People with a lot of self-discipline realize that willpower should only be used as a last resort.
This is surprising to a lot of people because many of us believe that disciplined people have more willpower.
But willpower should never be a primary strategy for accomplishing difficult things. It should only be used as a backup plan.
“When scientists analyze people who appear to have tremendous self-control, it turns out those individuals aren’t all that different from those who are struggling. Instead, “disciplined” people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control. In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations.”
Self-disciplined people know that there are much better strategies for staying committed to their tasks and goals.
For example, self-disciplined people design their environment to be more conducive to completing a goal.
If they have to study hard for an exam, instead of trying to focus at home where they’re countless distractions around them, they go to the library, leave their phone at home and find a space without distractions to study.
Rather than using your willpower to resist temptations, why not remove them in the first place?
If you really want to be more disciplined, ask yourself:
How can I achieve my goal by using the most limited amount of willpower possible?