Any tips to improve discipline and mental focus (as well as motivation)?
Hey guys,
Not entirely sure if this is the ideal subreddit for this but a few others I've looked at don't have that many subscribers and this is still related to motivation.
So, obviously this subreddit is about motivation, often towards performing tasks that may not be entirely desirable, even if the end products are (e.g., working out, studying, doing your job).
I feel that this is intertwined with both discipline and, for studying or performing non-physical work, mental focus. You can't expect to always be motivated to work out or wake up on time - this is where discipline kicks in. You can't be motivated to study boring things, especially not for a long period of time - this is where mental focus may help along with discipline.
What are your tips to improve these when motivation may not be enough? What ways do you improve your discipline so that you can call on it when necessary (e.g., forcing yourself out of bed, getting off the Internet and studying something even when you don't want to), and mental focus (not checking FB/reddit/email every 5 minutes)? I, and I'm sure others, feel as though we can't rely on discipline because we don't have a lot of it (yet).
Posted Feb 6, 2012, 3:09 AM UTC
Self Discipline in 10days I uploaded it seconds ago, it's a short read (150pgs), no ads, products to buy, no email list; just a nice book. It's from the 70s/80s and was done by a professor but it works very nicely.
edit: it's cheesy at times and the exercises may same silly, but that's just Hyde (you'll meet him once you read the book) speaking!
Just finished reading it today. I'll admit with my self-discipline it took much longer than 10 days.
Wow, this is great. I had no idea this existed. Thanks dude! Let's hope I can do the 10 days within the next couple weeks and go from there :)
10 days is just a catchy name, take as much time as needed. Really make sure to read the first 50pages and you'll do great. Gl bro.
Thank you for reassuring me of my sanity. =)
anytime, how did I do that though?
For a while now I've contemplated my sanity as I'd come to the realization of hide through sheer psychoanalysis. I thought I'd gone mad attributing my inhibitory tendencies to another within me. However, I'd also attributed my fun loving and creating tendencies to this same psychological entity. I named him deviant.
I've tried to overcome this deviant by several means and had concluded that I would not be able to do this alone, as how could I possibly outsmart myself? I'd planned on seeing a counselor, but decided against it as one of my greatest fears is to be deemed insane and secluded from the general public. Deviant convinced me that this would be the inevitable result. After reading of Hyde, and identifying each and every trait as being consistent with those of deviant, I was met with a deal of relief. I'd already begun to take back control of my life, and during this course of change deviant had remained dormant. Now he is awake and fearful, as I may yet tame him.
My analysis of deviant goes much deeper than this books description of Hyde, but this is expected as I've been battling with this psychological weakness for at least a decade. I'm simply glad to have been provided with a blueprint for his defeat. I've just recently completed exercise one and dug up some deeply buried memories that nearly brought tears to my eyes and on which I wrote 5 pages. I know intuitively that this time won't be like the hundreds of other times during which I failed to control him, and I feel that he knows it as well. However, only time will tell.
Nonetheless, Thanks again for reassuring me of my sanity. =)
Bookmarked.