“I value self discipline, but creating systems that make it next to impossible to misbehave is more reliable than self control”
By Tim Ferriss in the book 365 Days With Self Discipline
Chances are, your definition of self discipline is all wrong.
Most people think self discipline means fighting against your temptations like a knight defending his kingdom under attack.
But it’s not that at all
80% of the times, it means avoiding your temptations. That’s right.
Who knew avoidance could be the best and most healthy way out of something lol.
Now, what i mean by avoidance is- putting up roadblocks ahead of time and creating a self control system that will do the heavy lifting for you.
And what happens the rest 20% of the time?
You find yourself in unplanned impromptu situations that test your resolve, and that is where your self discipline reserve actually comes into play.
For instance: I was invited to a friend’s birthday today.
I knew the guest list comprised of people i didn’t like being around.
My goals, beliefs, ideals did not align with theirs at all.
I had 2 options:
Go to the party and test my self discipline by not engaging in draining conversations and try to protect my mental peace.
Simply avoid the party (comes at a cost of FOMO, but pros outweigh the cons)
Instead of wasting precious drops of my discipline reserve, i chose the easy way out. And guess what?
The easy choice is not always the wrong choice.
For 365 days worth of knowledge nuggets, this is the pick for you.