The Ultimate Guide to Self Discipline
Five Practical Strategies to geting more Sh*t Done!
Want to know the secret to actually getting shit done?
Self-discipline.
Not motivation.
Not inspiration.
Not waiting until you “feel like it.”
Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do things even when you don’t want to do them.
Once you master this, it becomes a superpower because you stop being a slave to your emotions and moods.
You just get the things that need doing...
done.
Today, I’m giving you five ways to build self-discipline that actually work.
No motivational fluff.
No “believe in yourself” bollocks.
Just practical strategies you can use starting today.
Let’s go...
#1 - One Chapter A Day
Success is breaking big goals into small chunks and committing to them daily.
People always ask me: “Jay, can you send me your top 20 books?”
I send them the list and here’s what happens...
You get that list.
You’re buzzing.
You buy 5 books.
You smash through 3 or 4 while the motivation’s still high.
Then life happens.
Work gets busy.
The books gather dust.
By the end of the year?
Maybe you’ve finished 2 more if you’re lucky.
The problem isn’t the books...
It’s your strategy.
Here’s what actually works...
Get ONE book.
Read ONE chapter per day.
That’s it.
One chapter takes 15-20 minutes to read properly.
Most self-development books have 11-12 chapters.
Do the math...
One chapter per day = one book every two weeks
That’s 2 books per month
That’s 24 books per year
All from just reading one chapter a day.
Now apply this chunking method to everything else...
7 pull-ups per day = 2,555 per year (178,850kg through your back if you’re 70kg)
2,000 extra steps per day = 730,000 steps per year (32,850 calories burned)
Small things done consistently turn into big things over time.
Stop trying to be a hero.
Start being consistent.
#2 - Challenge and Commit (Or Stop Winging It)
Back in 2018, I wanted to get into cold therapy and sea swimming.
Two problems...
I didn’t like the cold.
Swimming in the sea in winter? That sounded mental.
So I created a challenge and made a commitment.
A cold shower every single day in March.
Day 1 was brutal.
So was Day 2.
And 3.
And 10.
And 12.
If I hadn’t committed to the challenge, I would’ve quit in the first week.
Then Day 14 happened.
The water didn’t feel as cold.
I actually enjoyed the minute under the shower.
Day 15 was easier.
Day 16, I went to a swimming pool and a bloke stopped me before the showers:
“You don’t want to use those - they’re freezing cold!”
I smiled and walked straight in.
He looked at me like I was mad.
Had I not been 16 days into my challenge, I would’ve listened to him.
When you commit to doing hard things, you handle what life throws at you better.
It takes a few weeks to see the benefit from what you’re doing.
Only THEN can you become truly consistent with it.
“Commitment is doing the thing you said you would do, long after the mood in which you said it has passed.” - Les Brown
What to do…
If there’s something difficult you want to get into, challenge yourself for 30 days and commit to doing it every single day, regardless of how you feel.
Not when you’re motivated.
Every. Single. Day.
#3 - Become Accountable
I have a cold plunge in my garden set to 4 degrees.
I jump in at 6am pretty much every day.
Even after three years of cold therapy, some days are still hard.
The voice in my head, especially when there’s frost outside says...
“No one will know if you don’t go in.”
“Why don’t you skip it today?”
On those difficult days, I get my phone out and press live on Instagram.
Why?
Because I know 100% that if I press that button, I’m getting in that cold plunge.
We find it easy to let ourselves down.
We convince ourselves it’s not essential, or we should skip today.
But we find it MUCH harder to let others down.
Accountability is the difference between saying you’ll do something and actually doing it.
“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result.” - Bob Proctor
What to do…
If there’s something you want to achieve that you’re struggling with, ask yourself...
How can I become more accountable for getting it done?
Tell someone.
Post about it.
Make it public.
Remove the option to quit quietly.
#4 - Dial In the Distractions
When I’m doing something difficult that requires full attention, I’m easily distracted.
The easiest distraction?
Social media.
If I’m not careful, I’ll happily waste 20-30 minutes scrolling through my phone before I realise I’m procrastinating.
Here’s something that’ll blow your mind...
Your brain receives 11 million bits of information per second from your senses, but can only consciously process 60 bits.
The rest is processed unconsciously.
Translation: We’re terrible at multitasking.
If you want to get more done, you need to increase focus and decrease distractions.
Here’s how:
Find your quiet time. Early morning or late at night when the world shuts up.
Turn off notifications. Switch off your phone. Set a timer for 25-45 minutes.
Listen to focus music. Search “binaural beats” on YouTube.
Reward yourself afterwards. A coffee. A 5-minute stretch outside. Even a timed 5-minute Instagram scroll if you must.
When you dial in the distractions and create a positive process for getting things done, it becomes much easier.
“Life is a hailstorm of distractions. It’s not the monster that stops us but the mosquito.” - Robert Allen
Stop pretending you can multitask.
You can’t. Nobody can.
Focus on one thing at a time or accept that you’ll do everything poorly.
#5 - Eat a Frog Every Morning
“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” - Mark Twain
Self-discipline is making yourself do things even when you don’t want to do them.
You can build this muscle by starting your day with something difficult,
By “eating a live frog.”
Here’s the thing...
When you wake up and choose to do the most difficult thing at the start of your day, everything else becomes easier.
You’re training your self-discipline muscle.
It’s getting stronger.
For me, my frog is the cold plunge.
It’s the hardest thing to get done each day.
Once it’s done, my day becomes easier.
You don’t need a cold plunge to train self-discipline.
Start small.
Work your way up.
Here’s a 30-day progression...
Difficulty Easy: Get up 30 minutes earlier. Stretch for 15 minutes. Read one chapter.
Difficulty Medium: Get up 45 minutes earlier. Go for a run or gym session.
Difficulty Hard: Get up 45 minutes earlier. Start with a 1-minute cold shower. Do all the above.
(Note: If you’re getting up earlier, go to bed earlier. You still need at least 7 hours of sleep.)
Do something difficult first thing every morning.
Build the discipline muscle when it’s weakest, right after you wake up.
That’s where the real strength comes from.
Self-discipline isn’t a personality trait you’re either born with or not.
It’s a skill you build through consistent practice.
Stop...
Waiting until you “feel motivated”
Taking on too much at once
Making commitments only to yourself
Letting distractions run the show
Avoiding hard things until later
Start...
Read one chapter per day (small, consistent wins)
Challenge yourself for 30 days and commit
Make yourself accountable to others
Remove distractions completely during focus time
Eat your frog first thing every morning
Your discipline muscle is like any other muscle.
It gets stronger with use and atrophies with neglect.
Now get off your arse and go do something difficult.