How To Build More Discipline (4 Step Process)

There is one single ability that will get you to: train 4 times every week, sleep 8 hours every night, eat 3 structured meals per day, while keeping the bad habits at bay.

This skill is discipline, and it’s the best weapon you can develop against procrastination and laziness. Most people think that discipline is very hard to get and that you’re either born with it or without it. But actually, it’s pretty simple to build, and it’s a skill everyone can develop. This is why, in this article, we will see a 4-step process to build more self-discipline.

Stop Expecting

The killer of discipline is expectation. The most common mistake people make when they want to start a new habit or learn a new skill is that they expect quick progress. They expect to work out 5 times per week in their first week of going to the gym, or to lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks, and that’s the problem.

The problem is that in expecting a lot from yourself, you don’t make things realistic and easy for you. Through projecting all of those predictions, you build up a load of self-expectations that will hold you accountable and increase the pressure you’re feeling. This often results in giving up because of the overwhelming expectations and the lack of visible progress.

Your brain is easy to trick, and this is especially true when it’s coming from you. This is why you’ll need to let go of expectations if you want to build discipline and stop ruining your chances of developing the skill.

Start Ridiculously Small

Humans are creatures of habit. Your brain is designed to build unconscious patterns you can rely on to save as much energy as possible. That’s why the key to a healthy life lies in the daily habits you cultivate, not in the grandiose gestures you do once in a while.

Chances are, most of the goals you set for yourself are good and (most likely) not the problem. Setting the goal to start going to the gym is a great goal. The problem lies in the way you operationalize that goal, not the goal itself.

Simply put, you don’t need new goals. You just need to segment them in a way that’s realistic to achieve. Start ridiculously small. Start by going to the gym two times per week for 15 minutes, and from there, increase the frequency and/or the duration. The idea is to put yourself in a situation where you can reach your goal consistently.

If you want to start with exercise but have no idea where to start, this guide will help you.

Forgive But Don’t Forget

Failure is going to be an inherent part of the process of building more discipline. The problem isn’t failure but your reaction to it. Most people, if they adopt an all-or-nothing mentality, will try, fail, and stop for an extended period of time. But we spoke about this in our last article about willpower. (which you can find here)

You have to forgive yourself while keeping notes of what didn’t work. Feeling bad and lamenting your failed attempt is never going to get you closer to your goal. If you fail, give yourself a gentle tap of empathy on the shoulder and start over the next day.

Keep Moving

Building discipline takes time, but the key is to keep your progress visible and build on it. Start tracking your wins. It doesn’t matter whether it’s writing down every time you show up or using a simple habit tracker on your phone. When you see your streaks or small victories, it fuels your motivation to keep going.

Also, don’t just track—adjust. If something isn’t working, tweak it instead of quitting (remember step number one). Discipline is about tiny progress, not perfection. Every day you stay consistent, no matter how small the effort, you’re building the foundation for bigger wins down the line.

Working on your discipline is extremely helpful in literally all areas of your life, from your fitness to your relationships. You will never regret investing more time and energy in being more disciplined.