Insight Bites Week 7 | 2/10/22

IN THIS ISSUE 

4 min read

• ⚔️ Re-Introducing discipline, the greatest weapon

• 📃 Continuation on the past week

YOU’RE THE REASON YOU’RE LAZY

Today, we’re going to discuss one of the most important and crucial elements of progress: discipline.

Have you ever felt despair, because you couldn’t hit that deadline? Or maybe, felt a little bit useless because you were procrastinating? Are you dreading writing that 3000 word essay, and haven’t even started with just 3 days left? See, when we tend to feel discomfort in any way, our body has a natural way of dealing with it. Your eyes might dart to your phone, or maybe a video. Then you feel a little bit better.

You spend a little bit more time. And then more. And finally, you’ve spent 3 hours on your phone, and have gotten absolutely no work done.

Many people rely on motivation as their primary weapon against the distractions. While motivation feels good due to the release of dopamine in our brains, it is short-lived and we quickly adapt to it, falling into an unproductive cycle. This is where discipline becomes the superior weapon.

Discipline is the ability to do things in the present that may be challenging or unappealing, with the aim of achieving future goals.

The secret to true productivity and progress lies within keeping your own discipline; basically, it’s your fault that your lazy.

But also, it’s not that easy. It’s something that many just like me are actively working on everyday. (So, feel a little better 🙂 )

So, how can we improve our discipline skill, to be able to achieve the things we really want?

DISCIPLINE CONTINUED

Time blocking is an extremely useful resource. Imagine two versions of yourself: current you and future you. Current you plans and schedules tasks for future you, using a technique called time blocking. By following this system, future you doesn't waste mental energy on deciding what to do next but simply follows the schedule. This way, you live a life by design, not default.

While gaining discipline is difficult, it is equally as difficult to maintain day-to-day. To maintain discipline, it's crucial to identify your "why" – the deep emotional attachment to why being disciplined is important to you. My "why" stems from the fear of reaching the end of my life with regrets about not living up to my potential. Find your own why and cultivate a strong connection to it.

Lastly, developing a daily disciplined practice is essential. Just like any other muscle, discipline needs regular exercise. Engage in activities that push your boundaries, such as taking cold showers, writing, or going for a run. Strengthening your discipline muscle will have a significant impact on your overall discipline.

An important thing to note is that there are many obstacles. Let's address one of the biggest obstacles: procrastination. I've formulated a six-step process to overcome it.

Firstly, become aware when you're delaying. Create pattern interrupts to remind yourself of your intentions. Secondly, reclaim your intention by reconnecting with why you should be doing the task at hand. Thirdly, define your objective clearly to understand what you need to do to move forward. Set a tiny goal and start a timer to add urgency and prevent tasks from expanding indefinitely.

Moreover but even more significant, just get started. Take that first step, no matter how small, as momentum is the antidote to procrastination. Remember, progress matters more than perfection.

SUMMARY

• Time blocking is an extremely useful resource.

• Identify your "why": the deep emotional attachment to why being disciplined is important to you.

• Discipline needs regular exercise.

• Just get started; momentum is the antidote to procrastination

THOUGHTS ON TODAY’S ISSUE?