How to Be Disciplined Without It Being Boring
This title is an oxymoron.
Because discipline is boring.
Each rep that we do is something that we must do.
These reps bring us closer to the grander vision.
Have you ever written a book before?
It seems like a creative act.
But in reality, it’s a disciplined one.
Day in and day out, the writer wakes up in the morning.
Writes.
Looks out the window.
And it’s dark.
The day has ended.
Some writers do this for weeks.
Some do it for months.
Others do it for years.
How does one maintain sanity in this boring disciplined life?
Why Discipline is Good
Before bashing discipline as boring, I want to praise it.
Discipline is good because it allows you to program yourself.
- Coding is programming a computer.
- Discipline is programming your life.
Think of any creation out there.
It required an idea to go from mind to reality.
That process of taking an ambiguous idea to reality requires reps, iterations, fine-tuning, planning, and much more.
All these are disciplined acts.
Without discipline, we couldn’t accomplish anything.
It’s easy for people without much responsibility to make fun of discipline.
They’ll say stuff like:
‘Why don’t you just live more!’
But when you look at their life, you don’t see anything new.
0 creation.
They clock in and clock out, watch a bunch of TV shows, and call it a day.
That doesn’t require discipline.
Or does it?
If these folks don’t clock in, and clock out, what will happen?
‘They will get fired.’
Exactly.
Therefore, they must show up at a certain time and do their assigned tasks.
The same people who rail on discipline are the same ones executing it!
There is no life without discipline.
The only difference is that losers have others discipline them.
While winners discipline themselves.
Why Discipline Becomes Boring
The reason that discipline is boring is because it requires more of the same.
When we have more of the same, there is little contrast.
A few years ago, I was super disciplined.
I had my schedule from 9 am-7 pm planned out to the tee.
If I strayed from the schedule, then I felt like a failure.
If others caused me to stray from the schedule, then I’d be pissed.
One time, there was a guy who wanted to chat during my “blog writing” time.
He kept calling me over and over.
Eventually, I picked up.
I thought it was going to be a quick call.
Instead, this guy begins yapping for 25 minutes!
He was telling me a lot of interesting stuff, but I couldn’t focus because I kept thinking:
‘This guy is wasting my time.’
As soon as I was given a contrast from the typical sameness, I got mad.
This is why discipline becomes boring.
- It’s because we invite too much of the sameness into our lives.
- But a same life never created an exciting life.
Mix Spontaneity with Discipline
One way to be disciplined and spontaneous is to do both.
The intervals depend on you.
I experiment with different intervals.
I have a day split and a week split.
Day Split
From 6 am to 7 pm, I’m typically doing something productive.
I know my schedule to the tee.
But after 7 pm, I am open for whatever!
- I may watch a show.
- Go to a last-minute cake cutting.
- Call someone.
The end part of my day is highly unpredictable.
Week Split
In the macro sense, I try to keep the weekdays pretty productive.
For the weekends though, I’m open to whatever.
Whenever someone asks me my plans for the weekend on a Tuesday, I’ll say.
‘I have no clue. Things will randomly emerge.’
This person looks at me sideways.
They know me as a disciplined person.
And I am unsure what I am doing on the weekend?
They imagined that I would have everything planned to the tee.
Nope, weekends are for whatever.
Bonus Split
A bonus split is what I call vacation splits.
Normally, you are such a productive person.
Bravo, my friend!
But during vacations, you are a go-with-the-flow person.
No itinerary.
No desires on things that you must do.
Instead, you just play it by ear.
Sometimes, you’ll have a lazy day and sightsee.
Other days, you do an activity that requires you to book tickets.
You experiment with food cuisines.
The working you is productive.
During vacation, you are fully spontaneous.
Why Spontaneity Makes Life Fun
Where discipline is the same, spontaneity is different.
You never know what can happen.
Not knowing what can happen may seem daunting.
The overly disciplined person wonders:
‘What if I get lost?’
If it’s during your spontaneous split, then get lost!
Getting lost doesn’t feel fun at the moment.
But when we look back, the moments we got lost were the most entertaining moments.
I believe this is a great split.
The discipline to spontaneous split.
Plus…
Occasional bursts of spontaneity allow you to be disciplined for the long run.
After one of my spontaneous trips, I come back eager to be disciplined again.
I am enthusiastic about executing my daily deliverables.
So, if you’ve been in a rut, then experiment with a bit more spontaneity.
It can be at the end of the day, end of the week, or sporadically throughout the year.
Being Disciplined for the Long Run
When leveling up, think long-term.
Anyone can do something for a couple of days or months.
But few people can do something for a series of decades.
Those who operate with the “decade by decade” thinking see the bigger picture.
Humans are not robots.
They aren’t just meant to work and that’s it.
Humans are emotional creatures.
They can operate in this sameness, sure.
But every now and then, they NEED fun like they need oxygen.
Sprinkle some unpredictability into your life.
It’ll make it easier to be enthusiastic during the sameness.
For more insights into leveling up, be sure to check out the Level Up Mentality Book
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