Hello everyone and welcome back to Karo’s little corner. If you are new, I want to wish you a very warm welcome, and to all my usual readers, thank you for your patience. I am so happy to be back!
The last six months have been hectic. I was working on my first big project at work and let me tell you, I had no time to think about anything else but the success of this thing. Every time I tried to write, I couldn’t focus ; I would often shift back to my work tasks. I have had people come up to me with new topic ideas, but it doesn’t work like that for me. I cannot be robotized ; I have to give 100% to everything I am passionate about. I knew I needed to take time off to focus, and the country’s chaotic situation was not helping either. That’s why I decided to prioritize my tasks and tackle them one by one. From this experience, the topic of today’s article came to mind : Self-discipline!
What is Self-discipline?
According to Collins dictionary:
“Self-discipline is the ability to control yourself and to make yourself work hard or behave in a particular way without needing anyone else to tell you what to do.”
In other words, self-discipline is our ability to make rational decisions that will benefit us, especially when we are faced with challenges.
Understanding the concept is only half the battle. How can we apply Self-discipline in our daily lives to reach our goals and accomplish great things?
Based on my personal experience, here are five tips to help you build Self-discipline:
1. Identify your goals and break them into tasks
Working on multiple projects at the same time can be overwhelming and demotivating. Juggling too many tasks can slow you down and affect your productivity. That’s where Self-discipline comes in the picture : break your goal into smaller tasks, sort them from most important to least important, and tackle them one at a time. Even if you are good at multitasking, don’t try it.
2. Set deadlines
Without deadlines, it’s easy to slack off. You need to push yourself to complete your tasks without relying on anyone else to force or remind you. Set reasonable deadlines, and stick to them. I would not recommend to push back a deadline more than 3 times. This creates a sense of urgency and accountability.
3. Hold yourself accountable
If you are slacking, it’s important to hold yourself accountable; own up to it. By doing this, you accept responsibility and do not blame others for your failure. Accountability helps you stay focused on your goals, helps you stay committed, and encourages consistent effort, even when motivation seems to vanish. Use your setbacks as learning moments to get back on track.
4. Remove any distractions/temptations
I used to be a bookworm, reading multiple books until my eyes hurt (no wonder I have eye trouble now lol). But with the rise of social media, I have found myself drifting away from that passion. Whenever I would try to read something, I would get tempted and distracted by my phone. If you want to complete a task in the shortest time possible, remove anything that could distract you. Set a timer. For example: let’s say for 1 hour every day, you decide not to use any social media. That will work only if you stay committed.
5. Forgive yourself and move forward
While it is important to hold yourself accountable, don’t be too hard on yourself. The process of building Self-discipline takes time, it is not an overnight transformation. When you feel like giving up, think about the sweet reward that will be associated with your accomplishment.
In this article, I emphasize Self-discipline as a key tool for achieving goals, but it can also be applied to other areas of life. Whether it’s maintaining a healthier lifestyle, strengthening relationships, or managing time more effectively, Self-discipline can be a valuable ally. It helps us make intentional choices and take responsibility for them while resisting the pull of old habits that no longer serve our aspirations. This ability to stay committed to our decisions fosters lasting change and positively impacts every aspect of our daily lives.
One thing I learned in life is that when you have an endless list of things to accomplish, you have to make peace with the fact that you will never have time to get through everything at once. It’s important to build Self-discipline, because it helps you prioritize what truly matters, break down overwhelming tasks into manageable steps, and stay focused on your long-term goals. By developing the ability to stay committed and make thoughtful choices, you can navigate even the busiest of times with purpose and clarity, ultimately making progress without feeling lost in the chaos.
That’s all I have for today guys! I’m sorry again for my unannounced absence and I hope you guys enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until we meet again, stay safe and be blessed… always!!!