Did you ever notice that nobody ever talks about how to cultivate disciplne? If it wee as easy as "just go do it" than everyone would.
The latest analogy of discipline is of a muscle. Do more and it gets bigger, right? Not exactly. While true in some aspect, it leads to bad choices on later decisions you make, at least in creative work.
Three ways to improve discipline:
1. Develop a mindful meditation practice. It will produce more awareness, which in my experience helps me get started and work through to the edge of where I am making bad decisions, and recognize if I'm bored or actually tired and adjust accordingly. You will know if it helps you within a few weeks.
2. Develop a choice minimal lifestyle. Arbitrary choices seemingly come from the same pool as discipline. Where possible, turn choices into a habit. "I start at 9 because I start at 9' not because I choose to start at 9." It seems odd but it works.
3. Closely related, excersise will increase your mental endurance, which is as good as discipline in many cases. Diet also increased it -- while a quick glycogen hit can help for 15 minutes, I have found great benefit to dropping sugar and simple carbohydrates out of my diet while working. It's worth seeing if it works for you.
Meditation has been the best practice to cultivate discipline for me. Where it reveals itself is when you start down a road of procrastination, a conversation with yourself to avoid doing something, you can just stop that internal chatter and get back to what you should be doing. "Just doing it" is the product of that meditative mind.
Traditionally, discipline was often "improved" by a third party.
Sometimes I'm really grateful for my Dad who insisted chores were done and done properly, I was out of bed on time, and that homework was done to spec. I resented it at the time, and I guess I still do in a way, but I've never had a problem getting work done, and probably have him to thank for that.
Now, if he had just taught me to be a better negotiator and womanizer....
I will roundly reject your 3 steps to discipline, as they are wishy-washy and completely irrelevant to actually creating self discipline.
Here's a few steps that might help someone who isn't trying to be a massive poseur.
1. Be really really hard on yourself. Tell yourself constantly that you are not good enough, and you MUST do better, in fact it's pathetic how little you have accomplished.
2. Work, work, work, work, work... think you have time for fun? Think again smart girl|boy, now, WORK HARDER.
3. Develop a sense of humor about the horrible pain you are putting yourself through. That way, you'll be able to pile some more on, while telling yourself to wipe that stupid grin of your face.
Also eat well, otherwise you may get sick or fat or die... all of those things would be pathetic, beat yourself up some more.
Alternatively, join the army.
Of course, you can side step all this pain and suffering and just get on with it! Now get back to work!
(I hope my parent commenter understands this is firmly tongue in cheek, but I'll point that out anyway.)
(PS. of course, much truth is spoke in jest.)
(for a real response, see Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.)
I'm not saying that Covey doesn't have good points, but they are better fit to the manager schedule, not the maker schedule.
What I am saying is that that "just do it" method of discipline building is rather useless for creative work. I have seen my fair share of people who have failed with this advice.
The latest analogy of discipline is of a muscle. Do more and it gets bigger, right? Not exactly. While true in some aspect, it leads to bad choices on later decisions you make, at least in creative work.
Three ways to improve discipline:
1. Develop a mindful meditation practice. It will produce more awareness, which in my experience helps me get started and work through to the edge of where I am making bad decisions, and recognize if I'm bored or actually tired and adjust accordingly. You will know if it helps you within a few weeks.
2. Develop a choice minimal lifestyle. Arbitrary choices seemingly come from the same pool as discipline. Where possible, turn choices into a habit. "I start at 9 because I start at 9' not because I choose to start at 9." It seems odd but it works.
3. Closely related, excersise will increase your mental endurance, which is as good as discipline in many cases. Diet also increased it -- while a quick glycogen hit can help for 15 minutes, I have found great benefit to dropping sugar and simple carbohydrates out of my diet while working. It's worth seeing if it works for you.