One word: Discipline. Most people lack the self-discipline that’s necessary to realize their potential and achieve their goals. This lack of discipline is catalyzed by people’s need for instant gratification. And look, I’m not holier than thou, because sometimes I fall victim of that mentality too. That being said, without a doubt, everything in my life that I’ve worked for required discipline. Whether it was weight loss or a competition, discipline is THE requirement for success. Yes, requirement, because there is no way around it. The more you try to avoid it, the further you’ll stray from your goal. So, before I tell you HOW to become more disciplined, I’ll define for you what discipline means to me.

Discipline is the ability to hold oneself accountable in doing what it takes to achieve a goal or task, even in moments of laziness, defeat, uncertainty, or apathy. Basically, your ability to do what you NEED to do, even if it isn’t what you WANT to do. Simple. In considering this definition give special attention to the first several words: “Discipline is the ability to hold oneself accountability…” I believe accountability is the foundation for discipline. Most people would rather lie to themselves and attempt to convince themselves and others that they are in fact doing what they need to do, and then blame something or someone for their lack of results.

Here are 3 exercises you can utilize to become more disciplined:

1) The Countdown

This is favorite exercise by far because it’s easy to implement and your ROI is nearly immediate. I don’t remember where I first heard about it but I’ve been using it for years! The countdown is broken into two phases. The first phase is for beginners, and the second phase is for those who are quite experienced in self discipline but need to be more stringent perhaps for a new goal or project.

Phase One: Any time a task crosses your mind that you haven’t yet completed but know you must (granted you currently have the time) put 3 - 10 minutes on a timer and allow that time to be a buffer. No matter what, when that timer goes off, you’re going to get up, or sit down, and complete the task. Oftentimes, I find that in giving yourself that buffer you’ll either start the task nearly immediately, or you’ll use that time to prepare yourself mentally.

Phase Two: You can probably guess that this looks like. For this phase, any time a task crosses your mind that you’ve yet to complete, but know you must (granted you currently have the time) countdown, “3…2…1” and then go do it! This is actually quite difficult especially if you haven’t primed yourself with phase one, but like I said, it’s highly effective. Moments where discipline waivers are moments where we give ourself time to justify and bow out. The Countdown takes that time away, forcing you to commit to yourself and your goals.

2) The Little Things

I learned in college this a little hack. I was quite skeptical at first because it was the complete opposite of what I had been told. Ready? After writing your to do list, do the easiest things first. This way you’re motivated by completion for the rest of your day. I always used to save the easiest tasks for last because I knew I’d get them down quickly. But, what ended up happening was that I’d spend all of my willpower on the most difficult tasks and had nearly no energy left for the remaining ones! Or even worse, I wouldn’t even complete the hard tasks and would end the work day feeling like a failure as I hadn’t completed much. The most effective way to remedy this is to simply do the little things first. Start your day with small wins, because a win is a win :)

3) Be Objective

When it comes to your goals, hopefully you know exactly what you want. You know what success looks and feels like to you. You know who you want to be and why. Your self analysis and self judgement should be just as clear as your goals. In considering their failures or lack of commitment/discipline, most people become subjective. They allow their emotion to cloud fact. You either complete a task or you didn’t, most times the why is unimportant. You either ate too much or you didn’t You either achieved the performance goal or you didn’t. You either complete the workout or you didn’t. It’s that simple, and the over-complication of it, is what allows people to waiver in their own commitments. Objectivity will allow you to fully hold yourself accountable.