How do you learn discipline?

[JoshRaed]

Like I feel like whether or not I do things well depends on whether or not my mind is in that space, or whether or not I'm backed into a deadline. I don't know how I always end up doing everything at ten pm somehow. I can't even keep remembering to brush my teeth before bed consistently, or check my email daily, even though these are the easiest things in the world to do.

Edit: Thank you @cherrystark @SleepingPoppy @vapidink @barakothepirate @Lensing @kyupol I am going to look into therapy and keep trying various things and watch your video.

[cherrystark]

Discipline comes through practice. A lot of people have given you good advice since you joined the forums. You have to learn how to think for yourself and how your brain works. There is no guaranteed formula to fix time blindness. You simply have to adapt, forgive yourself, and move on.

[Tubacabra]

The first thing I need to do is stop wasting time on this forum.

[conventurecomics]

Need to be on the forum a wee bit more.

[SleepingPoppy]

Do you have any kind of therapist or psychologist? You’ve definitely asked this and questions like it before, but I don’t think any answer on a forum is going to really fix the things you struggle with. You might need someone who understands the kind of life skills and motivation issues you struggle with in a professional capacity, and can help build a plan tailored uniquely to you.

[JoshRaed]

I'm going to try putting physical reminders of things to in places, and doing my schoolwork in a public library, see if that works out.

[vapidink]

Have you looked into the possibility of executive dysfunction? This might be something you might want to talk about with a therapist, like Poppy mentioned. In the meantime, maybe write down the things you mean to do and when you mean to do them and keep to the schedule the best you can, or set reminders. Discipline can sometimes just be consciously doing things until they become habits.

[barakothepirate]

Yeah, I have this problem too, due to anti-psychotic medication, and me naturally being lazy. Had trouble brushing my teeth consistently too.

I've watched youtube videos on this, and also from my own experience when I was most productive, that the best way to beat being undisciplined is to create a habit diary, and try and make habits out of stuff by using it. Like buy a paper diary or exercise book, and make a checklist of things you have to do each day and do them, and check off each task as you do them. Don't worry about the amount of time doing the thing either, just as long as you spend like a bare minimum of 10 minutes or so each day practicing each skill. Gradually you'll start to compulsively do the things you want after like 60 or so days of doing the thing straight, and you'll enter a flow state.

Here's a good youtube video which goes into more depth into what I mean...

Providing you don't get hospitalised, or something bad happen to you that is...
And providing you don't have ADHD either, this should work.

Course, the aforementioned therapy couldn't hurt either, that is if you can afford it. Therapy is expensive as hell, and psychologists can be dangerous if your not too careful, a lot of the meds they hand out have severe side effects, so be careful. Research side effects thoroughly....

[Lensing]

Lists, daily habits, timers, patience, baby steps which you increase in intervalls.

I thought of myself as a lost case and I was a complete mess when I was young
but it got better when I was already in my 30s and I´m doing good now at the age of 49
and live a satisfying, productive life and have the feeling of having my life in order.

What helped me the most is the baby steps. Doing something 1 second is no problem,
doing something 10 seconds is also no problem. Why not start with 10 seconds of the
activity that you have to do and don´t want to? You can increase it to 20 seconds in
the next week. And not being too hard on yourself. Little steps are better than nothing.

[JoshRaed]

It just occurred to me that I am doing better in a lot of ways than I did before, and I actually am making progress in some sense. I think I will do better with time. I also have a solution.

[kyupol]

Sometimes life throws you into a situation where you have to be disciplined or else face the consequences...

Compulsory military service taught me that

[MelancholicOtaku]

I don’t really have an answer to how one can learn discipline. I think it’s something one is taught and has to practice through out their lives. No one is going to be disciplined 100% you will have off days but the key lesson is to learn from that off day and continue to work on it one day at a time.