Want to get rid of the habit of procrastination because of difficulties carrying out plans? Maybe you want to do certain activities on a regular basis, such as studying to be ready for a test or exercising to improve your fitness. Even if you still lack discipline, don't give up. Start working on this problem by creating a repair plan so you can discipline yourself.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Taking Actions to Make You More Disciplined
Step 1. Think about why you want to discipline yourself
Is there a specific goal you want to achieve, but feel stuck? Maybe you want to get up early, but are used to staying up late. Maybe your ability to play music begins to decrease because you rarely practice. Or, maybe you want to lose weight, but don't like exercising. Take the time to rethink everything you want to determine the most appropriate goal.
Step 2. Visualize your goal
Visualization is an important aspect for you to be successful in achieving your goals. First of all, calmly think about your goal and clearly imagine what you want. After that, you must surround yourself with this goal physically and mentally.
- One form of simulation that has proven to be very effective in helping to achieve goals is called process simulation. This is done by imagining you are taking the steps necessary to reach your goal, not just imagining the end result.
- In addition, visualization can be done by meditating every day or making a vision board with your goals.
Step 3. Create an action plan
You can create tables manually or using a computer, for example with Word or Excel programs. For now, you don't have to fill it out right away. Just think of an appropriate title for this table according to your purpose, for example “ Exercise Routine After that, create several columns and give each column a title in order:
- "Action"
- “Time to Start Action”
- “Potential Problems”
- “How to Solve Problems”
- “Progress Already Achieved”
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When finished, fill in each column according to its title.
Discipline Yourself Step 4 Step 4. Get ready to take action and decide when you will start it
Actions are the steps you must take to achieve a goal. After determining these steps, think about when you will start so that your desire to discipline yourself can be achieved.
- The actions you need to take can start from limiting time to do unproductive activities so that you have time to exercise or prepare clothes for exercising tomorrow morning the night before.
- If you're having a hard time coming up with ideas, looking for inspiration is a very useful technique. In addition, you can also ask a close relative, friend, or someone who can help. Have a few lines ready in case you have some action in mind. Take time so you can consider all the things that need to be done.
- You can make a plan to start acting today, tomorrow, or in the next week/month. Make a realistic plan with the schedule in mind. For example, if you want to “Exercise every day starting at 6 am”, there is no point in making that plan for the day if it is already noon.
Discipline Yourself Step 5 Step 5. Anticipate potential problems and determine how to resolve them
Think about the obstacles that might occur in carrying out each step you plan and prepare ways to overcome them if there really are obstacles. For example, if you are making an action plan “Exercise every day starting at 6 am” but when the alarm rings, you are sure that you will turn it off immediately and go back to sleep, you might want to write “I will fall asleep again”.
- Alternatively, think about the solutions you've managed to do. However, if you already know that your way of thinking has always failed (for example, promising yourself that next time you'll wake up early and fail again and again), just ignore this idea.
- Using methods that have previously failed means disappointing yourself. Look for new ideas. For example, planning to put your alarm a little further from your bed might wake you up because you have to work harder to turn it off.
Discipline Yourself Step 6 Step 6. Update the progress report and review your plan
Start taking action and execute the problem-solving strategy that you have decided on at the time you have planned. While doing these things, note the date and the result (success or failure). After you've put your plan into action for a certain period of time, re-read your progress notes.
- When reviewing your plans, determine what went well and what didn't. For those who are not good, think about whether there are useful things you can learn from the experience to make your goals easier to achieve and then incorporate them into your next plan.
- If there is no benefit to you from the experience, cancel the current strategy and find another way. If you're having trouble doing this, repeat the steps described above and come up with new ideas.
Discipline Yourself Step 7 Step 7. Change the way you view mistakes
Even if you failed from the start, keep working towards your goal of self-discipline. But first, change the way you see mistakes as learning opportunities. Do not give up easily!
Researchers have proven that the human brain responds to errors in two ways: either directly try to solve the problem or give up. People who care about their mistakes tend to learn new ways to make improvements. People who ignore their mistakes (or give up neurologically) never change or correct their mistakes. Try to find out what your flaws are and think about how to improve them
Method 2 of 2: Applying Discipline Every Day
Discipline Yourself Step 8 Step 1. Don't beat yourself up for lack of discipline
Behaving like this will only make it difficult for yourself because you will lose motivation and may experience depression (depending on how much the habit affects your life). Instead, remember that being undisciplined is not normal and you can learn to be disciplined. Just like starting anything new, you just need to keep trying and be patient.
A survey in 2011 revealed that about 27% of respondents needed help with self-control and persistence. However, most of the respondents hope they can get better at it
Discipline Yourself Step 9 Step 2. Watch yourself
Self-control has finite resources and can run out. Certain situations make you weaker in self-discipline than others. For example, you tend to make wrong decisions and overeat due to lack of sleep. Maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit makes you better able to discipline yourself.
- Adopt a balanced diet. Get used to eating snacks 3-5 times a day consisting of vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and whole grains. Drink lots of water to keep your body hydrated.
- Exercise regularly. Get consistent physical activity while you're trying to discipline yourself. Apart from putting you in a positive mood, exercising keeps you energized and motivated to complete tasks.
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Reduce stress. Stress can lower your productivity and your overall health. Reduce stress by getting enough sleep at night, engaging in enjoyable activities (such as taking a warm bath or walking in the park), or relaxing (such as meditating or practicing yoga). If you are interested in a spiritual approach, performing certain rituals, such as praying, can help you deal with stress.
Discipline Yourself Step 10 Step 3. Motivate yourself every day
Forming habits is the best way to achieve goals. The book "The Power of Habit" explains that habits and automatic reflexes are formed in the same brain area, not in the prefrontal cortex that regulates decision making. At first, you must maintain the motivation to discipline yourself until this action becomes a habit and does not require conscious thought.
You can motivate yourself by reading inspiring sentences or books, watching uplifting videos, Ted Talks, or having discussions with people who inspire you. Do this every morning or as needed so that you feel more enthusiastic about doing difficult tasks
Tips
- Identify your bad habits so far, such as watching TV too long, using the computer, accessing the internet, playing video games, etc. so that you can manage your time well and have more time to do useful things.
- Action based on goals is a good thing. Instead of setting a goal of “lose 10 kg”, why not “exercise every day” your goal?
- Keep track of your progress every day because this will show you how far you've come and motivate you to keep trying.
Warning
- Don't expect changes in a short time.
- Be patient as you form new habits.
