What are the most basic elements to self-discipline and high levels of focus?

Ownership

To make self-discipline a lifestyle, you have to hold yourself accountable for your decisions and actions. One of my biggest roles models, former Navy Seal and author Jocko Willink, points out three concepts that are closely connected:

Discipline = freedom = ownership.

How does this work?

Being disciplined will free you from limitations you have imposed on yourself.

Freedom will allow you to grow as a human being and learn new things about yourself (and what you’re capable of) every single day.

Ownership means you take personal accountability for your life: you decide what you need to do, you take action towards your goals, and you don’t blame others for what hasn’t worked in your past.

Clear focus

Leading a self-discipline life starts as soon as you start the day — in the morning. That’s the time when you set the tone to the next 12–16 hours of your life. You can choose to be reactive, which can mean you wake up, get your phone, and start checking emails, Twitter, or Instagram. Or, you can learn to train your brain to be focused as soon as you wake up.

How does this work?

Start your day with this question: “What is the one thing I am committed to completing today?” Put it in writing. Write it in large letters on a sheet of paper and hang it on your bedroom or bathroom wall. Read it out loud as you start your day, for example as you’re brushing your teeth. Come up with an answer on the spot and answer it out loud. Then follow up by taking action — focus your energy throughout the day to completing your one thing.

Prioritized deep work

Timing — just like in most other aspects of your life — is everything. Being self-disciplined means you do your hard work first before you do anything for pleasure. It means you are aware of which times of day should be devoted to doing hard work, and which times can be allotted to entertainment and socializing.

How does this work?

Make the most of your mornings by building a habit of doing hard work early. For most people, early morning is optimal time for doing deep work — work that requires a lot of concentration. Specifically, the brain’s peak performance is 2-4 hours after we wake up. So if you wake up at 6, then your peak times are up until 10 a.m. Maximize your mornings by setting your alarm to wake you up a bit earlier for the next few weeks, so you can have extra time to complete your most complex cognitive tasks.

Delayed gratification

If doing hard work early helps you focus better, the natural side effect of self-discipline is postponing things that are more pleasurable. What’s the purpose of doing something difficult first in order to reward yourself later? In a study performed by Stanford University scientists called the Marshmallow experiment, results showed that delayed gratification can increase your chance at succeeding in many areas of your life — your education, career, short and long term goals, and your personal life choices.

How does this work?

Start by observing the things you’d like to indulge in whenever the opportunity presents itself. Then, resist the temptation to immediately choose to treat yourself by thinking of one reason why not to indulge: maybe you’re starting off the new year with new fitness goals or better eating habits. And follow up — take your attention away from the distractions and focus on your priorities for the day: completing your homework, going out for a run, listening to a podcast, or preparing dinner.

Saying no to distractions.

Leading a self-disciplined life means learning to say no to many different things: giving in to temptations to indulge in pleasant activities, curbing your desire to procrastinate on daily priorities, and not letting distractions take over your day. When you turn off what distracts you, you have a better chance to actually get stuff done.

How does this work?

Set your phone to Airplane mode when you need to focus on your work — try it for a 2-hour period to begin. Let people around you (family members, friends, or roommates) know you won't be available in the next few hours. Check your email and social media apps at certain intervals only 2–3 times a day. Avoid browsing the Internet or reading news throughout the day, and close all tabs in your browser so you’re not tempted to Google something every few minutes.

Taking advantage of obstacles

How often have you told yourself something like, If only I didn’t run out of time I could’ve finished that term paper? When you’re trying to rationalize your decisions and actions, you’re blaming the obstacles for not letting you achieve your short or long-term goals. To put it differently, you’re giving them top priority and more importance than anything you can do or change with your behavior. Shouldn’t obstacles serve a different purpose in our life? Instead of using them as an excuse to avoid or quit something, we can use them to our advantage.

How does this work?

In his book Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, Jocko has a power tip for dealing with obstacles. He suggests that when you reach an obstacle, instead of saying, Oh no! you should embrace it and say, Good! If you’ve failed at an exam, good! Now you’ll have more time to prep and organize your study days more effectively. If you’re trying to multitask and fail at everything, good! Now you’ll have time to regroup, take a break, and prioritize what is most important so you don’t have to do things halfway. If you didn’t get that job offer you were waiting for, good! Now you’ll be able to revamp your resume and apply for jobs that are an even better fit for your skill set.

Making a commitment to yourself

Commitments aren’t just promises you make to other people. You should make them first to yourself. A great way to make a commitment is to identify a specific goal you want to achieve in a certain time frame. Write it down in your journal or on a large sheet of paper and hang it on your bedroom wall so you see it each day.

How does this work?

Your promise to yourself should involve metrics of some sort — number of minutes, days, or total tasks that need to be completed. For example: I am committed to working out for 30 minutes each morning before I get ready for work so I can build up my physical strength. I am committed to finishing all 5 tasks on my to-do list for today before I turn on the TV or Netflix. I am committed to focusing on my studies in the next 30 days so I can pass all three of my exams with top marks.

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