Ways To Develop Your Self-Discipline

You know that there is a direct link between self-discipline and your ability to focus and remain focused on tasks that you need to complete. Self-discipline will ensure that you keep your emotions in check and that you take consistent action. Here are some proven ways that you can develop your self-discipline:

 

Get Started with the Countdown Method

 

If you are struggling with getting started on a task then you can kick your focus into gear by using the countdown method. Here you will countdown from 10 and then make an immediate start on the task when you reach “1”. 

 

The reason that the countdown method works so well is because it creates a shift in your mental state as you are counting down. This in turn changes your motivation levels and you will be ready to start as soon as you reach the number 1.

 

Write your Goal Down and make it Visible

 

When you have decided on your challenging goal you need to write it down and make copies of it so that you will be able to see it everywhere that you go throughout the day. Place a copy of your goal in your kitchen on the refrigerator, in your bathroom, next to your computer, in your office and so on.

Find and refer to Self-Discipline Quotes

 

With an online search it will be easy for you to find inspirational self-discipline quotes that will motivate you. You need to print these out and place them next to your goal. Every time that you see these quotes you will be inspired to carry on and complete all of your tasks.

 

Remind yourself why you Started

 

By setting a challenging goal for yourself you are going to experience some bad times. Things are not going to work out as you planned them at times and you need to get over this and keep going. Remind yourself why you set your goal for inspiration to carry on.

 

Just set a Single Goal to Start with

 

When you are just starting out with self-discipline, we recommend that you only set one challenging goal for yourself. It can be tempting to set more than one goal, but this is likely to cause you problems as you do not have the necessary self-discipline to achieve all of them. You can quickly become overwhelmed when you are trying to achieve more than one goal.

 

Be a Prioritization Master

 

If you look at your daily task list, there are going to be some tasks that are much more important for you to complete than others. You need to review your tasks each day and decide which ones are the most important. When you can prioritize your tasks effectively you can avoid the threat of procrastination.

 

Identify and Overcome your Weaknesses

 

People that have a high level of self-discipline have identified their weaknesses and taken the appropriate action to overcome them. This will not be easy for you to do but you must do it if you want to develop your self-discipline.

 

Set Up some Accountability

 

If you keep your challenging goal to yourself then you are not accountable to anyone for achieving it or not. There will be nobody there to motivate you when you need a boost to complete your tasks. Find a suitable person and share your goal with them so that they can be your point of accountability.

 

Understanding The Science Of Focus

Please don’t worry – we are not going to use a lot of medical jargon in this article. But we do believe that it is important for you to know how focus works in your brain. So, we will explain the different processes that take place in the simplest terms for you.

 

When you Focus you Increase Neurotransmitters

 

When you focus there are a lot of things happening in your brain. You will create a lot more neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine and norepinephrine. These will change your state and put your memory on alert.

 

The neurotransmitters that you produce while focusing are similar to those that you will produce if you are in a state of “fight or flight”. This is a good thing as they will make you feel a lot more alert and engaged with what you are doing. Your memory will be on alert and you should be able to remember more things.

 

It’s all going on in your Prefrontal Cortex

 

A number of neurotransmitters will form in the prefrontal cortex area of your brain when you focus. This is essential as it is the area of your brain which has access to such things as deep thought, planning, remembering things and other higher cognitive functions. These areas are collectively known as your “attention network”.

 

The attention network is very important and as you focus you change the brain waves there. Focusing hard on something produces beta waves in your prefrontal cortex. Determining what is important for you to focus on is the job of the “salience network”. This area of your brain includes the anterior cingulate cortex or ACC.

 

Salience Network

 

Your salience network is responsible for determining what is really important for you to focus on. When the salience network makes this decision, it will direct the attention network to increase your level of focus for this particular thing.

 

One of the great things about the salience network is that it has a strong connection to your motivation. This in turn will help you to keep focusing on a task as your motivation levels increase. There have been a number of experiments with animals where the salience network was removed. The result was that the animals gave up very easily even when hunting for food.

 

As soon as your salience network decides what you need to focus on it will release a flood of dopamine and norepinephrine and this will excite your limbic system and reach the hippocampus area of your brain. The result of this is that you will commit more of what you are experiencing to your long-term memory.

