If you scroll on social media long enough you will find a post that tells you to ignore your feelings and do difficult things. And this is true to an extent. It is something I have talked about in previous articles. If you only do things when you feel motivated then you will hardly get anything done. You do need to take action and instill discipline in your life.
However, this isn't the full story. Discipline can use up a lot of energy. Trying to eat healthy when you have 2 packs of triple chocolate cookies in the cupboard is difficult (in this instance it might be a good idea to change your environment). Discipline has been made to seem lonely, cold, dull, unattractive, and not fun.
This article will look at another layer of discipline which is about making it fun.
Discipline Is Incomplete
This is something that Ali Abdaal recently touched upon when discussing his new book Feel Good Productivity.
Discipline is essential in life and there will be times where we need to do something difficult that we do not feel like doing.
When we are faced with these situations, why not make the tasks fun?
Let's say you are trying to improve your fitness. You could go the social media discipline route and drag yourself out in the rain to run 10 miles (you might even find it enjoyable). Or you could join a local sports team where you meet up a few times a week.
Which sounds more fun? A cold, wet run or playing football with your friends twice a week?
If you want to eat healthy you could employ discipline and eat the same boring 3 meals everyday or you could experiment with new meals that are healthy. You could take some cooking classes and try new things.
Discipline is needed but making the hard task fun reduces the need for it. You can then save that willpower and discipline for the really difficult tasks.
Turn It Into A Game
Alex Hormozi is one of the hardest working individuals on the planet. Does he use discipline? Yes, probably.
There will be situations where there is some boring or difficult task that he needs to do that he doesn't feel like doing yet does it anyway.
But as he has said on various podcast appearances, he loves the game.
His work is his playground and he loves what he does. I would guess that the majority of what he does feels like play to him.
Chris Williamson has said that instead of going out for runs, he plays pickleball with his mates. He has turned his fitness into a game with a social aspect. I would imagine that he doesn't even think about playing pickleball as any form of cardio but thinks of it as a fun thing he gets to do with the added benefit.
If you are studying for an exam, make up a game to play with your friends where the winner gets a prize. You could go one step further and make it into a board game.
Track your progress in the gym and make it a goal to beat yourself every week. Play a game against your past yourself.
Most of us love playing games so turn the difficult thing into one.
The Final Word
Discipline is good but we can remove the need for it by turning our work into play. Make your workday, your studies, and your exercise fun and you will find yourself procrastinating less. The final phrase I will leave you with is:
“See, this is the real secret of life: to be completely engaged with what you're doing in the here and now—and instead of calling it work, realize that this is play.”
Alan Watts