Is there a way to have more self-discipline in 10 days? Yes. Here is my tried and tested method so that you can become a more self-disciplined student, writer, entrepreneur or athlete.

1. Self-Discipline in 10 Days: Initial Thoughts

Summer is almost over, and soon most of us are going to be back at our daily grind. But, I won’t. I decided to leave my job and pursue what I love to do; which is to write.

Writing is the kind of activity that requires an immense amount of self-discipline to do well. In fact, self-discipline is a necessary precursor to doing anything of value well. Without it, we can easily get off track and slowly let go of the promises we made to ourselves and to others.

Contrary to popular belief, having more self-discipline does not have to be a lengthy process. I was able to have more self-discipline in 10 days simply by striving to become a tiny bit more disciplined each and every day.

Let’s first discuss what self-discipline is and then head to my 4 tips on how to have self-discipline in 10 days.

2. What is Self-Discipline?

Self-discipline is the idea of taking consistent action regardless of the emotional state you experience. Rain or shine, you’re out there delivering and following through.

Now imagine what difference self-discipline can do to the areas where you want to see yourself improve the most. Think of the impact self-discipline can do to your health when you gladly choose to work out instead of eating junk and watching TV.

What if you could consistently follow up with your clients, business associates, and pursue potential leads? Not only would you be able to push your business forward, but you would feel significantly more fulfilled.

In fact, a recent study shows that exerting self-control can make you happier not only in the long run, but also in the moment.

“If there’s no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.”- African proverb

3. Psychology of Self-Discipline in 10 Days?

Before leaning how to develop self-discipline in 10 days, we have to understand the psychology underlying self-discipline

When people talk about self-discipline, they do so in light of the regret they experience when they fail to commit to their goals. They experience this regret because they realize that they failed to follow through on their better judgements.

But if that’s the case, why did they not follow through on their best judgement?

We would normally expect people to follow through on what they believe to be best. If they chose not to, then it seems as though they have freely and intentionally acted contrary to their better judgement.

But that seems puzzling.

How can one judge something to be good to do but not do it? What’s going on in the psychology of such a person?

Let’s assume that John genuinely thinks that going to the gym is overall a better judgement than staying home and watching TV. However, when the time comes, John becomes averse to going to the gym and changes his mind. I believe that this change of mind takes place as a result of comparing the reward of going to the gym versus staying at home at face value.

The excitement promised by staying home and watching his favorite TV show appears to override the original inferiority of that option. From an immediate pleasure standpoint, the pleasure of staying home begins to outweigh that of going to the gym. This in turn leads John to conclude that staying at home and watching TV is a superior decision to going to the gym. And in this way John has succeeded in convincing himself to stay at home.

However, John appears to have made a terrible mistake.

John has over-estimated two things about his options. He over-estimated how pleasurable it would be to stay home and watch TV, but he also over-estimated how painful it would to be to get to the gym and work out. Hence, John opted to stay at home.

Unfortunately, that’s the very same mental gymnastics that a lot of people use to act against their best interest. If this has happened to you, then I truly empathize with you. It’s hard to see yourself slack on your goals and commitments and to realize that you did so intentionally.

But there’s a way out, and here how to have more self-discipline in 10 days.

4. Four Tips to Have More Self-Discipline in 10 Days

In order to have more self-discipline in 10 days, you have to make a mental shift.

4.1 Endorse Your Goals

This mental shift starts by deciding to endorse your goals.

Studies have shown that self-endorsed goals are strongly associated with making positive progress.

This further means that you have to become a student of the goal you want to realize. In fact, the word discipline comes from the root disciple; someone who follows and adheres to certain practices and instructions.

So if you have a desire to become disciplined when it comes to running, then you have to learn more about running techniques, workouts, and events before you start the 10 day journey to becoming self-disciplined. You might also want become a member of a community of runners and/or become engaged online with various blogs and forums on the topic.

When you do these things, you slowly begin to identity yourself as a runner, and when that happens you will want to run and to do so gladly. However, if you don’t become actively involved in your goal, you will never have enough discipline to work on it, no matter how hard you try.

4.2 Have a Compelling Vision

Most people lack self-discipline because they don’t have compelling vision of what they want.

Ask yourself this:

• Why do you want to commit to going to the gym on a regular basis?
• Why do you want to write every day?
• Do you have a plan?
• Do you have or need a coach to help you?

People who can’t sustain their self-discipline usually articulate their whys in a non-compelling way. They are not exactly sure why the want to have more self-discipline in a given area of their lives.

On the other hand, when you have a compelling vision and articulate your reasons in a captivating language, you are more likely to have more self-discipline – in 10 days.

4.3 Begin With Small Things

Building self-discipline is the same as building any other skill. It’s learned behavior.

The great thing about this skill is that practicing self-discipline in one area tends to increase your overall self-discipline.

So regardless of the area in which you want to see your self-discipline grow, I recommend that you start training yourself to become more self-disciplined by focusing on making small changes.

For example, instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. Instead of throwing your dishes into the sink, wash at least one right away. This will strengthen your self-discipline muscle.You should also firm up your values, see this post for more.

4.4 Make it Easy to Be Self-Disciplined

If you want to become more disciplined to, say, go to them gym or write or drink more water, then you have to make it easier to physically execute.

This includes having the information and material you need within the vicinity where you spend most of your time. Seeing these things in front of you will remind you to stick to doing them. So if you want to drink more water, have a large bottle of water on your desk AND put it in a place where you can’t ignore it. Similarly, if you want to commit to going to the gym, then have your gym clothes packed and ready in your gym bag from the night before, and so on and so forth.

If you stop working on your self-discipline, then you will slowly begin to lose it. Self-discipline is not a one-time login where you login once and enjoy a lifetime of benefits effortlessly. You have to keep working on it. You can recharge your motivation by watching motivational videos, listening to motivational music, read motivational stories, etc. Please recognize that you will encounter difficult days, as we all do, and you might slip. If you do, then please forgive yourself 🙂 you will get better next time.