We are all busy in our life, and sometimes, we forget to take care of ourselves in the long run of life. The twenty-four hours present in a day is not enough for us to take care of our heath. Sometimes we wish we had all the good habits such as saving a part of our hard-earned money, making sure of going out for a morning walk every day, or eating healthy five days a week.
Though every year we resolve following these every day; by mid of January, we get deviated from this and keep on leading the unhealthy life we had been living for long. For getting these good habits etched in your brain, we need to manipulate the brain so that it achieves the goal without even thinking about it.
Procrastinating is never a solution, and if you wish to change your life or develop self-discipline. You need to start working on it right now. However, I know it's easier said than done. You do not have to move away from your city or country if you are planning to have a fresh start and begin all over new.
You do not have to turn your lifestyle upside down right away to get a change in your life. Start slow with small steps.
Instilling small habits in your daily routine would be the best way to start in the path of a happy better life. For example, you could start with a rule of a 5-minute gratitude journal here; at the end of the day, you will write just one thing you are grateful for today.
This will not take more than five minutes of your day, but you will see a massive outcome of this habit in your near future. Incorporating good habits and self-discipline is a long process that takes many years, but instilling small habits into your routine will help you adopt and maintain these changes for a lifetime.
They could be as small as drinking water in the morning or adding fruits to your breakfast. These small habits are enough to keep a balance in the mind, body, and psyche of an individual and help you lead a better-disciplined life.
We all love movies where all you need is a makeover to get your life changed overnight. However, the real world is slightly different from just getting your hair straightened or putting on a pair of contact lenses to change your life.
Away from all the high-school drama and heart-breaking, right now, we need to focus on how to make ourselves better. This requires us to be healthier and kinder to our body and soul. Big changes such as changing countries or changing your best-friend or even changing your closet will not bring a change in your life.
Instead, small habits that take not more than 10mintues a day will be enough to bring a change in your life and hence bring your life on the track you want it to be.
Here are ten small changes or habits you need to incorporate into your daily routine to lead a well-disciplined lifestyle -
1. Organize your to-do list based on your weekly goal and give yourself deadlines to complete each goal –
Our mind works best when it is given a deadline. Before the beginning of a week, just sit down, clear your mind, and write down every goal you need to achieve in the coming week.
For example, completing a presentation or walking 10000 steps daily. This way, you will have a clear idea about what you need to complete in the week, and you will not get deviated.
If you provide yourself deadlines, your brain will also have this urge to complete it within the stipulated time, if not early. This way, you can even manipulate your brain to function even if you don't feel like doing the work.
2. Think long term –
You do not have to plan out every day because that might lower your efficiency in the coming days. The best way to develop self-discipline is by changing your mindset from wondering about your today or tomorrow, i.e., in a short period, and think more towards a long-term mindset, i.e., things at least five years from now.
Once you shift your focus from your present self to your future self, you will gradually find more and wider options available for you, and you will get a direction in your life.
Thus try looking at yourself from the specs of the older you and how exactly you want your older self to be. This way, you will get a goal and get the jest to work for it.
For example, trying to invest money consistently from an early age or surrounding you with people who always have a positive outlook on life.
3. Incorporate the practice of gratitude –
Gratitude is the only feeling that can provide sheer happiness without wishing for anything in return. Gratitude turns what we have into enough, thus providing us with a sense of relief at every step of our life.
We need to be grateful for small things in our life, and one should say more "thank you" than "sorry." The gratitude habit is not easy to instill, and one has to take slow steps in the process. This feeling of gratitude will also give you the power to embrace changes easily.
It will help you to transfer your mind from resisting and worrying about changes to loving the process of change and trying to connect this change to your success. Thus you will be able to easily move and shift your life as per the changes that occur.
4. Say "no" to anything your mind warns you about –
Listen to your inner self. If you do not feel like abiding by any rule imposed upon you, learn to say "no" or just walk out from the situation. Remember, it's your life, and you need to work accordingly.
At the end of the day, you have to answer to your soul, not to the world. So get out of people, relationships, jobs, and everything that is a threat to your mental peace or is a barrier to your path to your self-disciplined life.
5. Show your gratitude for the small things –
Life is filled with negativity, and the only way to not let that affect us is by being grateful for the things we have. This sounds hard, but one needs to start being grateful for small things in their life, such as the clear sky, the scent of your favorite perfume, or the smile of the street side dog when you give him food.
Once you start choosing gratitude, your journey to joy will be easier and trouble-free. There are a lot of health benefits of gratitude, such as lowering the stress level and providing you strength in hard times.
An easy way to start your gratitude journey is by starting to write a gratitude journal, and if you are wondering how to write a gratitude journal, then all you need to do is get a pen and paper and write down every small thing that made you smile today.
6. Be less harsh on yourself –
There are times when the situation around you will force you to be harsh on yourself. However, you should always draw a line to the work or get out of it when you realize that you no longer get satisfied with it.
Taking breaks is important, not only to your body but also to your mind to work better. You need not be harsh on yourself and try to figure out your limits. Meditation, journaling, hot shower, exercise are some ways by which your mind will find peace.
Try having a morning and night routine, but on days when you could not bide to the routine, do not be harsh on yourself. We aren't robots, and we can't continue without breaks. Keep an organized routine, but do not forget to give yourself a day of leisure between all the days of hard work.
7. Maintain the gratitude journal –
Once you start maintaining a gratitude journal, you will know exactly what keeps you moving forward, what gives a smile to your face, what is worth your time and energy.
Thus you will not waste time on unwanted work and help you lead a peaceful life with no drama. The first step towards self-development is adopting new changes that will be beneficial to us and cutting down the bad ones, even if it meant someone close to you but harmful to your mental health.
8. Drink enough water and eat healthily –
Being hydrated keeps your mind and body healthy. You should avoid eating low-quality food and avoid being with people who have a negative outlook on life. Most of the people around the world do not follow self-discipline, and thus the food they consume lacks nutrition and important vitamins required by our body for a sound mind.
You need to change your diet from one that is of low quality and has got low nutrition and go for the one that has got a high nutrition content. You can even consult a dietician for this purpose. This is a long term process and cannot be fulfilled and completed all at once. Start slow and gradually take your pace.
9. Make your bed every morning after getting up –
The most important way to the path of self-discipline is to stick to a healthy and consistent routine. Get a good sleep and once you awake, make your bed instantly.
The sight of a clean bed will help your mind start the day with double the energy and help you continue throughout the day. Once you are back from a tiring day at work, the sight of a clean bed will give comfort to your eyes as well.
Additionally, you also need to make a perfect sleep schedule and get high-quality sleep before starting the day.
10. Breathe –
Breathe more often. During days when you no longer feel like continuing, breathe just to remind yourself that this too shall pass as nothing is permanent. Not even pain or happiness. Try reading self-help books or listen to podcasts on behavioral changes.
By trying to spend time learning about a new character, you will forget your worries, even if that's for a smaller period. Teach yourself to love discomfort because that is the only way to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.