Self-Discipline Tips That Have Helped Me in 2023

Mariam Seme
3 min readJun 30, 2023

--

Yeah, It’s the half of 2023 already and I am super excited for what the other half brings. If I could rate this half from 1–10, it would be 7.

One of the things I have learned for a long time now and practiced so well this year is self-discipline. It is an absolute trait to inculcate into our lives. What’s a person without self-discipline, having boundaries, goals, and working hard into achieving them?

To build up these characters, one needs to be consistent and motivated which is the hard part. Yeah.

Earlier this month I challenged myself to a workout routine for the whole month and I did it! We all know how staying consistent with a particular task is hard right??? I will tell you how.

We often feel unmotivated because we haven’t generated momentum. You are not lazy, you are just momentarily stuck in a loop and your brain likes to stay in the comfort of that loop.

Set a Low Baseline

Set a goal to do at least 5 minutes of that goal every day, like exercising, studying, reading, and cleaning. Just 5 minutes. Make it 2 minutes if 5 feels like too much and you will see progress.

By setting a low baseline, you make your goals more attainable and you generate momentum. Before you know it, 5 minutes turn into an hour of productive work. It’s not about motivation, it’s about momentum.

Discipline equals freedom” and “Discipline begins where motivation ends.”

Positive Affirmations

I have learned that I am my motivation. If you tell yourself you’re not motivated, you won’t be. But if you change the language in your head to be positive and instead say “I am super motivated!” Your options are endless. You are in charge of your thoughts. Choose wisely. Starting my affirmation session this month has been a game-changer. You should try it too, I wrote about it here.

Start small, slow, simple, and specific.

I have stuck to that for my workout routine and I am still consistent. Eventually, the thing you’ve been disciplining yourself to do will just become a part of who you are, and then you move on to the next thing. Get addicted to the process, not the results! Read that again.

Always delay gratification.

Things like buying a takeaway, ice cream, or gifts for yourself, should be a special treat that you reward yourself with after completing a difficult task that you’ve been dreading. Reserve your guilty pleasures after you’ve done a challenging task.

There’s no need to miss out on fun things. Just use them as rewards. Build a better brain by using that reward system that’s built-in. This will make you more motivated to do things in the future.

Start small and increase the difficulty of tasks over time.

Create to-do lists.

I like to make a thorough to-do list and keep it running as things come up during the day. I hate keeping things in my head without writing them down. Makes me feel unorganized. I always check the task I am done with and proceed to the next one. It wasn’t easy at first, but now it’s a part of me.

Have a routine and stick with it!

I know it can be hard and sometimes we get tired and lazy but once you get into a routine your brain won’t let you stop thinking about it until what you need to do is done. You have to make time for yourself to be organized

Thanks for reading!! Kindly share with your friends and let’s use this tips for 2024!!

Edited: Welcome to 2024!

Still here, don’t forget to leave claps. If you can, tip me too.

--

--

Mariam Seme
Mariam Seme

Written by Mariam Seme

I am PRO making choices. Do you. I write about what we all are doing "LIFE"