 

Your Attention can be Directed by Internal or External Factors

 

There have been a number of scientific studies that have proven that both internal and external factors can direct your attention. When you make a decision to focus on something important, this is called a “top down” attention direction. This is activated in the dorsal area of your brain.

 

It is also possible to direct your attention through an external factor such as a loud noise or some other distraction in your environment. This results in a switch in your attention through reflex process. Your ventral network will then direct your attention using a “bottom up” process. 

 

The Importance Of Self-Discipline For Increasing Your Focus

When you have identified what you really want in your life and have set a challenging goal around it you are going to feel “fired up” and have a real sense of ambition. This is great as it will provide you with the motivation that you need to get started with your new goal.

 

The problem is that this ambition can fade easily if you let it. People that are successful have a high level of focus but they also have something else which you may not have at this stage – a high level of self-discipline.

 

A lot of people that create a new goal fail to achieve it. They are not confident that they have the necessary self-discipline to do everything that is necessary to achieve their goal. As a result of this they will tend to give up the moment they face an obstacle that they have never tackled before. 

 

Why Self-Discipline is so Important

 

The reason that most people do not have the required amount of self-discipline to achieve goals is because it is hard to develop it. There are ways that you can do this but it will take a lot of consistent effort on your part.

 

When you have a high degree of self-discipline you will be able to control your actions, feelings and emotions on a consistent basis. This will ensure that you can complete all of the necessary tasks you need to achieve your goal.

 

With a high level of self-discipline, you will be able to stick to your plans no matter what happens. You will be able to rise above any distractions and overcome any challenges that you encounter with your tasks.

 

Being a master of self-discipline will also help you to maintain your motivation for achieving your goal and you will remain focused for as long as it takes to complete your tasks. You will have strong will power and will be in total control of your actions and your impulses.

 

Will power is your ability to stay focused on something by using your powers of self-discipline. You will take consistent action in the pursuit of your goal. The combination of will power and self-discipline will keep you focused on the tasks that you need to complete.

 

What are the Benefits of Self-Discipline?

 

The truth is that there are a number of benefits to self-discipline. One of the major benefits is the reduction of anxiety and stress as you will be in no doubt that you can control your actions and your emotions. People that are unable to do this are far more likely to suffer from high stress levels.

 

When you are a master of self-discipline, you will be much more likely to achieve any challenging goal that you set yourself. You will be able to prevent self-induced distractions and have the will power to overcome any setback that you experience. It is likely that you will achieve your goals faster than you had planned as well.

 

People that have a high level of self-discipline tend to be happier in life. They know that they can use the power of their self-discipline to accomplish anything and make the necessary changes which will result in a better life.

 

Another great benefit of self-discipline is an increase in your resilience. With this new found resilience you will be able to replace bad habits with empowering ones so that there will be no stopping you when it comes to achieving your goals.

 

What Is Focus And Why Should You Care?

When you are able to focus at will on anything that you want you will have the power to transform your life and get anything that you want. You need a good level of focus to achieve anything worthwhile in your life.

 

Having the ability to focus on something for as long as you need will improve your productivity considerably. You will be able to get far more done than you could before. Being able to focus on the important things will enable you to accomplish anything that you want.

 

Focus Defined

 

In simple terms, focus is a thinking skill which enables you to get started with any task without any procrastination. With a good level of focus, you will be able to concentrate fully on a task until you have completed it.

 

Once you develop a high level of focus it will be a lot easier for you to pay attention to a task in spite of distractions and any setbacks that you may encounter. You will have the energy required to focus and re-focus as necessary and ensure that the task gets done.

 

Every Time you Think you Focus

 

It is not possible to think about something without focusing on it. Focus is required to provide perception, make decisions, solve problems, recall things from your memory and more. If you cannot focus then you will not be able to do any of these things.

 

Of course, we all have some power of focus, but many people have a wandering mind which causes them problems. You need to increase your focus to overcome your wandering mind so that you can be more productive and achieve more each day.

 

Attention comes in Three States

 

There are three different attention states that you can be in when you are trying to focus on something. These are:

 

1.    Selective attention

2.    Divided attention

3.    Sustained attention

 

Each of these has a part to play with your focus. It is usually not necessary for you to focus too much when you are driving a car for example. This is especially true if you have been driving for some time. You use divided attention here as you can drive almost on autopilot.

