If you do these 12 things daily, you’re a highly disciplined person
Self-discipline isn’t just about hustling hard.
Nor is it just about being your own drill sergeant when you feel like you’re falling behind.
It’s about being able to self-regulate and prioritize the things you need to do so you become the best version of yourself.
Want to know if you’re highly disciplined?
Check out how many of these things you do daily!
1) You get up the moment your alarm clock goes off
You’re not one of those people who hit snooze every time your alarm goes off.
Of course, it might be tempting to sleep for five more minutes, but you’re well aware how easily five minutes become an hour… and before you know it you’re tired, groggy, and trying to rush through your morning.
And you don’t want that.
If you set your alarm at 4 am, then you wake up when it goes off—no if and buts. It doesn’t matter if you slept late the night before or you won’t have to go to work that day.
You know that waking up at the same time every day is a basic recipe for good health and success, and so you try to wake up at the same time every single day.
2) You make lists
You’re a big fan of making lists—especially to-do lists.
A lot of missed deadlines could have been avoided if people just make it a habit to note down what they have to do.
You believe that every adult should always carry around one because it ensures we remember everything we need to do for the day, making us more productive, efficient, and calm.
Aside from a to-do list, you also have lists for other things like grocery items, ideas, your friends’ birthdays, and bills.
You know that being organized is part of having self-discipline. After all, even if you wake up early and work 12 hours a day if you’re disorganized, your opportunities and quality of life will suffer.
3) You remind yourself of your dreams
You know that one of the best ways to motivate ourselves to be more self-disciplined is by envisioning our ideal life. And it only takes seconds to do so!
You set a few minutes in your day to imagine your dream home, your dream career, and your dream life. You might do it while you’re brushing your teeth or taking a shower, or even while you’re bored at work.
You might even simply have your dream board printed on a piece of paper, and you stare at it a few seconds each day.
Envisioning our goals can train our subconscious to do the right thing and to keep pushing for more—and you make sure you do it daily.
4) You limit distractions
You’re well aware that everything around you is competing for your attention.
Ads are getting catchier, there’s always a cute cat video to watch and share, your colleagues always have something juicy to talk about…
You know that if you won’t deliberately remove or limit distractions, you can waste your whole day doing nothing.
So you save distractions on your breaks (or avoid them altogether), and you work when you’re supposed to work.
5) You stay away from vices
Self-discipline isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s also about avoiding the wrong things.
You stay away from vices that are obviously bad for you like smoking, drinking, gambling, and porn.
You know that once you engage in them, it will require you a much stronger level of self-discipline to break away from them. And so you’d rather not try even if it seems tempting to do so.
So when someone offers you a “safe drug” to try or another glass of wine (when you already had four), you politely but firmly decline.
6) You set a clear time to start your day
If you don’t have a strict schedule—say, you work freelance, it can be challenging to have a consistent schedule.
7) You set a clear time to rest
For a truly high-disciplined person, it’s not all about productivity. Success isn’t all about having a good career and a ton of money, after all.
Rest is essential for a good life, so you rest well.
What’s the point in achieving “success” anyway if your health is declining, relationships are failing, and you’re always grumpy?
So you set a clear time to stop working…and you respect it!
As much as possible, you don’t work overtime and you avoid answering emails on weekends. And when co-workers request you to do additional work, you politely say no.
8) You respect rules
You can’t call someone highly disciplined if they don’t respect rules.
Even if they exercise daily and are so good at what they do they’re given the Employee of the Year award, if they break rules all the time, they’re not truly disciplined.
Highly disciplined person doesn’t only care for themself, they care for others, too. They try their best to do their part to have a better society, even if it’s as simple as throwing their trash in the right bin.
If your teacher or boss assigns you to do something, you follow their instructions to the T. You also pay attention to the rules of your company or institution, as well as the basic road signs.
For you, rule-breaking is uncool. What’s truly cool is showing respect and self-discipline.
9) You walk away from the things that are bad for you
You don’t just walk away from vices, you also stay away from things that don’t improve your life.
You walk away from nosy neighbors who like spreading gossip. You walk away from people who show too many red flags. You walk away from bad relationships and bad jobs.
Why does this show you’re highly disciplined?
Well, engaging in them is sometimes dangerous (and time-consuming), and highly disciplined people make sure they use their time wisely.
Having a toxic partner, for example, could cost you your sanity. It would require you to spend at least 1000 precious hours trying to fix problems.
And highly disciplined people ain’t got no time for that!
10) You take time for self-care
You don’t see yourself as a machine, but as a human being that constantly needs care and attention to function well.
On your busiest days, you still manage to do the basics—you walk at least 10 minutes a day, you take good showers, and you nourish yourself with nutritious foods.
And if you’re feeling particularly stressed, you get a good massage.
Your career, schooling, and work are all important for you, of course…but your wellness is the most important thing of all.
So you make sure you pamper yourself because self-care isn’t overindulgence or being selfish, it’s a must for a good, well-balanced life.
11) You regulate your emotions
Handling one’s emotions is a big part of self-discipline. It’s what separates a mature person from an immature one…and it matters a lot.
Most of the decisions we make are based on feelings, and our feelings have a big impact on others.
So when you’re experiencing negative emotions, you try to soothe yourself.
Yes, it’s not healthy when one suppresses their emotions but it can do more damage to you (and everyone around you) if you let your feelings run wild.
If you really find it hard to let things go, you at least set a time and a place for you to pour out your emotions.
You tell yourself “Alright, we will not scream in front of 1000 people right now, but we will do it later in the shower later where no one can see us.”
Now that is self-discipline.
12) You assess, reflect, and plan
Before your day ends, you always take some time for self-reflection.
You assess how your day went—from your work to your personal life.
You congratulate yourself for a job well done. And when you failed at something? You try to assess how you could have handled things better.
You make sure that you don’t beat yourself up for your mistakes, though. Instead, you encourage yourself to do better the next day…and you do this by making a to-do list for tomorrow.
You believe that we get better each day, but that’s only possible if we learn from our mistakes and actively do something to make the next day better.
Final thoughts
If you do these things daily (or even just half of them), then you’re—without a doubt— a highly disciplined person.
You should be proud of yourself!
And if, let’s say, you’re wondering why you’re still not as successful as you want to be, just be patient.
It will eventually happen—trust me on this one.
Besides, being highly disciplined is already a success in itself. Just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll reap the rewards of your hard work.