Contrary to what you may have heard on social media, one doesn’t typically become a success overnight.
You don’t just click a few links and get your dream job.
Life doesn’t work this way.
Your level of success in life is almost always rooted in your level of discipline in life–something that comes down to your daily habits.
So if you seek to become more disciplined in life, you just have to make a few gradual adjustments.
You’ve come to the right place. In this article, I’ll take you through the specific habits that can help you become more disciplined in less than a month.
Let’s get to it!
1) Set clear goals
This one may sound obvious, perhaps even a little cliche, but the fact remains: setting goals will go a long way.
Having realistic goals in life will naturally motivate you.
With every bit of progress, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to achieve the things you desire in life.
Don’t overwhelm yourself.
Start with specific, manageable, smaller goals and go from there.
Give yourself deadlines. Celebrate your wins, both big and small.
Remember, without concrete goals, you’re essentially just winging it through life… and frankly, at that point, things can get stagnant fast.
2) Establish a morning routine
I don’t mean to sound like your mom here, but having a bit of structure in your day will pay off big time.
The genuine high-achievers of the world don’t typically roll out of bed hungover at 11 am on a Tuesday.
Instead, the vast majority of them have routines that promote productivity.
How you start your mornings often sets the tone for the rest of the day.
This can mean waking up at the same time daily, getting some exercise in, meditating, reading, eating a nourishing breakfast, and so on–and in no particular order.
Once you have a bit of structure to start your days off, you’re in a good place.
3) Limit distractions
We live in the golden age of distractions.
Look in any direction at any given time, and you can get sidetracked from the task at hand.
So identify what distracts you; set boundaries and specific times when you can indulge in these distractions.
I think for most of us, social media might be the most prominent, accessible distraction in our lives.
Nobody is safe.
Just the other week, I told myself I was going to hit the gym, but I ended up on my couch mindlessly scrolling, procrastinating indefinitely.
I was unconsciously indulging in the soul-sucking activity of going through Instagram reels–and before I knew it, nearly an hour had passed, as did my fervor for exercise.
I was so mentally and emotionally exhausted from all the excess stimuli on my screen that I ended up staying at home rather than getting out there.
My case is not an isolated one.
4) Practice delayed gratification
As you may have gathered, these days it’s easy to give in to our urges.
Rather than do work, we can simply switch on the TV and catch the latest episode(s) of our favorite shows.
The thing is, if we constantly surrender to our impulses, achieving true discipline will be an uphill battle, to say the least.
Hence, you should train yourself to wait for rewards.
Start small.
This could be as basic as intensively working for an hour or two while leaving your phone in the other room; only allowing yourself to check it when you’re done.
By regularly delaying gratification, you’re becoming more disciplined, slowly but surely.
5) Document your progress
Once you write things down, documenting milestones and progress, this will have a tangible effect on your motivation levels.
Referring to something that’s written down makes things more real.
Maybe you can keep a journal or log book of your daily activities, reflecting in detail on what you accomplished, and how it made you feel at that given moment.
Tracking progress won’t just motivate you, it will help you adjust and make improvements where needed… with far greater clarity.
6) Develop a healthy lifestyle
Health is wealth… and also a resounding factor when it comes to getting disciplined.
Make it a point to get regular exercise, consume a nutritious diet, and get proper sleep; all these things are necessary for maintaining your energy levels and optimizing your productivity in life.
Trust me, it’s easy to sleep till noon, and get blackout drunk multiple times a week; it’s easy to gorge yourself on Flaming Hot Cheetos and chicken tenders… but if you perpetuate these behaviors, you won’t be doing yourself any favors.
Your morale will likely take a hit–which makes you all the more susceptible to perpetuating the toxic cycle.
7) Learn to say no
This one is underrated.
Just the other evening, a friend was spontaneously calling me to join him for drinks. It was a weeknight.
While I was briefly tempted by his invitation, I ultimately decided to stay home.
Had I given in, I would have ended up being tired and hungover the next day–and probably more anxious too–which would’ve almost certainly compromised my ability to get work done efficiently.
Protect your time and focus by rejecting unimportant, non-essential activities that don’t align with your goals and purpose.
The simple act of saying ‘no’ is powerful for your self-confidence too. You’d be surprised.
8) Practice self-compassion
But if you give in now and then, as I almost did, don’t be too hard on yourself.
You’re human, making the occasional mistake is part of living. To err is human after all.
Constantly striving for perfection is counterproductive. Yes, I said it.
Understand that building discipline is a process; and that during this process there will invariably be setbacks.
So be kind to yourself, practice self-compassion, and look at mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.
9) Track your spending for a month
Here’s the thing: nearly every person I’ve come across in life who lacks discipline also tends to be a bit reckless with money.
This means that having a lack of discipline in life almost always affects your finances. The two are linked.
Making a few simple adjustments to your relationship with money will pay off. Pun intended.
Track your spending.
Every day, write down everything you spend money on, from groceries to gas to that new pair of New Balance trainers you justified gifting yourself.
With the right approach, this habit can cultivate financial discipline, creating an awareness of where your money goes and helping you identify areas for improvement… and budgeting.
Final words
If you want to achieve great things in life, taking a deeper look at your day-to-day habits is an ideal place to start.
You can do it. Take it a day at a time. Embrace your setbacks. Bounce back stronger.
Once you’re committed to making the necessary shifts, you’ll be unrecognizable soon.
This won’t happen overnight; but with enough dedication, you will notice significant changes in a month.
Don’t let up. You got this, I promise.
