not so fond of eating meat in big amounts, or having to consume all my cheat food in one sitting; that diet is not effective and does not give me the satisfaction I want.
However, if I only I attempted that diet method, I would lose all hope that I couldn’t lose weight, when in fact that system was not what my body wanted. You can check and use different strokes, different coaches, different lose weight books or any diet method worth looking into. And when you finally hit the one that definitely works for you, it will be more fun and fulfilling to pursue that.
Ask your friends to join in the fun
If you have a friend who shares the same goal as you, hit him up! Why just go to a coffee shop or have lunch or dinner when you can actually do other things such as walk, do yoga, study or enroll in a cooking school to learn healthy meals? Both of you can do these things together. Not only do you get to spend time, but you also take part in the joys and pains as you celebrate victories together and perhaps, even engage in some friendly competition.
Every Saturday, my friend and I do yoga and eat some pancakes. I would engage in yoga workouts but the real extra is the fact that I’m actually doing and enjoying it as well as having a friend-mentor from whom I’m taking a few lessons from as she is more advanced in yoga than me!
Monitor your developments
One of the nicest things to feel is seeing yourself improve at something. As you prove to be better, you will just continue what you’ve started realizing all the efforts you’ve gone through as an after-thought. One explanation for this is that once you reach a certain level, it is not easy to retract, so the best motivation for you is to maintain that condition. The concern is that usually, the development versus your goals seems to move in a very gradual manner. It’s so difficult to be reminded on where you’ve been or what were you like before. Prepare weekly records and keep track of whatever you’re doing to measure and monitor your performance; your weight, the number of words you’ve made, your 5km time or the new learnings you completed like the new moves. This will support you as yougain the momentum to establish your confidence to move forward to the next levels. Setting SMART goals is crucial in this aspect.
Have incentives as you reach new levels
Compared to temptation bundling, this is almost the same except you incentivize yourself after the accomplishment of your goals. For instance, pancakes are our prizes for having yoga workouts done on yoga and pancake Saturday. You can perhaps get yourself some new gym clothes for reaching new personal records. Or perhaps a new kitchen tool for getting one stone out. Or it can be a new magazine to learn how to cook Italian fare. The good thing is that the incentives do not weaken your goal. That means you will not be able to indulge in your chocolate cake for having been to the gym for a workout!
Strategy Three: Go for it (No matter how it upsets you and how difficult it is for you to do the task.)
It is certainly the very essence of discipline and perhaps, the toughest of all the three strategies in realizing your goal, but
disputably, the most helpful one to do.
Emotions MUST NOT take precedence over our lives. There are times that I don’t want to wake up to go to my job, but the thing is I have to since if I don’t, I would be terminated and then, have no cash. If I let my emotions rule for my actions, expect that things will not work out right, as adverse effects will surely happen. Normally, there is no such effect when you talk of personal goals. Or maybe the bad effect doesn’t occur until you’ve gone through it a great deal.
• You’re not up spending time in the gym so you didn’t go. Nobody reprimands you. You still look the same the day after.
• Writing your novel is not a good idea so you didn’t proceed with it. Nothing is wasted. Nobody is really pressuring you to have your book in publication.
• You didn’t enjoy playing the guitar so you’re not actually doing it. As if the world really cares. Your prospective fans don’t even realize you are a star to admire just yet.
What you’ve thought 3,5 or perhaps 10 years from now as the disparity between what you intended your life would be and what it really is, is now so huge it is nearly overwhelming. The reason is that – yes, you were actually not up for it.
There is only so much you can do attaining your goal without any problem for you. The best thing to do in this situation is, if you sincerely want to be the person you aspire for, you must do the activities that you’re not bent on doing NO MATTER HOW HURTING IT IS TO DO AND THERE’s NOT MUCH SIGNIFICANCE.
That is the key to achieving your goal.
And to be truthful, unless you are like a machine without feelings, there is no sure way out to overcome this.
(* By the way the closest to a solution that I have checked, is people who have established themselves in being disciplined and consistent in always performing the toughest stuff/choosing the difficult option. For example, Jocko Willink, David Goggins.)
If you find this helpful, take a look at the other useful posts I’ve found.
https://www.minimalfit.co.uk/best-health-fitness-apps/
https://suitcaseentrepreneur.com/three-truths-and-dare-from-the-world-domination-summit/