 

As people age it is possible for their divided attention to diminish. By using proven methods to increase your focus you can prevent this from happening. Divided attention is important to have as it enables you to process several different sources of information at the same time.

 

Selective attention is where you can shut everything else out to concentrate on one thing. The ideal state to master is sustained attention which will enable you to concentrate on something for a long period of time.

 

When it comes to sustained attention, your brain will use a process called “sensitivity enhancement”. This will ensure that all sensory information is intensified such as sounds and lights to make sure that you can process things in the correct way.

 

Efficient Selection

 

Your brain is amazing and it will use the efficient selection process to filter information that you receive and determine if it is important or not. If the efficient selection process deems something to be important then this gets moved up your priority list. The same process will suppress interruptions and distractions and move these to the bottom of your priority list.

 

The Reasons For A Lack Of Focus

If you are suffering from a lack of focus then there can be several different reasons for this. In this article, we will look at some of the major reasons why people experience a lack of focus when they are trying to get something done.

 

The Task is not Interesting

 

If you are not interested in a task that you need to complete then you are going to struggle to focus on it and get started. Even when you do get started, it will be hard for you to maintain your focus because you have no interest in what you are doing.

 

Anyone that has a daily task list is likely to have things on the list that they are really interested in and some that they have very little interest in. All of these tasks need to be completed so you need to find a way around being focused for the uninteresting tasks.

 

When a task has no interest for you then it is very easy to hesitate starting it and you may even procrastinate and put it off altogether. You will feel stuck at this point because you know that you have to complete the task but you are not interested in it. Your desire to complete all of your tasks is likely to be the only inspiration for you to focus on the uninteresting tasks.

 

A Wandering Mind

 

A number of people have a wandering mind. They begin to focus on something that they need to complete and then they experience other thoughts that are not related to the task in hand. This results in them losing their focus on the task and they have to work hard to regain their focus again.

 

Having a wandering mind can go back as far as childhood. Some children are told by teachers that they have a wandering mind. This may not mean much when you are a child but it can hold you back when you are an adult. Fortunately, you can increase your focus and minimize your wandering mind.

 

Procrastination

 

If you have a procrastination habit then you are going to find it difficult to focus to get started on a task. Procrastination is really the enemy of focus. All of us procrastinate now and again and it is not really possible never to procrastinate.

 

But if you have a chronic procrastination problem and are always putting things off, this is definitely going to affect your ability to focus. You can overcome your procrastination using a number of different methods.

 

Distractions can Break Focus

 

You can lose focus at any time if you experience certain distractions. Something like a loud noise or a set of flashing lights can generate neural activity in your brain which will result in you losing your current focus and paying all of your attention to these things.

 

Sometimes it is a good thing that a distraction can cause you to lose focus. Maybe you are driving and there is an accident up ahead. You do not want to crash your car so the flashing lights warn you.

 

Self-Induced Distractions

 

Another classic reason for a lack of focus is self-induced distractions. These are distractions that come from within such as a negative thought that is so powerful it breaks your focus. If you are overwhelmed by a self-induced distraction then it can be extremely difficult to regain your focus again. 

 

Digital Marketing Lifestyle Resource Sheet

Want to be a digital marketer and lead the lifestyle that you’ve always dreamed of? Then you need to change the way you approach it. It’s time to stop thinking about making money fast and instead, time to think about having fun making money. And also enjoying the money when you have it.

 

There are several resources that can help you to achieve that, so to continue your education, seek out these books!

 

The E-Myth Revisited

Book

 

The problem with many entrepreneurs is that they start their businesses with a completely false notion of what life will be like once they do. They set out thinking they will live the ‘American Dream’ and start making lots of money from a single idea.

Reality doesn’t quite work that way. And if you really want to be successful, then you need to realize this going in. This book will help you to understand rules that apply to any small business.

 

The Four Hour Workweek

Book

 

This book by Tim Ferriss is one of the absolute classics when it comes to working online and managing your work-life balance. This is one of the books I recommend to anyone starting out online and it’s an incredible wake-up call for many who have ended up stuck in jobs they don’t love. It’s about lifestyle design: about working to live and not living to work. It also contains tons of practical tips.

 

The Personal MBA

Book

 

This book by Josh Kaufman aims to teach an entire MBA course in a single volume. Okay, so that’s a pretty ambitious concept but the end result is undoubtedly impressive and it’s something that everyone should take a look at.

