5 Self-Discipline Tips for Success

5 Self-Discipline Tips for Success

There is a quote by Les Brown which basically sums up self-discipline in a nutshell. He said,

“If you want your life to be easy, do hard things. If you want your life to be hard, do easy things.”

If you struggle with self-discipline, I have some good news for you:

Self-discipline can be learned.

You weren’t born undisciplined, and if you’ve had trouble exerting discipline in your past or even now, I promise you’re not a lost cause.

When you fully understand why self-discipline is so important to having a life of purpose, fulfillment, and joy, it enables you to do the hard things to get the results you want for long-term satisfaction.

Let’s talk five self-discipline tips for success.

Related:

5 Self-Discipline Tips for Success

Self-discipline is key to personal fulfillment.

Between point A (where you’re at now) and point B (where you want to be) is a journey that will require self-discipline.

One thing to remember if you’re struggling with self-discipline is that building up your ability to discipline yourself is key to personal fulfillment.

While undisciplined choices may feel good in the moment, they will never lead to personal fulfillment in the long run.

People who are good at self-discipline understand it’s not always going to feel good in the moment, but it’s the long-term results and the payoff that bring a sense of fulfillment that undisciplined choices never could.

Take Action:

Write down the attributes of what personal fulfillment means to you, and what you think is stopping you from finding it.

Address those roadblocks, and make a plan to overcome them.

If you don’t have clarity or a vision for your future and you’re not sure what would bring you personal fulfillment or purpose, try setting goals. There are some resources I listed below that can help you with goal-setting.

Working toward a goal or long-term result will help bring clarity to your life, which will influence the decisions you make on a daily basis and help you develop the skill of self-discipline.

Related:

Long-term success generated by self-discipline is much more fulfilling than temporary gratification.

This rule applies to everything in life: You can experience short-term gratification, or long-term, lasting fulfillment.

Instant gratification is when you choose not to do something, even though you know it’s necessary to do in order to achieve your long-term goals.

OR, you choose to do something you know you shouldn’t because it feels good in the moment, but it works against your long-term goals.

Take Action:

Here are some methods that will keep you from falling for the instant gratification trap:

Display visual reminders of your goals and priorities where you can see them as a reminder of what you’re working towards. Using a goal-setting planner, a vision board, or anything else that keeps your goals at the forefront of your mind is important because it keeps your goals fresh in your mind. One of the biggest pitfalls of goal-setting is people don’t keep their goals where they can see them, and they forget about them.
Remember your long-term goals and how your current actions affect them. Example: You have a goal to lose 20 pounds, and one way you decided you’re going to accomplish that is to eat a healthier diet. Every day, the food choices you make are impacting your weight loss goal.
Keep yourself accountable.

Related:

Self-discipline allows you to achieve goals by weeding out the distractions in your life.

You know that friend who is constantly posting on social media all day? You know they work 9-5, yet clearly, they are only at work in body but not in mind.

In fact, how many times have you been working on something, only to get distracted by Netflix or your phone? Before you know it, hours have gone by, and no progress has been made.

Did you know that people who are self-disciplined do not allow themselves to get distracted by phones, the TV, the internet, etc? They block those mediums out and partake in them sparingly, and see them as a “reward” when they do.

Take Action

Evaluate your daily routine. Are there certain times of the day or certain habits that are distracting you from your goals or the results you want?

For many people, social media tends to be a big distraction. Schedule blocks of time to check your social media, such as 15 minutes in the morning and evening. Practice not checking your social media when it isn’t during scheduled times.

It is so easy to mindlessly pick up our phones and tap into an app, but by intentionally scheduling time for the activity, you can break this habit. You just have to be intentional and committed to it.

In the process, you’ll free up extra time in your day for more purposeful activities.

Related:

Self-discipline means scheduling your life intentionally.

Someone who is good at exerting self-discipline is great at scheduling their time intentionally and discerning what is a priority and what isn’t.

Scheduling your time in a planner or using Google calendar and then sticking to it is so helpful because not only does it keep you on track, but it helps you see where your time could be better spent.

Spending your time intentionally is very much a part of self-discipline.

For example, if you find yourself never having enough time or feeling overwhelmed, look no further than your calendar. You might look at your calendar and see you’re spending a lot of time serving someone else’s agenda at the detriment of your own agenda.

I used to volunteer a lot for various things because it seemed like the “right” thing to do and I wanted to serve others. And don’t get me wrong-there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I found myself with a schedule full of someone else’s agenda with little time for my own.

Self-discipline is so much more than not getting fast food for lunch or waking up early to work out. It’s being intentional about how your time is spent.

Take Action:

Get a planner or use Google calendar to schedule activities and tasks. Be specific.

Then, follow through with your schedule. If you feel overwhelmed, audit your schedule and figure out if there are activities or tasks that aren’t priorities that could free up some time.

Don’t forget to schedule down time too! The point of this isn’t to max out your time with only productive activities and leave you with no time for fun. It is to help you to understand the importance of intentionally planning your life so that you live a life of fulfillment, purpose, and joy.

