Self Discipline is the assertion of willpower over basic desires. Being a disciplined person means doing things right when you are supposed to do them. It means to keep the promise you make and to be committed to being true to yourself. No matter what your goals are, you most certainly have to work in order to achieve them. Being able to delay gratification and short term temptation is crucial if you want to be a successful person. Let us list down some proven rules/steps that will help build self discipline.
Remove Temptation
The first logical step is to remove everything that is keeping you from doing what you are supposed to do. Our brain is built to avoid all kinds of struggle, pain or effort. So, between working and watching a movie, we tend to choose watching a movie, because it is easier and a instant pleasure. We can therefore take steps to alter/change some habits and make procrastinating inconvenient. For example, if you work from home and you work from a desk that is close to your couch, it is easy for you to get distracted, take a break and spend the rest of the day doing unproductive work. Instead, start working from your local public library as it will be a lot harder for you to procrastinate since you are in a quiet place with no or little distraction.
Do Not Wait for Right Mood/Frame of Mind
As stated before, our brain is not built for productivity, on the contrary it was built for instant gratification. As a result, we tend to make trivial excuses for not working like not feeling inspired/excited. We should note that action should not be the result of inspiration or motivation, but a linear process of a loop of the 3 things i.e. inspiration, motivation and action. So you should just focus on getting that loop started. It is all about overcoming that very first resistance, because almost all the time, as soon as you get started, you will be in a good flow of work and actually enjoy it.
Set Proper Achievable Goals
Goal setting is a skill that will help you get things done faster. We need to be realistically ambitious when getting goals. Studies for goal setting and task performance state that specific and challenging goals lead to higher performance than easy or generic goals. Goal setting is most likely to improve task performance when the goals are specific and sufficiently challenging. Goals should also have a deadline, as it will help you be more efficient, effective and make you accountable.
Think Long Term
You should understand that everything you do today will have a massive influence on the person you will become tomorrow and this is the best way to motivate yourself to do what you are supposed to do. This awareness will push you to incorporate positive changes in your daily life, which will thereby build self discipline.
Build a Productive Daily Routine
Big results take time to achieve, but with small consistent actions, you can achieve them. Therefore it is important to progressively build a productive daily routine. To get started on how to improve your routine, start identifying areas you like to see changes. A great way to get started is to wake up at the same time every single day and have a precise plan on what the day looks like. Small habits like making your bed in the morning has been proven to increase motivation and productivity throughout the day.