Daily Disciplines to Help You Towards Your Goals (30 day slay)

Hey everyone, my name’s Kayleigh! Welcome to day 6 of the 30 day slay, I hope you are learning lots and SLAYING your way through these challenges with us at modelme. 

The topic of day 6 is creating daily disciplines to help you towards your goals, now I’m super invested in this concept because I believe incorporating disciplines into your everyday routine can benefit you across several areas of your life, and propel you in the direction of achieving your goals. By definition, Self-discipline is the ability to focus intently on a task or goal with the purpose of achieving a certain result, and by repeating the action/s everyday forms daily disciplines. 

In April 2020, I decided to join an online transformation challenge + fitness community. I don’t want to call it a programme because that implies that there is a start and end date, whereas what they taught us reinforced a lifestyle change and a huge part of that was building self-disciplines in your daily schedule. Prior to this, I felt extremely lost because I didn’t prioritise myself or even really think about what I wanted to achieve, time was passing me by without me progressing and honestly, this realisation terrified me. It was like I was just on cruise-control in my life, with no fire, no motivation and no direction. After implementing some small daily disciplines into my routine, finding the windows of time to commit to them day after day, making action on the back of a tiny decision, gradually my goal I had set got closer and closer in sight. Although mine is fitness related, I believe that these principles can be applied to any goal you have, whether that’s career, financial or personal. Since April ‘20, my daily disciplines consist of a 30-45 minute walk, drinking 3L water, doing a workout, tracking my nutrition and either listening to a podcast, usually health and fitness related because that aligns with my goal, OR reading at least 10 pages of a book. It’s important to set disciplines that benefit, and sync, your body and mind. Although my disciplines helped with my goal of weight loss, I started to notice my mentality towards other areas of my life positively shift. Over the course of 9 months, I lost 2.5 stone, but my progress goes far beyond physical changes. By making choices every day that align with who I want to be, I feel stronger mentally, more capable and in control of my life. Inspired by Will Smith’s words, I remind myself that having discipline is not a punishment, it’s a source of power, enabling us to discover our capabilities. Self-discipline and self-love are one and the same, everyday I am choosing myself and making choices in my best interest.

 

 

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” Mike Murdock

Why are daily disciplines important and how can they benefit you? 

Well firstly, you’re not always going to feel motivated. When you set a goal your motivation is usually high, you feel GASSED UP right? But as I’m sure we’ve all learnt, we can’t rely on motivation because it’s fleeting, so it’s important to have discipline in place when your motivation is gone. It’s having the ability to do something when you don’t feel like it. “Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing” John C. Maxwell 

Secondly, like with any goal, you have to plan how you are going to get there, which James Clear refers to in the book Atomic Habits as your system. “Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results” James Clear. Setting yourself a goal is great to give you direction but in order to reach it, you need to focus on your system, which are your daily habits.

At surface level, daily disciplines give you structure and a personal checklist for your everyday, which helps you feel in control, accomplished and fulfilled knowing that you are doing something for yourself each day. However beyond this, building new habits that align with your goals and who you want to be in future does wonders for your mental health. You will start to develop a can-do mentality; repeating these small actions reinforces mind over matter as you embrace discomfort and resistance, building your mental state. With consistency, over time these actions start to accumulate and you gain momentum in the direction of your goals.

Daily disciplines are as simple (note I say simple, not easy!) as putting one foot in front of the other. Everyday you have the opportunity to choose whether you step one foot closer to your goals or further away, this is made up of lots of tiny decisions you are presented with throughout the day. You will be more inclined to make a decision that aligns with your goal if you are implementing daily disciplines as you have put yourself in the strongest frame of mind to make these choices, avoiding any negotiation in your head. Make habits that support your growth. As I realised, you become more disciplined in other areas of your life; work, family etc. Self-discipline exercises may not be directly related to your goal or your job, but they can support your efforts to maintain a disciplined mental state, which in turn, has compounding effects across several areas of your life.

 

To summarise, here are my top tips that I’ve learnt when building daily disciplines…

Unpick your WHY and write it down to remind yourself - why do you want this goal? Ask yourself why 3x to try to uncover the real reason. It’s important we have a strong understanding of our why if we are going to make a change. 

Focus on addressing the fundamentals first - sleep, hydration, nutrition, exercise. This is because these are your foundations which determine how you feel and function, your energy and ability to act upon your desires and obligations.

Start small - when setting a new discipline, make it super achievable, you will be more likely to do it! Don’t underestimate the power of small actions becoming habits...they will accumulate over time. “All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single tiny decision.” James Clear, from the book Atomic Habits 

Progress over perfection - it’s a journey of consistent efforts so don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t manage to do all of your daily disciplines, that’s not a reason to quit. Don’t think of it as falling off track because you haven’t...it’s just life! Get straight back to it the next day, no feelings of guilt or punishment.

Tackling impatience - you can do this by appreciating the journey. Although daily disciplines can get monotonous, there is joy in the present moment and acknowledging your achievements thus far. When you stop placing your happiness on the destination/ goal, you will start to enjoy the process. The journey is your life, so don’t wish it away! ‘To me someone with a true growth mindset is grounded in the present. They enjoy the habits, they work to understand the systems, they linger in the process as this is where they find fulfillment.’ Clare Kelly blog

Self narrative is important - your brain is going to default to generating excuses, you have to practice recognising when this happens and change the narrative in your mind. Which takes me to my next point…

Mind over matter - you are in control. It is your choices each day that will determine the outcome of your reality  “The difference between wanting and achieving is discipline.” Unknown

And my final tip is, check in with yourself at the end of each day, ask yourself, what disciplines did I do today? If I didn’t do everything I planned, why was that? Do I need to wake up earlier? Eliminate distractions? How can I do better tomorrow? 

