Thursday October 19th, 2023

In this post I will document my journey to Self Mastery.

Hopefully these posts will serve as inspiration for people that want to achieve something great and an accountability partner to myself.

As far as I know the single most important habit required in order to master anything is the habit of Self Discipline.

Even though I know this every so often I lose sight of why I am committing to my habits and get comfortable.

When I ponder why this happens I realized something

I did not have a proven system that helps me stay on track.

Practicing how to code, or learning how to draw, or any new skill can get very tedious at times.

Building the habit of consistently ignoring my ✨ feelings ✨ will be the single greatest accomplishment I will have made in my 22 years of living.

It will allow me to take action regardless of how I feel in the moment.

So I’ve set out to give myself every possible chance their is to master this one skill.

Top 3 tricks for mastering Discipline

1. The 5 Second Rule

This trick comes from the amazing Mel Robbins.

In her book the 5 Second rule she teaches you how to highjack your brain and take action regardless of how you feel.

The trick works like this.

Pick one task you need to do.

Example: Getting out of bed when the alarm sounds, writing that book, exorcising, speaking up for what you believe in etc.

Then you will count down from 5 and NO MATTER WHAT you take ACTION!

Here is a link further explaining the rule: 5 Second Rule Explained

This works because you activate your prefrontal cortex and prime yourself to make a decision in the moment.

You don’t give yourself time to think about all the reasons why you don’t want to do the thing.

I’m always amazed by how simple yet effective this trick is.

Try it for yourself!

2. Accountability Partner

This Trick comes from the Author of one of the single greatest productivity books out there.

He and I also share the same name so of course I gave his book a read.

JAMES CLEAR

I highly recommend James’s book if you’re new to building Habits.

I myself have reread this book many times and the information inside is timeless.

One of the many tricks he uses to stick to new habits is setting up an Accountability Contract

You enter into an agreement with someone you trust that will help you stay consistent.

Whenever you break your contract there must be some sort of punishment that you both agree on.

Whether it be a monetary loss, public embarrassment, loss of privileges like games or entertainment, you name it.

Here is an example of an Accountability contract in Action.

Someone you trust encouraging you to keep going is such an awesome thing.

It strengthens your relationship with that person and you have a stronger reason to keep going.

Master Class in Accountability

3. Reflection

The final tool to help you stay accountable comes from the amazing book Bullet Journal.

This trick isn’t unique to this book but it is where I found out about this rule.

The trick Requires you to keep an AM & PM reflection journal.

It is used to help you stay on track during the day.

In the morning set your intentions for the day.

Write down why you want to accomplish your goals.

Jot down anything that comes to mind to help you relieve yourself from mental clutter.

At night, reflect on how the day went. Talk about what you succeeded at and recount areas where you can improve.

For a deeper insight on reflection journaling check This Out.

Ryan Carroll’s book helps you get rid of the garbage you write down when planning your day and makes cleaner designs and.

Final Thoughts

Being productive is a process. You start small and build up over time. If you have anything worth doing you owe it to yourself to make it happen.

Use these tricks to accomplish your goals and do not stop until you have won!