 

How to Save An Hour Every Day

Book

 

This book was written with a single goal: to help entrepreneurs and other folk to save more time. Saving time is crucial for a digital marketer as it will give you more time to work toward your goals and more time to enjoy outside of work.

 

Smart Passive Income

https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

 

Smart Passive Income is a website from Pat Flynn that tells people how to make businesses that will be self-sustaining and provide passive income. Pat is a very friendly and likeable guy and the site provides real-world tips and candid insights into his own business. Highly recommended.

 

Headspace

App

 

If you’re someone who struggles with stress and managing your work/life balance, then getting an app like Headspace is highly recommended. This is a meditation app that will teach you the basics of mindfulness and help you to find moments of calm and to practice mental discipline. It’s game changing.

 

Warrior Forum

www.warriorforum.com

 

This is a forum for digital marketers to discuss their business. It’s a great place to find business partners, writing and web design services and more. What’s more is that it’s a great place to just chat with likeminded individuals and make genuine connections.

 

Nomadlist

https://nomadlist.com/chat/all_channels

For those that work on the move Nomad List is a fantastic place to meet people and find business partners. 

 

How to Create a Home Office That Will Promote Health While You Work at the Computer

It's not exactly news that office jobs aren't good for us. This is something we've known now for a long time and more and more evidence is only supporting this view. Perhaps most damning are the recent studies on the negative effects of sitting at work. These show us that sitting for long stretches at a desk can take years off our life, and undo all the good work we've put in at the gym. 

 

The problem is that most people don't have much choice – they work in an office to make a living and as such they don't get to make the rules regarding how long they're sitting. 

 

That's where creating a home office makes all the difference. If you're fortunate enough to be able to work from home at least some or all of the time, then you can make the rules yourself. Here are some of the things you can do to design that office to promote better health. 

 

Standing Desk 

 

One of the first things you can use to improve your health when you're working in the office is to invest in a standing desk. Now you're not going to want to use this all the time, as it's hard to concentrate and get real work done when you're standing up. Nevertheless, for short bursts while you check e-mails etc., standing up could be a very useful way to feel healthier and even to burn some calories. 

 

Multiple Seats 

 

One of the things that makes working in an office so bad is simply how long we're remaining in the same position for. The position isn't great, but staying in any pose for this duration would be bad for you. 

 

So a solution to this issue is to work on a laptop or a 'hybrid slate' computer, and to then have multiple seats around the office that you can move to. 

 

One of these seats could be a 'kneeling chair'. These encourage you to take up a somewhat kneeling position, which while still not perfect will at least straighten out your back allowing you to breathe more naturally and reducing the shortness of your hip flexors (which is one of the things that contributes to lower back pain). 

 

The Desk 

 

Of course, your regular desk should also be at the right height for these chairs – make sure that your head is able to stay upright and still see the monitor well. 

 

Make it Light 

 

Natural light is highly important for promoting health. Not only does natural light naturally improve our mood and stimulate the production of vitamin D, but our body uses it in order to gauge its sleep-wake cycle. The more natural light in your office then, the better you are going to sleep come bed time. 

 

Natural Décor 

 

Something else that helps you to naturally reduce stress is to keep a natural looking décor. Having plants in a room has been shown to help reduce our heart rates for instance, while using stone flooring, fountains and other more natural items can all have a similar effect. 

 

The Technology 

 

You should also aim to avoid letting the tech itself negatively affect your health. For instance, using software that reduces the brightness and wavelength of your monitor can help you to avoid messing up your internal body clock. Likewise, you should look into software that encourages you to take regular breaks from your computer. 

 

Regular Breaks 

 

Oh, and take regular breaks. This is crucial not just for your eyes, but also just to keep you moving. Don't work more than an hour without getting up, walking around and looking at something other than the monitor for a while.

 

How to Look and Feel Like a Highly Successful Digital Entrepreneur

There are many reasons that you may have been attracted to the idea of working online. For many, the allure of being completely free to work when and how they please will be enough. For others, it comes down to the feeling of satisfaction that comes from financial independence.

 

But for some, it’s the allure of being highly successful. For some, it’s the appeal of being successful, accomplished, powerful and wealthy – of being able to live that hedonistic lifestyle of travel, partying and womanizing/manizing (?).

