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In this more hyperactive and information overloaded world, discipline is needed more than ever before.
With more distractions being thrown at us, it's no wonder many of us feel like we lack discipline to do the things we need to do.
When I first struggled with depression, I couldn't understand why I couldn't "just do it" like everyone seemed to suggest.
Why couldn't I just force myself to follow through?
Why did my discipline seem to evaporate on the roughest days?
Over the years, I tried to figure this out... until I realized something.
In this more chaotic world, we need to forge our discipline directly from the chaos rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity that will never come.
With discipline, it's not about perfect consistency or superhuman willpower.
It's about building systems that work with this chaotic world rather than against it.
In this post, I'm going to share how you can build unbreakable discipline even when the world is trying to make us lose focus.
Because the truth is, those who master discipline despite our modern environment can develop the freedom they need to navigate their lives.
Let's dive in!
How many times have you been told to "just push through" or "just do it" like Nike - advice that feels like you're being told to "swim faster" while you're drowning?
This is why common advice around self-discipline can fail us.
When you're going up against our current world, the problem isn't always laziness.
The problem may just be that your brain's reward system is fundamentally altered.
Activities that should feel rewarding don't.
Here's what most people miss: the chaos can become your greatest teacher.
And you can redirect that chaos into discipline.
This is what I call "Reforged Discipline" – a framework specifically designed for those that leverage even the smallest windows of clarity to build momentum that survives during our more challenging days.
The unique advantage is this: those who master discipline despite challenges develop extraordinary abilities to act despite internal resistance.
And this serves them in every area of life.
Small, consistent actions have greater impact on discipline than occasional major efforts.
Let me show you how to do this system step-by-step.
I remember hating exercise so much when I first started.
But then I noticed a few things from it.
I ate better. I slept better. I felt better. I thought better.
This wasn't just coincidence.
A landmark study published in The Lancet followed over 1.2 million people and found that regular exercise reduced bad mental health days by 43.2%.
More importantly, the optimal dose wasn't massive – just 45 minutes, 3-4 times per week.
For those of you looking to cultivate discipline, movement should be an essential part of building self-discipline.
You DO NOT have to commit to anything crazy right now, just get into the habit of doing it consistently.
From there, focus on the feeling you get every workout session.
Don't worry about visual appearance goals just yet, just focus on the process of feeling better.
The discipline foundation isn't about intensity – it's about consistency despite chaos.
The environment around you is either working for your discipline or against it.
This is especially true when dealing with things like depression and anxiety.
The solution here isn't more willpower.
It is changing your mental & physical environment.
Let me explain.
One of the biggest challenges I've come across recently is jumping towards my phone first thing.
It would immediately stress me out when I would see a ton of emails from work, or a bunch of social media notifications flying at me.
In fact, it got to the point where I would feel tired all the time, and it felt like I wasn't doing much.
I decided to put my phone across the room, added focus times to limit the notifications that were flooding my phone, and set timers on social media.
Not only did my time and focus come back, but I realized my energy came back as well.
And with this, it became easier to stay motivated and maintain willpower for the day.
Simply put, both your mental and physical environments should reduce decision fatigue at every turn.
Consider the following:
Remember: willpower is a finite resource, especially when you're exhausted mentally.
Environmental design is about conserving that resource for when it truly matters.
One truth I've learned: action comes before the motivation, not the other way around.
And if something like depression hits you, waiting for motivation is like waiting for rain in a desert.
It might come eventually, but you'll die of thirst first.
The 5-minute rule has been my lifeline during my darkest periods.
The premise is simple: commit to just 5 minutes of any important activity.
That's it.
Want to exercise but can't face a full workout?
Commit to 5 minutes.
Need to work on a project but feeling paralyzed?
5 minutes.
The magic happens because 5 minutes is non-threatening enough that you can almost always push through the resistance.
And once you start, neurochemical shifts often make continuing easier than stopping.
But here's the critical part: you must give yourself complete permission to stop after 5 minutes.
This isn't a trick.
On the roughest days, doing just 5 minutes IS the win.
The momentum protocol also includes recovery strategies for inevitable setbacks.
Because setbacks are inevitable.
I've found that planning specific, written recovery contingency plan in advance is transformative.
My personal recovery contingency plan includes:
Having this protocol ready has shortened my "down periods" from days to a matter of hours.
I suggest you give something like this a shot!
People with anxiety and depression often struggle to connect with positive future visions.
This is also true with those dealing with a more chaotic world: we get so lost in the monotony of the work we do to get paid, that we forget who we are and who we want to become.
It is so crucial to have both a vision of who you want to be AND an anti-vision of who you do not want to be.
Your vision is what you're moving toward: the life, identity, and impact you want to create.
But on dark days, this can feel too distant or impossible to get to.
Your anti-vision is what you're moving away from: the specific struggles, limitations, and patterns you refuse to accept as your permanent reality.
I spent years unable to consistently connect with my vision of wanting to help others live more actively for their energy, mood, and well-being.
But I could ALWAYS remind myself about my anti-vision: I refused to quit my physical exercise and the pursuit of mental growth.
I knew that if I stopped exercising, growing, and learning, it would take me back to the lowest point of my life, and I refused to go back there.
On good days, move toward who you want to become.
On bad days, move away from who you don't want to become.
Either direction is progress.
The key is developing emotional anchors for both.
For me, this includes the following:
These anchors make abstract concepts tangible.
They are reminders that you can literally touch even when your mind is clouded.
The final piece of Reforged Discipline is learning to recalibrate expectations rather than abandoning them completely.
Most discipline systems are binary: you either succeed or fail.
But life fluctuates constantly.
Some days you operate at 90% capacity; others at 30%.
The daily recalibration practice acknowledges this reality and adjusts accordingly.
Each morning, spend 5 minutes assessing your mental and emotional state on a simple 1-10 scale.
Based on that number, adjust your expectations:
This isn't lowering standards – it's being strategic about your energy and resources.
The evening component involves a 3-minute reflection:
This simple practice cultivates discipline because it sets the foundation of continued discipline.
In implementing this practice, I went from having frequent 1-4 days, to more frequent 5-7 days.
And now on most days, I'm in the 8-10 range regularly, having more good days than bad ones.
Use this simple practice to help you push forward.
Remember: if you can only give 10%, give 100% of that 10%.
It took a long time to get here, but I'm truly grateful for this journey.
The discipline I've created despite depression and anxiety has become my superpower in every other area of life.
You can forge this discipline too: not despite your struggles, but through them.
Start with movement, engineer your environment, implement the momentum protocol, clarify your vision and anti-vision, and practice daily recalibration.
Small steps.
Consistent effort.
This is discipline.
You have everything you need to begin.
Just take the plunge.
Until next time!
There was a time in my life when my self-esteem was non-existent.
I would actively avoid social situations, second-guess every decision, and constantly seek validation from others.
The good news is that I found a way out.
No more complicated routines, no hour-long meditations, no Saratoga water ice-cold face baths. ;)
These past few years have been stressful as hell.
While we can’t always control external chaos, we can control how we take care of ourselves.