A few months ago, I had a very interesting conversation with my brother about self-discipline, or more about the fact that neither of us have mastered it yet.
This conversation was a great opportunity to have an honest look at my life and see where I am lacking of discipline and think about how I can improve myself. Let’s dive in an honest review of my lack of self-discipline in all the aspects of my life.
House management: This is one of the aspect I am the best at. I manage to keep my house clean and organized at all times with few tips and tricks that I am happy to share here.
- The 5 minutes rule: if it takes five minutes or less, do it now: file away a bill, empty the bins, wash the floor etc…
- Every object has his own spot: I don’t “tidy” as such because as soon I am done using something, I put it back where it belongs.
- Every table and counter are wiped down as soon we have finished to use them. Same for the stove, that I wipe systematically after I have finished to cook dinner.
- For the laundry, you have all my tips here
- For the cooking and meal-planning, I have shared with you my method in this article
Finances: This is a part of my life which I would like to improve. I am quite good at respecting my budgets (personal and shared) but I am terrible at keeping track of my spending and I have to force myself to open my Excel tracker. Definitely an area to improve as I spend a lot of time calculating in my head instead of just having a look at my Excel spreadsheets.
Me, Myself and I: The area where I am the less consistent… It is quite embarrassing to realize that I am neglecting myself by my lack of discipline. But I am happy to be aware about it, therefore I can only progress on it.
- Skincare: It took me years to be consistent with my skincare routine. Sometimes, I would just remove my make-up and don’t apply any cream or toner. I am happy to say that is no longer an issue as I found the best way to make myself stick to a daily skincare routine: I put out all my body care products out right before I hop in the shower. Once my shower is done, I will apply my body products and – while all of that is drying – I will proceed with my facial skincare routine.
- Journaling: I am terrible at it. I bought the best journals, own the greatest pens and I am still unable to sit down on a daily basis to write. I am not sure why, I am glad I did it when I do it but seems to be unable to stick to it for a long period of time.
- Reading: Until quite recently, I was neglecting this hobby and just did not read. Now, it’s fixed thanks to the app Goodreads which is amazing to give yourself objectives, keep track of your progress and add books that you want to buy in your list. This app is such a great tool and can’t encourage you enough to download it if you too like to read!
- Drinking water: my goodness, I am so bad at it. I will drink liters of tea and coffee but would forget to drink water outside of meals. I have recently purchased a time marked water bottle but I remain quite inconsistent with it.
- Exercise: This is the area I am the most disappointed of myself : two years ago at the peak of Covid, I would walk at least 5km every day in the park near my then-flat. I have since gone back to square one and do not exercise at all.
- Sleeping schedule: This area is the one I am the worst at and I believe is the main reason why I am not good at exercising, journaling and overall having quality time for myself. I am the kind of person who needs to sleep longer than my partner, but I tend to force myself to go to bed much later than I need to in order to enjoy his company. Therefore, I end up tired, not able to wake up early and rush to get ready for work.
At the top of my self-discipline, I used to follow the Miracle Morning Method which really worked for me. I would wake-up at 5 a.m., go for a long walk listening to my favorite podcasts or audio-books, coming back for a shower and a good skincare regiment, having my breakfast while planning my day and journaling. By 8 am, I would have spent three quality hours with and for myself and would be fully ready for my day of work.
Will that be the solution? Shall I go back to my miracle morning?
I believe that self-discipline is a form a self-love: it allows you to achieve your goals. No achievement comes from a lack of consistency, it doesn’t matter how small or big the goal is.
How do you discipline yourself? How do you put all the chances on your side to reach your objectives? Please tell me in the comments sections.
Little Drops of Beauty 