 

In other words, some of us just want to be highly successful in the traditional sense and to get the feeling of reward and power that comes from that success. Internet marketing makes this possible because it gives us a way to earn money that isn’t ‘limited’ by conventional career trajectories.

 

You have the prestige that comes from being an entrepreneur, and you have the theoretical ability to learn limitless money. You just need a good idea, a little business savvy and the dedication to put in the work. Do all that and you can quickly become highly successful.

 

You can rub shoulders with bankers, lawyers and other highly successful individuals, enjoying tailored suits and lavish parties – all without putting in the time at the bottom of the heap.

 

The Problem

 

But there’s a problem and that is the fact that many of us don’t know how to live this lifestyle. Many of us want that successful lifestyle but we miss the vital steps. Many of us end up simply working our behinds off at home, not remembering to brush our hair or do our teeth, and then looking completely dishevelled whenever we do leave the house.

 

Working alone is not highly conducive to presenting ourselves will and what many people don’t appreciate is that running a business is a lot of hard work. Without a boss to motivate you, you can end up falling behind quickly. And then you end up making up for it in the evenings, or by diving straight into work without getting ready for the day first. This is especially true if you are so driven by being ‘successful’ or wealthy. Kind of ironic!

 

The Solution

 

The solution is actually to make sure you leave space in your day for looking after yourself and investing in your look. We all know the saying: dress for the job you want. This is just as true when you work for yourself because dressing well will make you feel more successful and effective. 

 

But knowing that and actually acting on it are two very different things. If you want to spend time on yourself, then you need to ensure you give yourself that time – and more importantly that you give yourself that energy. That means clocking off at a set time and dedicating some hours in the day to getting dressed and ready.

 

Develop a morning routine. This will make it easier to ensure you get dressed and ready the same time every day and will ensure you start your day with the right enthusiasm, mood and footing.

 

How Working Online Will Change You

Lots of articles have been written about the kind of person who becomes a blogger or an SEO, and the ways that you can make yourself better at blogging or running a website. What is less often discussed however, is how working online can actually change who you are as a person and influence your personal development. There are many ways that this can happen and a number of common effects that blogging can have on your personality and your attitudes. Read on to meet the person you might become... 

 

How Jobs Impact On Us 

 

I used to proudly claim that I hadn't changed, because I became a blogger and never bowed down to the man. I have no colleagues as a blogger meaning that there was no one for me to become ‘more alike’, but this in itself can have an effect on you. And likewise, working from home and earning passive income has probably had some impact on me too. Blogging/optimizing changes you just like any other job, only it changes you differently. Once I was self-aware enough to recognize this, I set about finding out what had changed about me. Here's what I came up with... 

 

Care Free 

 

I would say that compared to my other friends, I am more carefree and less restricted. While my friends have to work 9-5 jobs and get very stressed if they stay out too late one night, I can remain flexible and free to work when I choose and where I choose. If I'm honest, this has also led me to somewhat resent those people who aren't free to hang out because they have work the next day. I guess it's fair to say that I've become somewhat detached from the 'real world' and regular routine. 

 

Opinionated 

 

Writing online regularly has also made me somewhat opinionated. Sure, I'm opinionated in my views on employment (and self-employment), but I've also become very used to expressing myself a lot online and sharing my opinion. This undoubtedly crosses over into my daily life, as I tend to wax lyrical about pretty much any subject that I get the opportunity to talk about. 

 

Independence and Confidence

 

You also get a lot of confidence from working online. Once you’ve made money yourself – completely yourself – you realize you’re capable of anything. This helps you to feel more successful and generally means you get used to ‘being the boss’.

 

And with that comes increased independence too. You don’t rely on anyone, and you have countless projects to pass the time when you are alone.

 

An Unusual View of Money 

 

In some ways, being an online entrepreneur has made me stricter with my money. The money I've earned has been entirely down to my own effort and is a reflection of my success, so I feel more personally affronted when I spend it. On the other hand, though, I also think of money now very much in terms of overheads and profits. Spending a little money on a friend is just another 'overhead' and I can earn it back by working a little extra hard for a while. 

 

These are just some of the ways you change when you become a blogger or a digital marketer. Of course, the precise changes partly depend on who you are to begin with. Either way, expect to grow and change and to get more from the experience than you necessarily bargain for…