Becoming More Disciplined to Reach Your Goals
Self-discipline is challenging to achieve however, it is possible. Not only is it possible to achieve. It is life changing. If you are someone who has little to no self-discipline and have a hard time achieving your goals or doing basic household chores this is or you! What is self-discipline? By definition self- discipline is "the ability to control one's feelings and overcome one's weaknesses; the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it." I struggled for years to reach the point I am at now with my self-discipline. I had little to no self-discipline when it came to many things in my life and I struggled to achieve basic goals because I had no self-discipline or any care to achieve any goals I made for my self. Until 2 years ago I started working harder and created self-discipline to achieve my goals. Starting out, it will be challenging and I recommend to take small steps. If you take small steps it will help you become more successful rather than going all out and being very strict with yourself in the beginning you will have less of a success rate. Start small and take baby steps throughout this process. Especially, if you have already had trouble before when trying to become more self-disciplined.
Here are your ways to become more self-disciplined and achieve our goals!!
Start with writing down long term and short term goals
I think this is always the most important step when starting out. Jot down your short term goals and long term goals. When you do this I recommend placing them somewhere that you can view them every day. One way I do this is using post-it notes on a bulletin board. I usually keep my long term goals on that and use a separate expo board for my short term goals.
Focus on one goal at a time
For your long term and short term goals make sure that you focus on just one at a time. The minute that you begin to focus on more than one goal you will begin to lose focus and become less successful with achieving these goals. This includes starting one goal and pausing it to try to achieve another one. When you put all of your focus on one goal at a time your success rate will increase and I recommend if you have a hard time deciphering the difference between long term and short term goals to click this link below to help you!
Create a daily schedule
Creating a daily schedule will substantially increase your success rate of achieving goals when you set aside time for them throughout your day. Make sure when you are making your schedule that you set achievable daily goals. Keep in mind how long each tasks takes you and keep yourself motivated to reach these daily goals. Another important factor to keep in mind when you create a daily schedule is to get in the habit of making it your daily routine.
Write down obstacles that are in your way
We all have obstacles that get in our way when it comes to achieving goals. For me, I have medical issues that make it difficult to achieve my goals however, I have taught myself and something important for you to learn as well, to not let it get in the way of achieving my goals and becoming my entire personality. It is important to add no matter what obstacle you have in your way that you can achieve your goal if you push yourself past your limitations. If you do not push yourself you do not reach your goals. It is simple as that. With each obstacle that you add make sure you write down a thorough explanation of why this obstacle is in your way. If it is a lack of motivation, adding why you believe you have a lack of motivation to achieve this goal. If it is laziness, adding in your explanation why you feel unmotivated to complete the tasks.
Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself throughout this process will help you become more successful in having self-discipline but only if you are doing it right!! In the beginning this is something that I actually messed up doing. I ended up rewarding myself too much and started falling back instead of progressing forward. I recommend to not reward yourself for every little thing you do and most importantly watch how you are rewarding yourself. If you begin to reward yourself too much the value of the reward begins to decrease and it won't seem as important. Reward yourself for the more important tasks and goals at hand. Like if it is household goals, reward yourself with take-out. If it is a long term goal for work that you have been trying to achieve for awhile spend a night out!
Learn what keeps you motivated
Another significant factor that will keep you going! If you learn what keeps you motivated throughout your self-discipline journey it will give you more of a success rate. Another tip, I recommend writing these down or keeping a journal of things that motivate you. When you do this it will help keep you motivated and another wonderful tip is making a vision board with al of the things that keep you motivated and keep it within your sight in your work space or home so that whenever you lack the motivation you always have that to look towards to reflect.
Manage your distractions
As a WFHM (work from home mom) I had to really reflect on this one because I also homeschool and my child is with me 24/7. Managing your distractions will be one of the most challenging part of the process. For some it can take time to figure out what exactly is your largest distractions. For many it is screen time. Whether it be your phone, watching TV, or playing video games. Setting limitations on these distractions will be challenging but it is achievable. If you have distractions that are not technology related I recommend to set those distractions aside or if you are like me and have children that can be a distraction while you are working finding a babysitter that can help you on days you need to focus on your goals or set them up with independent time activities.
Take care of yourself through the process
The arguably most important part of this process is to take care of yourself. Remember that this takes time and it is not something that you can achieve over night. You don't need to beat yourself up throughout the process however, be strict and not give in to distractions or let your thoughts get the best of you. Keep the mindset that you can achieve anything that you focus on and put everything you have into it. If you do not take the time to take care of yourself throughout the process it will make things harder. Take some self-care throughout to help you become more successful!
Be real with yourself with limitations
Being honest with yourself about your limitations will help you in the long run. We all have our own unique limitations. Make sure when you are finding your limitations that you are not underestimating yourself or being unrealistic. Confront your negative thoughts to make sure that this isn't just your thoughts getting the best of you when you are setting these limitations. When you are setting these limitations make sure you embrace your failures and take them as a learning opportunity and not just a setback and failure.
Creating new habits and rituals for yourself
Make sure that when you are creating these new habits and rituals for yourself that you are taking the time to make sure these habits and rituals fit your lifestyle. A few key things to keep in mind is you must progress gradually, be patient with yourself as making new habits will take time, and take the time to journal these habits. Journaling will be key throughout this entire process. I have previously written a blog post on cutting out bad habits out of your life. Check that out to learn more about how much of a difference it makes! I will share the link below!
Make execution plans for your long term goals
If you have long term goals that are harder to achieve it is important to make execution plans to achieve them that have smaller steps to achieve the overall goal. With an execution plan it is going to be easier for your goals to be achieved. Break down this execution plan into objectives, milestones, make sure you are consistent, review the long term goals frequently along with your execution plan. Make sure in your execution plan you add a timeline with the smaller more achievable goals to help get you to the point of achieving the long term goal!
Give yourself back up plans
I fully recommend making plan B's for all of your goals throughout learning self-discipline because it isn't an easy process and sometimes you will have a harder time achieving some goals than others. When creating back up plans make sure it is back up plans for your goal. For example, If you have a goal to deep clean your home or work space. It doesn't go as planned then create the back up plan to clean smaller spaces. This is also why it is important to create smaller achievable goals that corelate with your larger goals.
Change your perception of willpower
Shifting your focus and mindset will be the essential component of becoming more disciplined. This will go hand in hand with creating good habits for yourself. To change your perception of willpower make sure that you are prioritizing self-care, replacing any negative self-talk with positive self-talk, and making sure you seek support when it is needed!
Forgive yourself and move forward
Forgiving yourself and moving forward when some goals on a timeline fall through is very important throughout learning self-discipline. Remember, it's okay to reroute goals if they need change throughout the timeline or if there is not enough time to do them. You should forgive yourself throughout the process because it is not simple and something that can be achieved in a day. Make sure to keep the positive mindset and it will be your largest asset throughout this process!
Comments