 

TAKEAWAY

10 daily disciplines with compounding effects

Here are some self-discipline exercises (in no particular order!) that you can incorporate into your daily schedule. Everyone is different so choose which ones align most with your priorities, or feel free to set your own that are specific to your goals! 

MOVEMENT - Go on a daily walk outside for 30-45 minutes 

Walking outside can help give you mental clarity + improve your mood. When was the last time you gave yourself the space to go for a walk with no time limit or place to be?

HYDRATION - Drink 3 litres of water 

There are so many benefits to being hydrated; it is proven to boost brain function, productivity and mood, and it enables your body to function optimally. Have you ever noticed the correlation between the amount of water you drink and how focused you are? 

MOBILITY - Spend 10 minutes stretching when you wake up 

Stretching gets your blood flowing as it wakes up your body + mind in a soothing way, notice how indulgent it feels to have a good stretch!

MENTAL STIMULATION - Read min. 10 pages of a book of your choice 

Reading stimulates your brain in addition to being a tool for personal development, memory improvement + stress reduction. How many books have you started and not finished? 

FITNESS - Do a workout or some form of exercise beyond walking 

Fitness has so many health benefits beyond looks; cardiovascular endurance, physical strength, improved self esteem + energy levels. Even just 20 minutes a day will get the endorphins going! Why do you workout, is it out of love for your body or hatred? Is it to feel good?

 

MENTAL STIMULATION - Listen to a podcast episode of your choice 

 

Podcasts are a great form of learning + entertainment. Personally I listen to podcasts that align with my goals which motivates me and puts me in the frame of mind to stay on track. Find a podcast which you enjoy that supports your growth/ goal, the perfect companion for your daily walk! 

 

SLEEP HYGIENE - Put down technology 30 mins before sleep 

Work on your bedtime routine to improve your sleep quality, wind down via alternate methods such as reading, nighttime meditation, stretching or journaling. How many of us scroll on social media before bed, sacrificing valuable sleep time?

SLEEP HYGIENE - Wake up an hour earlier than you need to

Either you can get a head start on tackling your to-do list OR you can use that time for yourself, whatever it may be, before you have to give your time and energy to others. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Is it something for you or others?

PRODUCTIVITY - Minimise technology distractions throughout the day 

Set yourself a time limit on your phone for apps like social media. I personally set myself 1 hour a day max. on IG and it has improved my productivity levels + mood a ton! How much time do you spend procrastinating on your phone?

NUTRITION - Incorporate more wholefoods into your diet 

What you eat has a huge impact on how you feel so pay attention to this, think of food as an opportunity to nourish your body. How much of the food you eat is in its most natural form? 

Challenge

Now let’s talk about your CHALLENGE for today.

I’d like you to set yourself a specific actionable goal and write down the system of how you’re going to get there. What is going to help you get closer to your goals? 

Your ‘system’ should be broken down into small achievable + actionable tasks you can implement every day, think of 3-5 disciplines that will help you progress. 

Remember, if you can’t think of self-disciplines that relate directly to your goal, that’s OK! Instead, create disciplines that will help you grow into the best version of yourself, that will mould you into the person you want to be in future. You can embody the identity of your future self by creating daily disciplines today. 

E.g. 1

Personally I have a fat loss goal so my system consists of daily actions that I have made habits/ disciplines - so each day I know I need to workout, walk 45 mins, drink 3L water, stretch and track my macros (so I know I’m in a calorie deficit)

E.g. 2

Another goal of mine is to grow in personal development and confidence - so my system includes everyday read min. 10 pages of a book, listen to an episode of an educational podcast, journal, say 5 affirmations to myself when I wake up. 

If you’ve made it this far then PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK, please let me know how you get on with your challenge and start to implement these from tomorrow. If you have any questions or need help send @model_me or myself @kayleigh_curves a DM! 

To watch my intro video for this day go to...

Below are the resources I found when researching if you want further inspiration.

Resources

7 ways to develop daily discipline: https://www.success.com/7-ways-to-develop-daily-discipline/
Will Smith motivational speech on self discipline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft_DXwgUXB0

Forget big change, start with a tiny habit: BJ Fogg at TEDxFremont https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKUJxjn-R8&ab_channel=TEDxTalks (addressing behaviours that lead to outcome 7:38 - 8:40)(Fogg Behaviour Model 10:00 - 15:30)

Habits by definition / The Habit Loop (3:30-5:20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSZyzhi8C9o

The Power of Habit: Charles Duhigg at TEDxTeachersCollege https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMbsGBlpP30&ab_channel=TEDxTalks focus on willpower (The Habit Loop concept 4:00 - 5.46) (How to change a habit 14:16 - 15:52)

Blog: The importance of daily disciplines  https://carl-pullein.medium.com/the-importance-of-daily-disciplines-7f7dead7f6d1

Blog: Goals + Growth in the New Year by Claire Kelly

Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Book: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg