Peter Hollins has written several books about discipline. As we wrestle with our New Year’s resolutions, discipline is something we would do well to develop. Discipline lies in a battle between two parts of our brains. The newest parts of our brain are what differentiate humans from other animals. Our prefrontal cortex (PFC) allows us to influence our impulses. We’re more than reflexive animals. Our older brains are like other animals. Older parts of our brains influence our emotions and spur our instincts. The battle for self-discipline is fought using our PFC to control the older parts of our impulse and reflex driven brain.
Self-discipline or self-control is about our individual ability to control ourselves. It’s about being in charge of us. Self-discipline is about being able to override our instincts and impulses and making decisions in the moment that will benefit us in the future. Progress in any endeavor implies being able to take control of our impulses. Self-discipline is the hallmark of success in all areas of our lives. Self-discipline is about being able to delay gratification. It’s about choosing something harder right now that will serve us later. Self-discipline is shown when our actions in the moment represent some form of sacrifice that favors the future.
Immediate gratification is about chasing comforts and pleasure right now. It is our default state. Immediate gratification is personified in this quote from Homer Simpson, “That’s a problem for future Homer. Man, I don’t envy that guy.”
Prioritizing the present used to make sense when we lived in a resource scarce world. The uncertainty of tomorrow led to a focus on the now to afford ourselves the best chance at survival. Our PFCs allow us to insert thought prior to indulging impulses. Our PFCs allow us the ability to connect choices to consequences. If I do x right now, what will tomorrow look like?
Discipline or self-control is about being in control of your own life. It’s the most empowering way to express who you are. Only through developing discipline are we able to be free. Indulging in impulses makes us subservient to the forces around us.
Our willpower is a form of discipline and is like a muscle. It can be developed. It, too, can tire out. We only have so much willpower to exert. Once we’ve used it up, we need to rest and let it replenish before we can use it again. Hollins invites us to consider “When was the last time your willpower failed? What time of day was it, what was the context, and what made it so difficult to maintain discipline at that moment when you had maintained it at other times?”
We can preserve our willpower by developing a to-do list that highlights one to three key tasks. Attending to these tasks first ensures we make progress on what matters and reduces decision making in the moment. Limiting the decisions we face helps preserve our willpower.
Our brains are expensive in terms of the energy required to run them. The default is to try to think less to reduce the energy burn. Hollins details several mental shortcuts we take which can pose problems impact our willpower and discipline.
Hollins writes of The Status Quo bias where we favor how things are. The Status Quo favors what we know. It guards against change. This bias may keep us in circumstances that aren’t in our best interests.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy is in play where we continue down a path based on a past investment of energy (time or money, for example). We continue because of what has been invested not because the path is positive. This, too, can pose problems.
A third brain bias is loss aversion. We fear pain more than we prize pleasure. We’re more likely to retreat from risk than we are to adventure towards a potential positive. Loss aversion may protect us from taking wild risks, but it can cost us opportunity for advancement.
The fourth brain bias that Hollins offers is The Mere Exposure effect. Mere Exposure is where we favor the familiar. We have comfort for what we know. Ordering the same meal at the same restaurant is an example of favoring the familiar. No surprises, no disappointment is the mantra of those embracing the Mere Exposure effect. What’s familiar, too, may not be what’s in our best interests.
The final brain bias presented is the Dunning-Kruger effect. This effect is shown in amateurs having an inflated view of their abilities. They don’t know what they don’t know but think they know plenty. These amateurs are infected with hubris not humility. It can lead to bad decision making.
We need to be aware of how these biases may pull us away from making intentional choices. These cerebral short-cuts are ways we turn off our conscious thinking to preserve energy. It leaves our impulses in charge instead. Self-discipline involves developing awareness about where we are making choices and seeking to do so consciously. We need to develop our metacognition which is our ability to think about our thinking. Self-discipline involves inserting time to allow for considered choices to be made. We want to use discipline to stay in charge of our choices.
There are people who display self-discipline. They can be studied to see what behaviors are worth copying. Hollins notes that Jason Van Camp has observed seven characteristics of those that display solid self-discipline:
- They treat their bodies well. Self-discipline as a form of self-respect. Moreover, caring about our bodies puts us in a position to make better choices. By caring for our bodies we’re building willpower.
- They stay away from temptation.
- They break things down.
- They proactively plan (and embrace routines).
- They are accountable.
- They have priorities. When driven by a direction, discipline becomes the decider of the question does it serve.
- They have a clear vision.
Those evidencing self-discipline are purposeful and intentional in their actions. They know where they want to go and seek to give themselves a chance to get there.
Discipline is enhanced when we control our energy. We have four forms of energy we can access: Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual. Each of these can be drained and renewed. Those with self-discipline consciously craft their energy sources and seek to restrict choice making to periods where their energy levels are highest.
