How to maintain discipline throughout the year
Written by Perrine Rosato
In this article I'm going to give you a few tips on how to maintain discipline throughout the year.
Of course, we're talking about sports, training and taking care of yourself. But it also applies to everything else in your life.
First: What is discipline?
Discipline is not a pejorative. On the contrary. It shows a person's determination on a personal or professional level. Discipline means sticking to an action in order to achieve your goal. Being disciplined makes you someone who likes to take action to acquire goals and stick to them on a regular basis.
Discipline/motivation: are they the same thing?
To achieve our goals, it's essential to understand the difference between motivation and discipline.
Motivation drives us to act on our aspirations and emotions, while discipline enables us to maintain regularity and consistency.
You can't rely on your motivation.
Motivation is important, of course, because it determines what we want or don't want. And push us towards our sporting or other goals. But motivation depends on our emotional state. Relying on it alone is doomed to failure.
On the other hand, by relying on his discipline, you'll be able to maintain your objectives over the long term. You can't leave yourself any choice. It's all about knowing why you're doing things, then motivation, then the final step in sticking to it is discipline.
Motivation comes with action!
How to maintain year-round discipline despite the obstacles? :
It's important to remember that obstacles can get in the way of our goals and desires. And so they can upset what you had planned. You have to be able to get past all these constraints if you want to keep going throughout the year.
Here are a few tips:
Have a goal: first and foremost, you have to have a goal. Whether it's sporting, professional or personal, it's important to know why you're doing things. The objective obviously depends on each individual. All goals make sense, as long as you know why you're doing them. As explained above: that's the first step. Setting goals means giving yourself the means to achieve them. Without a goal, you don't know what direction to take.
Creating habits: Establishing habits is important. To be able to perform your sport, for example, you need to establish habits. It's almost best to create a routine. Every week, you know what to expect. Make it a date. Make it an appointment, not an obligation (note the difference), and you'll have no choice. The important thing here is to set up habits that are easily achievable.
Rest: it's essential to rest. We tend to want to do too much. To race for productivity. But that won't keep you going in the long term. It's essential to prioritize rest. Take one or more days off a week, whether it's for sport or work. Body and mind need to recover. So don't overwork. You can rest in any way you like. The most important thing is to unplug mentally and physically from the week's activities.
Start slowly to maintain motivation and desire throughout the year: another essential point is to take things step by step. Trying to do everything at once is counterproductive. It's better to go slowly, at your own pace, and give yourself time to integrate and digest. This will enable you to acquire a sense of regularity throughout the year.
If you go to the gym 6 times a week to train, without rest and accumulating fatigue, you won't want to do anything else afterwards. After a while, you'll be overwhelmed. It's better to start slowly, setting training dates each week. Go at your own level, then stick to it every week and become regular.
Surround yourself well: doing things on your own is fine, but more is better. Don't hesitate to surround yourself with the right people to share your projects and desires together, and to practice with them too. Having a network you can count on is essential.
Replace negative thoughts with positive ones: very often we denigrate ourselves and say we can't do it. But this is obviously not true. We can all succeed in doing what we deeply desire. We just have to give ourselves the chance. So when a thought comes up telling us we can't do it, counter it by telling ourselves we can. You have to be empathetic towards yourself, and give yourself the space and time to do things right.
Private coaching: Private coaching can also help you find a goal, as well as a discipline. The trainer can guide you and establish a follow-up. All you have to do is practice! Too easy. At Vsquare, our trainers have degrees in various health fields and are kinesiologists. They can offer you the best possible support. Click here for more information: https: //www.vsquarefit.com/entrainement-prive-1
Countdown: 10-second method: this method has been recognized for its ability to move the audience to action. Nothing could be simpler. Set yourself a number of seconds and when you reach the countdown, get up and go without thinking or questioning. The more we think, the more we don't do it. It's time to change that, to take action.
Stop procrastinating! Stop putting things off until tomorrow. Or saying "it doesn't matter, tomorrow will be better". There's no time like the present. The sooner it's done, the better you'll feel. Once you've trained yourself to do this, your brain will be begging for more. That's when you'll become regular in your actions. But first, you have to go through the complicated stage of "not listening to yourself". Listening to yourself is important. On the other hand, the little voice that tells us to do "Netflix & chill" rather than take 30 min to train. "What's done is done.
Stop demanding too much of yourself / don't compare yourself to others: Always wanting to do too much isn't always good. It's important because it allows you to challenge yourself. But not in the long term, because like everyone else, there are days with and days without. Unfortunately, nothing is linear. You have to be able to deal with that. Accepting our qualities and faults is a big step. Staying with the example of training, sometimes we tell ourselves that we don't have the time. Then, at the end of the day, we're angry with ourselves for not having gone to training. Taking 20-30 min in the morning to move around or do a quick session is always better than doing nothing. You have to set priorities. If training becomes your priority, you'll almost always find time. You have to accept external factors, but you also have to look at your progress and congratulate yourself. Of course, don't compare yourself. It's easy to say, but sometimes we unintentionally compare ourselves. Everyone's different, so do what's right for you. And notice your own evolution. The most important thing is to feel good, whatever you choose to do.
In conclusion
Discipline has to be learned. It doesn't come spontaneously. You have to train your discipline so that it becomes an important value for you, almost like an education.
It takes time. But anyone can do it. Whether professional or personal, consistency is the most important thing to achieve your goals. The rest will come naturally.
Books: The Power of Self-Discipline: Take Control of Your Life by Serj Taigba
Applications: fabulous, growing up, timecap
