{"id":100491,"date":"2023-04-28T11:37:30","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T15:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=100491"},"modified":"2023-05-03T11:33:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T15:33:14","slug":"how-to-build-self-discipline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-build-self-discipline\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build Self-Discipline: 4 Strategies From Ryan Holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you build self-discipline<\/a> in a way that sticks? Why do you need to have a purpose<\/a> to have control?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Discipline Is Destiny<\/em>, Ryan Holiday discusses why identifying your purpose<\/a> is essential to practicing discipline. He also says that you can fulfill your purpose<\/a> by being disciplined, while also facing any hardships you encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn how to build self-discipline so you can be successful in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Strategy #1: Identify Your Purpose<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Holiday argues that to learn how to build self-discipline, you must first identify your purpose<\/a>. <\/strong>Discipline requires that you work consistently toward a purpose and avoid temptations that distract you from that purpose. This is impossible if you don\u2019t know what your purpose is. Holiday describes purpose as work that is inherently<\/em> enjoyable and not something you do in pursuit of external rewards. Truly loving your work<\/a> is what will allow you to keep doing it despite the many challenges you may face\u2014because while doing the work<\/a> is hard, not<\/em> doing this work is unimaginable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Holiday\u2019s definition of purpose has similarities to the Japanese concept of ikigai<\/em>. In their book Ikigai<\/em><\/a>, authors H\u00e9ctor Garc\u00eda and Francesc Miralles explain that ikigai is a person\u2019s reason for existing or life purpose<\/a>. Your ikigai keeps you going in life, and you pursue it throughout your whole life<\/a>\u2014not just when you\u2019re getting paid for it\u2014despite any setbacks you may face. However, unlike Holiday\u2019s idea of purpose, you can have more than one ikigai. To find yours, ask yourself what activities you enjoy so much that they make you forget about everything else<\/a>, including your worries and the passage of time. The answer to this question points toward your ikigai.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategy #2: Set the Stage\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you identify your purpose, you must set the stage<\/strong> to tackle it by preparing your body and environment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday asserts that taking care of your body<\/a><\/strong> ensures you\u2019re healthy enough to pursue your purpose<\/strong>. So eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and rest adequately. Eating well supports your health and lets you practice resisting temptation<\/a>. Exercising regularly and pushing through physical challenges fortifies your ability to push through mental challenges. Getting enough rest provides your body with a chance to restore itself; working excessively to the point of ignoring your body\u2019s needs is not<\/em> discipline and will likely backfire eventually. And sleeping well improves your ability to make hard decisions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In High Performance Habits<\/em><\/a>, Brendon Burchard agrees that maintaining your health is essential to pursuing your purpose<\/a>. But while Holiday speaks of maintaining your health in general<\/em>, Burchard argues that different habits support different areas of health\u2014physical, mental, and emotional\u2014and thus provide different benefits. Eating well, exercising regularly, and getting adequate rest improve your physical<\/em> health<\/a> and as such give you energy and mental clarity, and release brain chemicals that help with emotional management. Good mental<\/em> health<\/a> enables you to pace yourself, which helps you stay on-task, while good emotional<\/em> health helps you relate to others and effectively handle stress.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday also recommends that you straighten up<\/strong> your workspace and your appearance<\/strong>\u2014both of which also<\/em> set the stage for you to tackle your purpose. He argues that organizing your workspace frees up the mental energy<\/a> you need to focus on your purpose<\/a> and reduces the feeling of overwhelm by the massive amounts of information you encounter in your daily life\u2014whether in emails or physical clutter. (Shortform note: Having an organized workspace may not improve your ability to work if your problem is not that you\u2019re overwhelmed or tired but that you can\u2019t be creative. Some studies suggest that being in a messy environment improves creativity<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, straightening up your appearance puts you in a better mindset to work than being unkempt. Moreover, your appearance affects how positively others<\/em> perceive you and whether they want to work with you. While excessively focusing on fashion is undesirable, dressing well may allow you to connect with people who are essential to your work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Scientists agree that your clothing affects your self-perception<\/a>, which changes how you work\u2014a theory known as \u201cenclothed cognition.\u201d Notably, it\u2019s not just what you wear, but how you perceive<\/em> what you wear that affects how you see yourself<\/a> and how you work. In the 2012 study that introduced the term enclothed cognition, students were recruited to wear white lab coats. The students who were told that these were \u201cmedical doctor\u2019s coats\u201d were more able to sustain their attention than those who were told that they were \u201cartistic painter\u2019s coats.\u201d This indicates that it was the value the students assigned<\/em> to the lab coats\u2014not the lab coats themselves\u2014that affected the students\u2019 focus.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategy #3: Fulfill Your Purpose<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Practicing discipline doesn\u2019t just help you identify your purpose and prepare you to tackle it; it also helps you fulfill<\/em> that purpose by leading you to prioritize your purpose and behave appropriately when you\u2019re working toward it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday explains that when you\u2019re disciplined, you prioritize your purpose <\/strong>by regularly refusing potential opportunities that would divert your attention from what matters most. Set clear limits regarding what you\u2019re willing to do and with whom you\u2019re willing to speak, and avoid people who try to cross those limits. But don\u2019t try to do it all yourself: Willingly accept or pay for any help that buys you time to reflect on whether<\/em> you\u2019re doing what\u2019s most important and to actually do<\/em> that work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritizing your purpose also requires that you design<\/strong> your schedule around your purpose.<\/strong> Wake up early so that you can focus on the most important work. Doing what matters first<\/em> not only ensures that you\u2019re not distracted by others\u2019 demands (since they\u2019ll still be asleep), it also ensures that you actually do<\/em> the thing you want to do instead of procrastinating\u2014and potentially never getting around to doing it. Once you set this schedule, stick to it every<\/em> day\u2014even on the days when it\u2019s difficult to do so. Most people struggle to remain consistent. So if you can master consistency, you\u2019ll steadily improve\u2014and ultimately, grow more than those who don\u2019t do it every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategy #4: Deal With Hard Times<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you go through life, you\u2019ll inevitably encounter hardship. However, Holiday asserts that practicing discipline can help you deal with three types of hardship: pain, negativity, and failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n