Discipline is the theme of the month here at DASHA®. Of all the skills you need to meet any goal you set for yourself, discipline is the most important. Yet life is complicated, busy and full of distractions. In our technology-saturated world that blurs the lines between work time and down time, we wonder just how to cultivate better self-discipline, that willpower to do what is right and what needs to be done, that elusive trait of which Theodore Roosevelt said, “With self-discipline most anything is possible.” By adapting these four traits below, you can improve your self-discipline significantly and take greater strides toward realizing your dreams.
BUDGETING TIME: Sometimes tasks, particularly unpleasant ones or ones we have been procrastinating on, take up only the amount of time we allow them. This means that report you have to write for work could take you 8 hours, or it could take you the 5 hours you’ve budgeted to devote to it. If you only have 5 hours and not 8 hours, your work will be more efficient and focused.
By the same token, you may have multiple things you are working on. Sometimes it helps to step away from a task and come back to it later with fresh eyes. So, say you have a report for work, a memo to draft, and emails to send? Don’t spend one day on only one thing. Break it up and make a dent in each of those projects, deciding how much time to devote to each task before taking a break, starting another task, and then maybe returning to the other one again. This will prevent your brain from getting tired, overtaxed or uninspired.
DO THE HARDEST THING FIRST: It’s easy to push off the harder thing that requires more brain power or physical energy until later, but later doesn’t always come. And when later doesn’t come, it’s hard to enjoy any leisure time with that unfinished project hanging over your head. So do the hardest thing first, when your brain is freshest, in the morning. Save the more passive activities, like returning emails or folding laundry, for later in the day.
MIX IT UP: In the HIT (Hi-Intensity) workouts DASHA® personal trainers design for some of their clients, they are exerting high bursts of energy moving from exercise to exercise, stimulating different muscle groups – they don’t stay on one activity and only one activity the entire time every time they workout. Just as a HIT workout can maximize your workout time and give you the most and best results for your efforts, so, too, can mixing up your focus at work. Set a timer and spend 25 or 30-minute sessions working, followed by 5-minute breaks (for water, the bathroom, making a doctor’s appointment, stretching, etc) in two or three sessions back to back, followed by longer sessions. Switch your concentration to different tasks within these time periods. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can accomplish in that time you budgeted and how much more energy you have in moving through your to do list.
MOVE, EVERY DAY: Taking care of your body not only feels good, but also enhances your self-discipline. Getting your blood pumping and oxygen flowing are immensely beneficial to your brain and productivity.
Self-discipline is the key to success. People we admire have mastered the art of self-discipline. You have to be able to get stuff done in order to be successful and in following these four principles, you can!
DASHA® is a luxury lifestyle brand and New York City-based wellness center created to offer a truly holistic approach to wellness. To learn more, visit dashawellness.com.
