The Secrets to Mastering Self-Discipline in 25 Minutes

Whenever someone decides to adopt a lifestyle of self-discipline, a common mistake they ask themselves is, “Can I really master self-discipline?”

Before thinking your next thoughts, shove them out of the window and say to yourself:

“Yes! Yes I can because I’m freaking awesome!”

As much as others assume that I’m a guru of self-discipline, I actually feel like it’s quite the opposite sometimes. I occasionally deal with long periods of time being stuck on YouTube, I spend the morning browsing my Facebook, and I take random walks throughout my neighborhood. (Don’t worry, I don’t stalk people...at least not yet.)

But despite those random activities, there are a few tricks I usually use that break me out of any bad habit and send me back on track. Such as any muscle of the body, self-discipline is a skill that can be controlled within 25 minutes once you consciously embrace it.

Each section is broken into 5 minutes intervals, so when you have the free time, think about each section at a given timeframe. You can spend the entire 25 minutes in one sitting or spread it throughout the day. If you have a busy schedule (Such as fighting crime and saving people), incorporate those time intervals while you’re on the toilet, in the shower, and driving to work. Whenever you’re alone, use it to your advantage.

To master self-discipline within 25 minutes, the first thing you’re going to have to do is:

1. Spend 5 Minutes Ignoring the myth that you need a High IQ to be successful

Self-Discipline is consciously taking control of your emotional state and taking charge of the stirring wheel. It’s why it surpasses the importance of having a high IQ as many people assume. Since you were a child, a major necessity you probably heard was that you needed a good grade in school in order to be successful. You were taught that if you neglected your grades, then you were bound to fail in life. (That was the motivational speech our school counselors gave us.)

But even though having good grades do provide you with great values, the greatest lesson you receive is incorporating a lifestyle of self-discipline. You train yourself to hold off your pleasures in exchange for working towards a larger goal. Whether it’s receiving a good grade on a test or finishing a major project, you learn to sacrifice your fun time in exchange for success.

There have been a variety of discussions shared throughout the decades about what the most important factor for anyone’s success. And though having a high IQ does make the path easier for you, it never guarantees the climb to success. It takes constantly pushing yourself past your comfort zone, learning something new, and most importantly having the will to continue moving towards your best interest.

Along the road to success, you will encounter problems whether it’s dealing with a low emotional state, relationship issues, or difficulties with your own personal life, everyone encounters some type of conflict.

People like to admire the intelligence of a child, but their world is turned upside down by the time they reach adulthood. They set themselves up for failure when they only rely on their intelligence to get them through life. But what good is intelligence when anyone lack the motivation to continue studying or improving themselves. (It’ll be like having a Lamborghini without bothering to put any gas into it.)

If you recall the story of the race between the Tortoise and the Hare (I mean who seriously never heard of it), then you’re familiar with how arrogant the Hare was when he was challenged by the Tortoise. It assumed just because he was faster that he was automatically guaranteed to win the race. But as most of you know, the Tortoise whop the Hare behind because he continued pushing himself despite what anyone else believed. (The story is Here in case anyone wants to reread that tale.)

The same rule applies to life. You will always be up against someone who is smarter and stronger than you. But that doesn’t mean anything. People who only rely on those traits make false assumptions that they don’t have to try as hard as other people. They make false assumptions that success will automatically come to them because they were continuously praised for having a high IQ as a child.

Sure, everyone does appreciate a person who is book smart and knows their facts. But if they continue believing they’re entitled to be successful because of it, they never break the barrier towards a greater path.

2. Spend 5 minutes Waterboarding any Negative Thoughts about success

A major problem that many people struggle with is holding onto negative beliefs they kept throughout their lives. They consider themselves worthless or not skilled enough to succeed in whatever they’re doing.

In a nutshell, willpower alone won’t take you that far because the moment you hear one troll comment, you’ll crumble to their negative words. Instead, be realistic towards the goal you want to achieve. If you set yourself towards a goal that’s impossible to achieve (such as trying to lose 50 pounds in a week), it’ll send your esteem downhill at your first negative encounter. However, if you set a goal that’s too easy, (such as aiming to burn 50 calories in a week) you’ll find it pointless to continue.

The goal is to create a balance between the two to prevent yourself from being discouraged to continue moving. Shut off the negative voices in your head and ignore what others say. Strangle every negative thought someone recently told you and shove them into the river.

Even while other people are sending you negative comments, continue practicing to get better. Aim for improving yourself better than the previous day. You can’t become master programmer within a single day, but you can become a genius programmer after practicing consecutively one week at a time.

3. Spend 5 minutes on accepting to embrace a Limited Mindscape

A problem that usually captures me whenever I struggle with achieving my goals is setting myself up for too many things at once. I wanted to write a book, build a website, create an app, exercise for the perfect body, and travel simultaneously. I had so many goals I wanted to accomplish so quickly that I eventually overwhelmed myself. (Not to mention I had a few scenarios where I wanted to slam my head against the stove.)

