If you’re having a project or an exam you will find that on certain days it will be very easy for you to study, while on other days you just don’t want to do it. You just hate it, every single second (speaking out of experience). Same applies of course also on certain times of the year, certain times in your life or for that matter also for certain times of the day. So what I’m trying to say is:

If you want to achieve certain goals motivation will not be enough. And why is that?

Because motivation is something that is highly fluctuating

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You cannot rely on motivation if you want to be successful and get things done!

So what’s the difference to self-discipline? Well self-discipline provides you with a certain amount of constancy in your work and progress, which you will need in order to finish your projects. Self-discipline will be crucial for you especially in times of failure and demotivating moments.

So how do I achieve self-discipline?

Your goals need to be

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Make your goals specific. But not right away! First they have to be general. This has to do with the “Relevant” part. Let’s say you’re making yourself the goal to get a good grade in the next exam. You first need to ask yourself WHY do I want that good grade? Is it in order to get at one point in your life a well-paid job? Or is it because you want to have the freedom in choosing which job-offer you take? Or is it because you want to see that proud smile of your mother’s face when you tell her about it? The more you ask why, the more instilled will this goal be in you and the more consistent will you be which will be especially important in times of setbacks. After you made it as general as you were able to you then go the other direction (i.e. being more and more specific) in terms of actions. Let’s say I want that proud smile of my mother how do I achieve this? By bringing home that good grade. How do I achieve this? By studying more. How much do I need to study for the next exam? I need to memorize chapter 3, 4 and 5. How much time will this take me? 40 hours. So in order to get that smile I need to study every day 4 hours for the next twelve days (day 6 and 7 will be weekend). WHEN will I study? From Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM up until 10:35 AM (including breaks). So that’s as specific as it can gets and for that matter also should.

Additional tips:

Give yourself some breaks!
- Make after every 10 Minutes a 1 Minute break
- Make after every 30 Minutes a 5 Minute break
- Make after every hour a 15 Minute break
- Take two days in the week off! Rather work every day a little more than working 7 days a week!
Don’t work overtime! If the time is up for the day you’re finished!
Write down the time you worked. For every day, week and in total! (This will keep you motivated!)
Imagine yourself doing the task not the goal
Work early in the morning!

I hope you could take some benefits out of this article. If so I highly appreciate it if you like the post, resteem it and follow me @sharing-thoughts. I’m planning on posting in the near future more posts of this sort. If you have any suggestion for certain topics feel free to let me know in the comments. Also if you’d like more insight in self-discipline and further tips let me know as well. Furthermore I would like to know your opinion on self-discipline and what experiences you made regarding it.

Image sources: 1, 2

P.s.: I tried to keep this article as short and practical as I could. If some of you are interested in the reasons behind all of these advices let me know and I'll go into more detail.