How to Strengthen Your Self-Discipline: Science-Backed Strategies for Real Results

Knowing that we’re self-disciplined and able to get things done even when we don’t “feel like it” can do wonders for our productivity and confidence.

And self-discipline can, in many ways, be compared to a muscle.

It gets stronger with exercise, weaker when neglected, and tired when we use it a lot in a relatively short period of time.

And just like with a muscle, there are ways that we can both strengthen our self-discipline over time - and get more out of it at its current strength.

Let’s start with the most obvious one.

How to strengthen self-discipline over time.

This one’s pretty obvious - we have to train.

Studies show that people who repeatedly use their self-discipline over time significantly improve their ability to follow through on tasks and commitments.

But what many people get wrong is that this doesn’t mean that we have to spend all day every day forcing ourselves to do things we don’t want to do.

Don’t get me wrong, at times, it’s both a good idea - and even necessary - to make these big, demanding efforts. But most of the time, consistently using self-discipline on smaller and less demanding tasks is the best idea.

By doing a few small things that we don’t “feel like” doing every day - things that only require a few minutes and a small amount of our energy - we start building momentum.

Over time, often just a few days, these small things become easier and easier until they require hardly any self-discipline at all. 

And when that happens, we simply choose new tasks that fit the “I don’t wanna - but isn’t too bad”-bill. 

And just like our comfort zone expands when we spend time in our growth zone, our self-discipline grows when we spend time in our “don’t wanna”-zone.

How to maximize your daily self-discipline.

Studies show that self-control is a finite resource.

To put it simply, the more self-control we have to use throughout the day, the less of it we’ll have left.

This can reduce both the quality of our decision-making and our willingness to make choices that we don’t want to make.

This is why it's important to be strategic about how you use your self-discipline on days when you know you’ll need it for something important.

Some studies show that even doing simple things like reducing the number of everyday decisions - what to wear, eat, watch, and listen to - can help. 

But the main takeaway from this data is this: whenever possible, we should minimize the number of willpower-intensive tasks we schedule for any given day.

This will maximize our self-control for when we really need it, making it much more likely that we’ll consistently handle those big, unwanted tasks - which, of course, is a fantastic way to improve our self-discipline over time.

How to activate your self-discipline in the moment.

“Ok, TJ,” you might say, “that’s all well and good for the coming weeks. But I need to get something done NOW.”

Well, you’re in luck, cause I have the perfect solution for that.

Don’t think, just start.

As the studies say, delaying task initiation leads to negative consequences when it comes to procrastination.

Or, to put it more simply, the more we pause and think about doing something we don’t feel like doing, the less likely we are to do it.

That thinking doesn’t just drain our mental energy and deplete our self-control. It also gives us lots of time and opportunity to come up with the excuses we need not to do the task at all.

To avoid this, we should practice doing one of two things whenever we face an unwanted task: take immediate action or delay thinking about it.

Take immediate action when the task can be done now.

If the task you’re facing is something you can start doing the moment you think of it - immediate action is usually your best option.

Don’t stop to think about the various steps, or how to do it, or anything else. 

Just start with the simplest first step you can think of. Then, let that step carry you into the next one. And the next one.

The less we think about whether, how, and why we should do something we don’t want to do, the less self-discipline it will take to actually do it. 

And once we build up momentum from taking those first, simple steps, it’ll usually become slightly easier and easier to just keep going.

So, you know you should go to the gym but don’t feel like it?

Don’t think about what to do there, why you should, when you should, and so on.

Just get up from your chair and put what you need into your gym bag.

Then put your shoes on and head to the gym.

Then, change and get started on your warm-up.

Then … You get the point, right?

Delay thinking about it when the task can’t be done immediately.

The same principles apply to tasks that you simply can’t or objectively shouldn’t start right now. 

The less time you spend thinking about it between now and when it’s time to start, the better.

So if a task comes to mind at an inopportune time, simply set a reminder on your phone, write it down, or whatever helps you remember to do it when the right time comes, then shift your focus onto other things.

When the time comes, follow the previous strategy and start with a simple first step, followed by a second, third, and fourth.

Two final tips:

One: Consistency matters more than intensity.

Doing small, manageable tasks regularly is far better than occasionally forcing yourself through massive challenges that leave you mentally exhausted.

This will let you strengthen your self-discipline a little every day and make using it a habit.

Two: We’re not shooting for perfection - only progress. 

Perfect, never-failing self-discipline simply does not exist.

So, when you are unable to exercise enough self-discipline, do not punish yourself for it.

Punishing yourself will only add more pressure the next time you face a similar unwanted task. Which, of course, means that you’ll need even more self-discipline to overcome that one.

And if that makes you fail next time, too, and you again punish yourself for it, you’ve created a negative feedback loop for yourself that will lead to lower self-discipline over time.

So while it’s important to be honest with yourself when you’ve not followed through on something you should have done, it’s equally important to forgive yourself. 

Remind yourself that your self-discipline will vary from day to day, but consistently using it will mean an overall improvement over time.

And as a final thought, remember that the goal isn't to eliminate the discomfort of doing things you don't want to do. 

The goal is to build the strength to do them anyway, regardless of how you feel about them in the moment.

The better you get at that, the less the discomfort of being disciplined will bother you.

Want to learn more about improving your confidence? Here's a free link to my Confidence Course on LinkedIn.

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Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11380487/?t
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-effectiveness-of-self-management-training-to-of-Umam-Sa%E2%80%99adah/8e7d1c981d55c8ab8fa09e04d8fad231983a2ed8
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ACADEMIC-PROCRASTINATION-IN-STUDENTS-AND-HOW-TO-IT-Sastri/9f45a64fed00b0d3a8edf37d796fb51e7360cf58
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Effect-of-Self-Control-Resource-on-Risk-Yan/0322030a2989c6544234aaca2415027f7d5e896e
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1268614/full?utm_source=chatgpt.com