Related:

6 Time-Wasters Successful Women Avoid
Make Today Count: The Secret of Your Success is Determined By Your Daily Agenda
How to Plan and Manage Your Time Effectively
Time Management Tools
Planner (I use this planner and I love it!)

Practice self-discipline in small ways to empower yourself to practice it in big ways.

If you’re reading this article thinking, “Lisa, you just don’t understand-I’m not a disciplined person,” fret not.

Self-discipline isn’t an inherited trait or something you’re born with. It’s developed over time.

When you practice self-discipline in little ways, it builds momentum for you to practice it in big ways.

Take Action

Start practicing self-discipline in little ways. Make the bed every morning. Wash all the dishes and put them away before you go to bed. Get up 15 minutes earlier each morning. Forgo your morning Starbucks run. Go on a 20-minute walk. Read one chapter from a book.

When you hold yourself accountable to practicing self-discipline in small ways, your momentum will build and over time you will be empowered to exert self-discipline in bigger ways that will get you the results you want.

Related:

Before You Go

I hope these tips helped you uncover why self-discipline is so important to achieving your definition of success! (I say “your definition” because everyone’s version of success looks different!)

Just remember on your journey to celebrate victories on your way to achieving your goals! ?

What are YOUR best practices for maintaining self-discipline? Is there something I missed? I love hearing from my readers and I read and reply to all my comments, so feel free to leave me a comment below. 🙂

“Without self-discipline, success is impossible. Period.” ~Lou Holtz

5 Self-Discipline Tips for Success

Self-discipline is key to personal fulfillment.

Between point A (where you’re at now) and point B (where you want to be) is a journey that will require self-discipline.

One thing to remember if you’re struggling with self-discipline is that building up your ability to discipline yourself is key to personal fulfillment.

While undisciplined choices may feel good in the moment, they will never lead to personal fulfillment in the long run.

Take Action:

Write down the attributes of what personal fulfillment means to you, and what you think is stopping you from finding it.

Address those roadblocks, and make a plan to overcome them.

Working toward a goal or long-term result will help bring clarity to your life, which will influence the decisions you make on a daily basis and help you develop the skill of self-discipline.

Related:

Long-term success generated by self-discipline is much more fulfilling than temporary gratification.

This rule applies to everything in life: You can experience short-term gratification, or long-term, lasting fulfillment.

Instant gratification is when you choose not to do something, even though you know it’s necessary to do in order to achieve your long-term goals.

OR, you choose to do something you know you shouldn’t because it feels good in the moment, but it works against your long-term goals.

Take Action:

Here are some methods that will keep you from falling for the instant gratification trap:

Display visual reminders of your goals and priorities where you can see them as a reminder of what you’re working towards. Using a goal-setting planner, a vision board, or anything else that keeps your goals at the forefront of your mind is important because it keeps your goals fresh in your mind. One of the biggest pitfalls of goal-setting is people don’t keep their goals where they can see them, and they forget about them.
Remember your long-term goals and how your current actions affect them. Example: You have a goal to lose 20 pounds, and one way you decided you’re going to accomplish that is to eat a healthier diet. Every day, the food choices you make are impacting your weight loss goal.
Keep yourself accountable.

Related:

Self-discipline allows you to achieve goals by weeding out the distractions in your life.

You know that friend who is constantly posting on social media all day? You know they work 9-5, yet clearly, they are only at work in body but not in mind.

In fact, how many times have you been working on something, only to get distracted by Netflix or your phone? Before you know it, hours have gone by, and no progress has been made.

Take Action

Evaluate your daily routine. Are there certain times of the day or certain habits that are distracting you from your goals or the results you want?

In the process, you’ll free up extra time in your day for more purposeful activities.

Related:

Self-discipline means scheduling your life intentionally.

Someone who is good at exerting self-discipline is great at scheduling their time intentionally and discerning what is a priority and what isn’t.

Spending your time intentionally is very much a part of self-discipline.

Self-discipline is so much more than not getting fast food for lunch or waking up early to work out. It’s being intentional about how your time is spent.

Take Action:

Get a planner or use Google calendar to schedule activities and tasks. Be specific.

Then, follow through with your schedule. If you feel overwhelmed, audit your schedule and figure out if there are activities or tasks that aren’t priorities that could free up some time.

Related:

6 Time-Wasters Successful Women Avoid
Make Today Count: The Secret of Your Success is Determined By Your Daily Agenda
How to Plan and Manage Your Time Effectively
Time Management Tools
Planner (I use this planner and I love it!)

Practice self-discipline in small ways to empower yourself to practice it in big ways.

If you’re reading this article thinking, “Lisa, you just don’t understand-I’m not a disciplined person,” fret not.

Self-discipline isn’t an inherited trait or something you’re born with. It’s developed over time.

When you practice self-discipline in little ways, it builds momentum for you to practice it in big ways.

Take Action

Related:

Before You Go

Just remember on your journey to celebrate victories on your way to achieving your goals! ?

“Without self-discipline, success is impossible. Period.” ~Lou Holtz

Lisa

Hi! I'm Lisa. I help women live purposeful, fulfilling and joyful lives. I'm happily married and a fur mom to two boxers and two rabbits. I love Jesus, freelance writing, fitness, personal development, reading books, football, cross-stitching, and video games.