By Celine Hert
“Success doesn’t just happen. You have to be intentional about it, and that takes discipline.”
– John C. Maxwell
What is the secret of successful women in developing discipline and daily routines?
Girlies I am about to spill it all.
First things first, what is Self-Discipline?
Self-discipline is our ability to control our impulses, desires, and actions in aim to prioritize long-term goals rather than favoring (giving in to) rapid satisfaction. In other words, it is our ability to encourage ourselves to do things that we know we should do, even when we do not want to.
Why should we work on improving our self-discipline?
Clinical Researcher Heather Lonczak describes how increased self-discipline helps reduce one’s anxiety, happiness, and resilience. When you are in control of how you behave, you are less likely to feel anxious and overthink; this allows you to spend more time actually accomplishing your tasks at hand rather than dwelling about them. With less negative thoughts and distractions, you are more likely to achieve your long-term goals, feel happier because you are evidently making progress, and build resilience as you become more capable of resisting temptation.
6 Daily Habits that Successful Disciplined Women Follow everyday
1. She makes sure that her goals are visibly around her everyday
Disciplined boss babes write their goals down in order to make them more tangible and real. The second most important aspect of pursuing these goals and making them more real is to hang up these written goals (or an object that reminds you of the goal) somewhere very visible where you will see it often. The more that you see these goals and reminders, the more likely it is for your subconscious to internalize them and place them at the forefront of your brain; making it more likely for you to tailor your daily routine around accomplishing these goals. For example, if I have set my goal to be more active and in-tune to my body, I may aspire to schedule in time for a daily 20-minute yoga stretch to engage my core and flexibility. With this new goal in mind, by placing my yoga mat right next to my at-home office desk that I always work at, I have a constant reminder to take a break and stretch. Without a visible reminder, I am more likely to dismiss my intention to stretch and forget about my aspiring fitness goal. So go get your reminder, and place it near you. Whether it is a water bottle that will remind you to stay hydrated, your sunscreen that will remind you to prioritize self-care on your skin or your fitness mat right next to your working place. So let’s begin this journey together.
2. She practices prioritizing her tasks
We are all victims of procrastination but listen up… there is an easy way out. First things first, make a list of all the tasks you need to get done for the day and begin by deciding which tasks are worth dedicating the most effort to. Try to sandwich the tasks you don’t necessarily love with other minor tasks that can easily get done. This way you are not daunting yourself with a long overwhelming to-do list. After completing a tedious task, you’ll have a more relaxed task that follows! This will keep you motivated to complete the list and you will feel very relieved and accomplished that they’re done rather than putting them off for another day. Another motivational secret is focus on the feeling that you will feel after completing the task. We all know how overwhelming it can get to complete a whole list of business meetings, send various emails, and run our own personal errands. Try to shift your focus on how at ease and relaxed you will feel at the end of the day when you reflect on how productive you were during the day.
3. She gets her girlies to hold her accountable
It is super important to have an accountability buddy. Your besties are your biggest cheerleaders; when you encounter obstacles or disappointments throughout the road to accomplish your goals, they will be there to encourage you. Lean on them for support, love, and words of encouragement to stay motivated. The best accountability partners will always show up for you and challenge you in the pursuit of your purpose to accomplish your goals. Plan regular check-ins with them so that they can help keep you in check on your focus, progress, commitment, and discipline regarding your efforts.
4. She’s not afraid to say no
Healthy boundaries are the way to go! Successful women are not people pleasers, they acknowledge that saying “no” is not a way to disrespectfully reject an opportunity, but rather it is a way to nurture and empower themselves when something does not align with their tasks and goals that need to be achieved. Saying “no” works to eliminate distractions and helps you prioritize your time to accomplish your dreams and ambitions; even wonder woman needs a break! So, the next time you are in a situation and you are asked to do something you are not really feeling, take a moment to take a deep breath and clear your headspace before making a decision. See if the request falls in place with your schedule, if not… without feeling pressured or ashamed, politely decline the offer and tap yourself on the back for prioritizing your needs!
5. She makes time for herself
Although successful women travel through their day at rapid speed juggling between one commitment to another, they value and appreciate the important of self-care. They value the importance of hitting the breaks to recharge and refuel their batteries at the end of the day to avoid burn out. Boss babes know that taking care of themselves is essential if they want to be able to take care of their business and other commitments (whether that be friendships, family, and more). This could mean journaling, going for a nice relaxing walk, hanging around with friends, changing environments, drawing; whatever makes you feel at ease!
6. She loves deadlines
Deadlines are the key to completion; they help keep us motivated. They create the urgency that helps us finish the projects that we would have procrastinated. Deadlines are great organizational tools that help us accomplish our goals because they lead to a natural adherence of our flow for work. If you have a large project that you need to submit, divide the workload into sub-categories and create your own temporary deadlines to help keep yourself in check. If you’re not a disciplined woman yet, having an approaching deadline can magically transform you into one.
With intentionality, discipline, and self-control you will be able to move mountains and get yourself closer to that finish line. If anyone is capable to achieve these 6 habits, it is YOU!
