How to maintain discipline throughout the year
Written by Perrine Rosato
In this article, we'll share some tips for maintaining discipline throughout the year. Whether it's sport, training or self-care, these tips apply equally to all aspects of your life.
What is discipline?
Discipline is not a pejorative term, quite the contrary. It reflects a person's determination, whether on a personal or professional level. To be disciplined is to commit to constant action to achieve one's goals. It shows a willingness to act with regularity and perseverance to progress and succeed.
Discipline/motivation: are they the same thing?
To achieve our goals, it's crucial to differentiate between motivation and discipline.
Motivation is what drives us to act, often guided by our aspirations and emotions. Discipline, on the other hand, is what enables us to remain constant and consistent in our actions, even when motivation falters.
It's important not to bet everything on motivation. Although it plays an essential role in helping us identify what we want to achieve and giving us an initial impetus towards our goals, it remains fluid, as it is closely linked to our emotions. Relying on motivation alone often leads to failure.
By relying instead on discipline, you can maintain your efforts over the long term. The key is to leave yourself no alternative: you need to know why you're doing what you're doing. Once you've clarified your "why", motivation kicks in, but it's discipline that will keep you going with regularity.
Remember, motivation comes from action!
How to maintain year-round discipline despite the obstacles? :
It's essential to recognize that obstacles can get in the way of our goals and aspirations, disrupting our initial plans. These obstacles often include what is known as the lazy man's syndrome. This is a mental state in which we allow ourselves to be overcome by procrastination, lack of energy or difficulty in motivating ourselves, even for important tasks. This phenomenon can be amplified by limiting thoughts or fear of failure, leading us to look for excuses to avoid effort.
However, it's crucial to learn how to identify and counter this syndrome. One key is to break down your goals into small, achievable and rewarding steps, which will help you get back on track. By overcoming these constraints, whether physical or mental, you'll be able to stay on course and make steady progress throughout the year.
Here are a few tips:
Having a goal
First and foremost, it's essential to define a goal. Whether it's sporting, professional or personal, knowing why you do what you do is essential. These goals vary from person to person, but they all have value as long as they are meaningful to you. This is the first essential step: setting goals also means giving yourself the means to achieve them. Without a clear objective, it becomes difficult to know which direction to take.
CREATE HABITS
Establishing habits is essential. When it comes to practicing your sport, for example, it's important to create solid habits. Ideally, structure your weekly routine so you know exactly what to expect. Think of these moments as real appointments with yourself, rather than obligations (an important nuance). This approach will help you stay committed without feeling pressured. The key is to start with simple, achievable habits that can be easily integrated into your daily routine.
REST
Recovery time is crucial. We tend to ask too much of ourselves. It's a race for productivity. But that won't keep you going in the long term. It's essential to give priority to 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 disconnect mentally and physically from the week's activities.
SLOW AND STUDY WINS THE RACE
Start slowly to maintain motivation and desire throughout the year, and step by step is another essential point. Doing 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 alone is good, 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.
THINK POSITIVE
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
Settlement
10-second method: this method has been recognized for its ability to move audiences 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.
Be indulgent with yourself and forget about comparisons
Always wanting to do too much can be counterproductive. Challenging yourself is beneficial, but over the long term, it can become exhausting, because we all have our ups and downs. Nothing is linear, and that's normal. The important thing is to learn to cope with these fluctuations. Accepting your strengths and weaknesses is a big step towards balance.
Let's take training as an example: sometimes you run out of time during the day and feel guilty for not having gone to train. Instead of feeling guilty, opt for a simple solution: take 20 to 30 minutes in the morning to get moving or do a short session. This will always be better than doing nothing. The key is to set your priorities. If you make training a priority, you'll almost always find a time to fit it into your day.
It's also crucial to accept the unexpected and celebrate your progress. Congratulate yourself on every step you take, no matter how small. Finally, avoid comparing yourself to others. It may sound easy to say, but unconsciously, we all tend to do it. Remember that everyone is different, with their own pace and their own challenges. Focus on yourself and your evolution. The main objective is to feel good, whatever path you choose.
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
