Have you always struggled with self-discipline? If you have, then you’re right where you need to be…
Disciplined people know how to get sh*t done, and as a result, are more likely to achieve great things in life.
I bet that’s why you’re here – to find out how to become more like them. So let’s get into some things disciplined people don’t waste their time on!
1) They don’t take everyone’s opinion seriously
First up on the list: disciplined people don’t waste their time ruminating on the opinions of others!
Everyone will have something to say about the things you do. And that’s just a fact of life…
If you’re going to be affected by a comment about your job or passion, you’re never going to grow as a person.
What do I mean?
Think about it: there’s no point taking everyone’s opinion seriously, unless they’re constructive and allow you to work on your weaknesses.
At the end of the day, disciplined people know they have better things to do than pay any mind to the haters!
2) They don’t make excuses for their behaviour
What’s another thing disciplined people don’t waste their time on?
Making excuses. And I’m going to explain why it’s so frowned upon in their book!
Let’s use an example of working on a project with someone at work. Maybe you made a mistake and you both got in trouble with your superior.
Still, you failed to admit what you did wrong and even tried to push the blame to your partner! Well, don’t you know how much time you’ve just wasted?
Disciplined people never make excuses for their behaviour. That’s because they know it’s better to get the situation over and done with…
What they do instead is acknowledge their mistake and rectify the problem immediately. If you want to become more disciplined, know that actions matter more than empty words!
3) They don’t get distracted by social media
Speaking of empty words brings me to my next point…
Do you struggle with wasting time on social media? Then you’ll want to set boundaries about screen time.
Here’s why it’s so easy to get distracted by social media: it gives you an opportunity to procrastinate on important things – stuff that actually needs to get done!
Being on social media is a way to escape from your responsibilities. And remember what we just talked about?
Disciplined people never, ever make excuses; instead, they take action! That’s why some of them even swear off social media…
4) They don’t doubt their capabilities
Here’s another thing about disciplined people: they’re extremely focused at work, and you’ll find them being superheroes in the office as they work on multiple tasks!
For them to take on these responsibilities, they must know it’s a waste of time to doubt themselves.
Let me explain.
Say your manager puts you in charge of a project, one you’ve never taken on before. And you’re overwhelmed with fear that you can’t deliver…
But pause for a moment: if you really weren’t capable, would your manager give you this task?
Of course not – and disciplined people know better than to question the good judgement of others!
5) They don’t mix around with bad company
I know, I know.
You’re thinking I’m going to get judgemental here. But I promise I won’t!
Here’s what I mean by “bad” company: people who don’t support you in your endeavours, or those who want to distract you from them.
And let’s face it: maybe you’ve had someone like that in your life…
What disciplined people do in these situations is point out such people, and make sure to limit contact with them.
After all, you are the only one who can achieve your goals. What’s the point in wasting time with people who don’t want to see you thrive?
6) They don’t take on more tasks than necessary
Another thing that disciplined people never waste their time on is taking on more tasks than necessary.
What do I mean?
Maybe you don’t want to hear this, but we sometimes go out of our way to impress our superiors – by doing more than we’re expected to at our job!
This is a common problem in the working world, where the possibility of promotion leads us to work ourselves to the bone.
But disciplined people know two things: one, they’re good enough to be hired where they want to be. And that’s because they work hard – they don’t need to resort to such means.
Second, it’s a waste of time trying to play games in the office! Disciplined people know that being good at what you do is all you need…
7) They don’t try to impress other people
As mentioned earlier, disciplined people don’t waste time trying to impress other people. And that’s because they’re confident about what they can offer!
The thing about trying to impress others is that we’re overcompensating for something that’s bothering us.
Here’s what I mean.
It could be anything from wanting to fit in a friend group – and failing to do so – or trying to win the affections of someone who doesn’t care about you.
Deep down, you’re really just avoiding coming to terms with the fact that you DO deserve better.
If you want to become more disciplined, know that trying to impress others will never add value to your life…
8) They don’t let their emotions control them
Next up on the list? Disciplined people don’t get caught up in their emotions!
To be exact, they don’t let their emotions control them to the point that it takes them away from a task at hand…
Of course, this doesn’t mean that disciplined people never pay attention to their emotions. In fact, they believe it’s important to express them!
It just needs to be the right time…
Here are some ways to become more disciplined without letting your emotions get in the way:
- Keep a journal, but only write in it at the end of the day
- Make a list of tasks you need to complete
- Reward yourself when you’ve completed each task
- Remember that achieving a goal is not easy, but it will be worth it
9) They don’t participate in drama
Here’s another trick to becoming more disciplined in your life: get rid of all the ways you participate in drama!
As I mentioned earlier, disciplined people don’t get distracted by social media. In fact, some of them avoid it – because it’s just too easy to get carried away…
For example, do you find yourself stalking the social media profiles of one of your college buddies? Perhaps because they always seem to have a lot of drama in their life?
People like this go out of their way to create drama because they’re lacking excitement in their lives. Think relationship drama and family drama…which they could probably keep to themselves.
When you participate in their drama, you inevitably get sucked into it – this takes you away from achieving things in YOUR life!
Being disciplined is hard, let’s admit it. But like I said, it’s always going to be worth it.
At the end of the day, you’ll know that the future is taken care of, because you’re making an effort instead of slacking off!
10) They don’t worry about the future
And that’s why disciplined people don’t worry about the future. They take steps to achieve their dreams every single day.
Remember that life is a marathon, not a race. And if you really want to get somewhere in the future, it’s going to take some effort.
When I talk about effort, though, I mean taking REAL steps to becoming more disciplined! In my previous points, I talked about how you can:
- Learn how to prioritize your tasks
- Forget what people think of you
- Believe in yourself
Here’s another piece of advice I can give you: becoming more disciplined is like exercising a muscle.
If you exercise your “discipline” muscle often enough, you’ll find it becomes much easier to stay focused on your tasks!
Think of it as if you’re headed to the gym to work on your body, but instead, it’s your mind…
11) They don’t go easy on themselves
Finally, here’s one more thing disciplined people don’t waste their time on: going easy on themselves.
As I’ve been saying throughout this article, you need to learn how to push yourself. And you need to do it in a way that feels productive to you – it doesn’t have to be painful!
All you need to do is figure out what your goals are, and how exactly you will achieve them.
Once that’s done, you’re all ready to set your efforts in motion!
Final thoughts
So, are you ready to get out there and become more disciplined?
There are many people in the world who want to spend their time more meaningfully…but they just can’t escape the distractions.
Since you’re reading this article, know you’re already one step ahead of the pack!
