Understanding Discipline Based on More Than Just Motivation
The purpose of this article is to offer simple strategies, which can be used every day, to develop and strengthen discipline. Each section of this article identifies specific and easy-to-use strategies, in order to help you understand how consistency works and how to achieve it over time without relying upon ongoing motivation.
Forcing yourself to act can often be misconstrued as the essence of discipline; in actuality, discipline is about creating a situation where you no longer have to continually make decisions. James Clear reminds us that highly disciplined individuals are more dependent upon structured systems than isolated periods of motivation.
Motivation vs System-Based Discipline
With this shift to a structured system, your success in maintaining consistency will become more predictable as a result. Motivation is a temporary emotional state influenced by your level of energy, emotional state and the external world around you, whereas discipline is developed through a system of continued repetition and structured systems.
One of the primary reasons professionals in organizations such as Microsoft engage in established routines is due to already existing established systems making completion of an objective easier rather than because of motivation.
Motivation oscillates from day to day and depending solely on motivation creates inconsistency over time. Those who depend on motivation oftentimes will not complete a previously scheduled task due to low energy or simply lack of motivation and therefore miss out on the successes achieved; as they interrupted their momentum.
Motivation is also limited because motivation focuses on how someone is feeling, whereas; a focus on systems is more effective.
The Impact of Small Daily Habits
Consistency is rarely found through large-scale transformations. Consistency is typically achieved through small repeated actions over time. Research conducted at Stanford University suggests that small habitual behaviours are relatively easy to continue due to requiring less energy and resistance to the habit and are therefore easier to sustain over the long term.
Routine and Time Management
- Have set times each day for starting and ending your day
- Have designated time slots for priority tasks
- Take short breaks often to improve concentration and energy
Managing Distractions Effectively
- Switch off non-urgent alerts during work hours
- Assign blocks of time for single-minded work accomplishment
- Create a tidy and organized environment for working that is void of distractions
- Limit your social media use to certain times of the day
Developing Accountability into Your Daily System of Organization
When discipline has some form of accountability built into its organization that discipline will be more likely to be followed on a consistent basis. Organizations like W.H.O. (World Health Organization) and Google are frequently using systems of accountability, which provide specific structures to help ensure that each employee continues to have a high performance level in his/her positions.
Having a clear-cut structure for accountability is a way for each individual to contribute to the success of an entire organization. Many individuals who work in organized settings demonstrate more overall consistency because there are set-in-place guidelines and expectations.
Utilization of External Accountability Systems
External accountability is accomplished through the use of an outside individual with whom you share your goals and progress. This interaction can occur within a peer group, through the establishment of a workplace, or by some structured method of documenting and reporting your progress towards achieving your goal.
Typically, when there is an individual to observe the accountability process, that individual tends to have a greater sense of commitment because they find it easier to meet the expectations of what others expect of them when they are aware of being observed.
Methods for Creating Accountability
- Create explicit deadlines for tasks
Designing an Environment That Supports Discipline
The presence of an environment that is supportive of consistent action will alleviate resistance and promote productivity. Companies such as Apple design offices in order to provide distraction-free environments and enhance the ability to be focused.
This principle applies on a personal level as well; when your environment provides support to your daily habits, it is a lot easier to consistently execute upon those daily habits without expending a significant amount of energy. Consistency is improved when your environment provides a mechanism for making decisions unnecessary.
Using Environmental Triggers
Examples of environmental triggers are visual reminders, scheduled notifications, or designated workspaces. By using these cues effectively, you are able to guide others toward specific actions without having to exert any conscious effort.
Another benefit of using cues to trigger certain behaviors is that they can be trained to create automatic responses. Over time, you become so accustomed to responding to these triggers that your responses become an automatic response taking place in your day-to-day life.
How to Monitor and Measure Performance While Keeping it Simple
Tracking your progress is important to ensure you have enough momentum to continue to make progress to a goal. Organizations such as Microsoft and Notion Labs have developed easy-to-use tracking systems that give people visibility in order to positively impact your progress.
Common Tracking Mistakes
- Using a tracking system that is overly detailed or complicated
- Attempting to track too many different variables at once
- Not updating the tracking system because you don’t have enough time
- Devoting more time tracking than doing the work that needs to be done
Maintaining Consistency During Low Energy Phases
Research conducted from the American Psychological Association has shown that our emotional state and level of energy has a direct impact on our productivity. Creating systems that continue to function at their best even when one has little energy is important.
The key to building systems that support our need for self-control is to no longer rely solely on motivation to complete the activity. Instead through building the disciplines necessary to continue progressing regardless of how an individual is feeling progress will be made continuously without relying on emotional fluctuations.
Ways to Keep Progressing Consistently
- Work on completing a smaller version of a larger task
- Maintain a minimum daily standard
- Do not ever skip a routine
- Keep your expectations realistic and achievable while working through low-energy phases
Combining Discipline and Flexibility
Although the discipline associated with rigid routines can lead to consistent results over time long-term consistency is also reliant on being able to adapt as new situations arise. Companies like Amazon and Netflix have created structures that allow them to be highly disciplined and at the same time allow themselves to be highly flexible.
A flexible approach allows people to modify their daily routine while still keeping the general framework of their habit intact. This flexibility will help to make discipline more sustainable particularly in rapidly changing environments.
Maintaining Structure While Having Some Flexibility
- Instead of skipping tasks adjust your task length
- When schedules change try to use a different time slot for completing the task
- Keep the majority of your core habitual behaviours consistent
- Have an established plan for when your routine or schedule exceeds your capacity
The work done by organisations like Harvard University and the American Psychological Association indicate that developing your consistency through repeatable acts requires some sort of structured approach. Sustainable consistency will continue to develop when there are reasonable and adaptable systems.