Themeattics

Calluses and character? They go hand in hand.

Amoila Cesar, 6 Weeks of the Work

Confession time. I have horrible discipline.

“But Tom,” you gasp in abject wonder, “how could that be true if you’re putting up another weekly article? A whole TWO WEEKS IN A ROW!?”

The world is full of enigmas, yes, I know.

In all seriousness, it’s true. I think most of us can say the same. Let’s face it, discipline is hard. It might be one of the most difficult things for those of us awash in First World niceties to master. However, it’s also one of the most important things we can have.

This article was planned to be one about the hazards of following our muses. Then, as I got to thinking about it, it steadily rolled into one about procrastination. Both of those ideas orbit the same core, though, and it seemed strange to hit the side dishes before the meat, so here we are.

What’s the most important thing in your life? Is it God? Your family? Friends, work, leisure? We all have an idea of what we think that thing is, but ask yourself, what’s the thing you make time for? The thing you prioritize, that you set aside parts of your day for, are always aiming to improve? That’s what’s important. When push comes to shove, time is the only resource we truly have. Where and how we spend it tells a great deal about us, whether we choose to listen or not.

Discipline is just that – allocation of our one resource toward the things which are truly important to us. I’ve understood this idea for a long time. Those of you who know me personally know my love of all things goal- and habit-tracking, but pressing that little checkbox for the hit of dopamine isn’t discipline. In fact, I can’t even say how many times I’ve used those To Do lists to pull myself away from the thing which I know I should be doing.

As a people, we’re guilty of trying to find the easy solution. It’s everywhere you look. Reddit posts asking how to quickly learn how to play fighting games, forums on how to pick up and play an instrument right away, an entire industry of magic weight loss pills. Everyone wants the quick way, but the answer always ends up the same. There might be shortcuts, but they shave a mile off a trip to Mars. To master something – to git gud – it takes time and focus. Discipline.

Now, here’s where, if I were editing myself I’d go back and rework some of the stuff before because this is the key. Focus. Almost all of us have time hiding somewhere in our day. We could get up an hour earlier, watch one fewer episode or video, play one less round, take a quicker shower. The time is there, it’s focusing that time. Directing it to create discipline.

I’ve done this successfully maybe only twice in my life. Once, to power through over 1,500 words a day for a spree when writing my current novel, and once to dedicate an hour a day toward exercise. I say maybe because, well, after that writing sprint I fell off the wagon and stopped writing anything for several months and the exercise thing, while it’s been going for a few months, is still new. I’m fickle and have always wanted the impossible – to be good at everything. That’s why the article was going to be about muses. I start succeeding in one goal only to take that as a green light to bring in another. Turns out, even with all this practice I’m still not a juggler and all those goals drop.

So, what, you’re wondering, is the secret to my succeeding those (maybe) two times? Did you not read three paragraphs up? There isn’t one. I just did it. I decided to do it, and did it. They were important to me at the time. I wanted to finish that book ahead of schedule. I didn’t like the way I looked. In both cases – in all cases of chasing goals, I suppose – I wanted to get better. I still do, which is why I made this place to begin with.

If I were to give tips, and believe me, given my track record you should take them with a mountain of salt, they would be these:

1. Pick one thing to start. Only one.
2. Sit down and make a schedule of your day as it stands currently. Don’t worry, it’s not to make a rigid schedule going forward, it just to get an understanding of what goes on during those 24 hours. You might be surprised how much unallocated time there is floating around.
3. Send your goal to a list of friends and keep an accountability group. It helps if they’re along this kind of path, but it’s not necessary so long as they’ll listen. And, if you’re like me, so long as they apply good pressure and remind you of their expectations of you.
4. Take some of that time and dedicate it toward that one thing. Do it every day. Maybe schedule yourself a day off if you feel it’s necessary, or if you’re following a workout plan rest when it says to rest, but beside that scheduled break, commit.
5. Find the things that prevent you and get around them. Life hits you with distractions that make you lose focus? Change your sleep schedule to get up a little earlier and do it before that can happen.
6. After a few months, anywhere from 3 to 6, think about adding another goal. By then you’ll have a better understanding of what you can handle and why.

I think that’s probably enough rambling for one day. Which is good, because I think it’s time I did another review of my own day schedules…