Those with direction have taken the time to think about where they want to go. They are drivers in their own lives. Moreover, their directions follow or are aligned with personal values. Taking time to develop a value framework is helpful to developing discipline. Hollins writes, “Self-discipline, then, is about the effort you spend to find your true north and keep pointing toward it.” Do you know your values? Discipline is about making choices consistent with your values. Discipline is about prioritizing you over your impulses. It’s about giving you the most freedom to determine who you are and where you go.
Hollins offers four tactics to try to enhance discipline when tackling tasks:
- 40% Rule. When feeling fatigue (mental or physical) remind yourself that it’s just information like the fuel gauge in your car. Your feelings are suggesting, yes, some effort has been exerted. No, you can’t go forever, but you’ve got lots left in the tank. Remind yourself that your dashboard lights go off when you’ve used 40% of your capacity. You still have at least 1.5x as much energy available to forge forward.
- 10X Rule. Aspire higher. Aim for 10x what you think you’re capable of and be willing to try 10x as hard in your efforts. You can do so much more than you think. Even if you don’t achieve 10x performance, this mindset is likely to spur you to work harder and try more things ending up in greater progress.
- 10-minute Rule. Break down tasks into ten-minute blocks. You can do anything for ten minutes. Defining tasks in clear, short ways helps you get going. Additionally, achieving progress in ten-minute increments helps you see progress and provides motivation to continue.
- Using breathing as an opportunity to calm your physiological response and insert a pause to ponder your next move. Try the four corners breath: inhale, hold, exhale, hold, each for five seconds. One breath equals twenty seconds. Repeat for two minutes or six breaths.
Hollins introduces several “self-discipline traps” which can derail our discipline. These traps steer us into our default of avoiding effort and indulging distractions.
Parkinsons law involves tasks taking the time available for them. Deadlines drive what’s delivered. The further out the deadline, the less work done at the outset. We defer until the deadline lights a fire under us and puts us to work. Deadlines demand delivery. Deadlines delete dithering. Deadlines destroy distraction. Deadlines deliver discipline. No, life’s not an emergency, but you should seek to emerge with a sense of urgency. Use tighter deadlines to drive action.
Lack of focus fuels fiddling. When we don’t know what our exact responsibility is, we flounder. Discipline is less needed when driving to a clear objective.
Procrastination is putting things off. Procrastination is indulging distractions. Procrastination flows from a lack of confidence in our ability to accomplish something. It can follow from uncertainty as to what the destination is. Procrastination is prioritizing pleasure over purpose. Procrastination is a choice to put things off. It’s the opposite of discipline.
Too many of us put off acting because of not feeling motivated. Believing that motivation is something that arrives puts is in a passive position of “waiting” according to Hollins. Those with discipline drive their own efforts. They have agency and believe their actions matter.
Hollins invites us to consider the 70 percent rule as a “procrastination buster.” 70% Rule. Don’t wait for conditions to be perfect. Be willing to act when you feel like you have a 70% chance of succeeding. You’ll learn lots more from acting than waiting on the sidelines hoping for perfect conditions to materialize. Begin. Act. Do. Get going when you have just enough information or 70 percent.
Discipline is a tool we use to help us get comfortable with discomfort. Growth or improvement is inherently uncomfortable. This, though, is where we want to be. Our goal is to reframe the discomfort from something to avoid to something to be welcomed. It, discomfort, is a sign that we’re on the right track. We need to expose ourselves to it so that we can learn to tolerate more and more.
Hollins shares a quote from St. Augustine who observed, “Man has as many masters as he has vices.” That is, our vices or indulgences control us. Our vices become vices locking us in place limiting our freedom. Our goal is to become a denizen of discipline and defeat distractions. Temptations and distractions aren’t something to fear, they’re something to face. Exposure and management of temptations and distractions are how we develop discipline.
Hollins argues that our mindsets matter. Those that display discipline believe in themselves. They accept responsibility and act on their lives. Those without discipline are passive and blame their circumstances, environment, and others. Our mindsets create circumstances of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hollins offers several examples of beliefs that either help us become disciplined or keep us from trying. Those with a growth mindset believe that things can be learned. They can improve with effort. Those with a fixed mindset believe they either have a skill or don’t. Effort isn’t worth much as it won’t change anything. Those with a growth mindset will try things and believe in their ability to develop discipline whereas those with a fixed mindset won’t put out the effort.
Discipline flows from those that know where they’re trying to go. Clarity precedes mastery. So, too, does responsibility. Those that display discipline believe in themselves and have a destination. They choose actions consistent with their direction. Their identity, thoughts, and actions are aligned. The disciplined accept work is involved. They also recognize that it’s not a one and done game. Discipline is required every day forever. Success takes what it takes and that’s ok. Those with discipline are in charge of their lives.