What helped overcome those thoughts was a piece of advice a woman shared with me. She said whenever she felt overwhelmed or stressed, she stopped whatever she was doing, took a light breath and told herself the thing she was currently doing.

For instance, suppose you had a list of chores you had to complete and felt overwhelmed. Instead of freaking out and running away from society, simply tell yourself, “I’m exercising right now. There’s nothing else I should be focusing on. All I’m concerned about is exercising and moving my body.” Don’t think about how you have to take out the trash, walk the dog, spend time with your partner, and clean the house. Save those thoughts for another time.

Another term for this is known as temporarily neglecting the rest of the world for a limited period of time. That way, you won’t distract yourself with your other tasks and lower your stress. This technique applies for whatever situation you get yourself wrapped into. (Whether you’re in college, at work, or becoming a superhero.)

Don’t give up because it seems like you’re forced to eat an entire turkey in one sitting. Just concentrate on one bite at a time and before you know it, that entire bird will be eaten and you’re ready for your next meal.

4. Spend 5 minutes becoming aware of Why You Want the Cake

One of the first people who motivated me to chase after my goals was Robert Greene book, The 48 Laws of Power. In it, he teaches you how to let go of your fears and touch the doors of motivation.

When it comes to motivation, it doesn’t come from wanting more money, receiving a greater social status, or other extrinsic motivators as we may assume. The only reason we conjure those delusional beliefs is because those are the qualities we see successful people with. We imagine that until we reach a certain income or status, happiness is unattainable.

There is a quote that Benjamin Franklin said that stuck out to me. It was:

“Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.”

Imagine the time you studied extra hard to pass an exam. At the time it was difficult and irritating to study daily. But once you passed that exam with a good grade, don’t you remember those proud feelings you received? Sure, the good grade was one of the ingredients for happiness. But the main recipe derived from witnessing the proof of consistently studying and sacrificing your short pleasures to achieve that goal.

The main idea is for you to focus on why you want to attain those goals. Back in school, you wanted a good grade to avoid failing your class or getting in trouble with your parents. But as you grow older, you can’t rely on those fears. (Unless you decide to remain in school forever.) You have concentrate on what you want out of life and why you’re willing to sacrifice your pleasures for it.

We easily set ourselves with random goals we want to achieve (such as playing an instrument, exercising, or eating healthier) but we rarely think about why we’re doing them. It normally happens because we want to impress someone, do it out of boredom, or because of social pressures. The only problem is that you eventually lose your emotional drive to continue pushing forward and give up.

Avoid the motivation to success by only aiming for more money because that can only take you so far up the happiness ladder. Money can never fulfill those pleasures. Instead, focus on what you had to overcome to reach a certain status in your life. Ignore the end rewards and take pleasure in how you acquired each ingredient to make your perfect cake.

5. Spend 5 minutes concentrating on how you’re going to develop a habit

When you want to achieve something and you’re already aware of what it’s going to take to get there, commit a time of day to do it regularly. Such as the famous quote goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a single day,” (Said by whoever) you have to invest your time into what you have faith in.

An effective technique is writing your goals into a journal and monitoring your progress daily or weekly. (Though it’s recommend to check weekly to avoid stressing yourself) That way, you’re making a solid commitment on paper and you’ll subconsciously be more willing to stick to it. (Think of it like marriage. Put a ring on it if it helps.)

Keep track of the things you do on paper rather than in your head. When you plan for the future, one of the best ways is sticking to an organization that manages your tasks. That way, when you begin to doubt your progress and want to give up, that journal (or whatever you use) will be the visual proof you need to see that you improved after a period of time.

Remember that everything you do counts. Whether you spend one minute a day on your goal or 1 hour, every moment you commit to anything adds up into someone greater. You may not receive any immediate results, but knowing that you’re constructing your dreams will push you further than those who only dream about them.

In final Thought…

Mastering your self-discipline is an art that people throughout the world struggle with. They give themselves excuses to why they shouldn’t attach themselves to their goals and settle for simple lives. But life is much more than that. It’s not about reaching a certain an income or receiving the maximum pleasures.

Life is about proving to yourself you are better than you were the day before. It’s about humbling yourself by ignoring those small pleasures in exchange for a greater reward. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with goofing around, having fun, and being random, but there has to be a balance set between work and pleasure. (Pretty sure there’s a quote for this somewhere.)

The next time you’re struggling with mastering your self-discipline, spend 25 minutes dwelling on each of these points. It doesn’t have to be within one sitting. Spend 5 minutes throughout different parts of the day to think about each point. Spend 5 minutes thinking about point 1 while taking a shower, spend the next 5 minutes while walking outside thinking about point 2, and so forth.