Being disciplined isn’t just about sticking to a tight schedule; it’s also about the choices you make every day. We all have moments where we aren’t as productive, or we get distracted, but here are 17 traits of people who aren’t disciplined.
You Procrastinate Regularly
Delaying or postponing tasks regularly will make it very hard to maintain any discipline. Verywell Mind says, “The reality is that if you wait until you’re in the right frame of mind to do certain tasks (especially undesirable ones), you will probably find that the right time simply never comes along, and the task never gets completed.”
You Don’t Follow Through on Commitments
Not following through on your commitments to yourself and others can lead to a cycle of guilt and a reduced level of self confidence. It can also mean others lose trust in you or consider you to be an unreliable person. It’s important to be accountable, so try to make reasonable commitments and stick to them.
You Frequently Make Excuses
Blaming your mistakes or flaws on external circumstances or not having the right resources is a classic example of making excuses. Often, people will do this to avoid confronting the fact that they haven’t been able to achieve something they set out to do.
You Lack a Daily Routine
According to Northwestern Medicine, having structure in your day leads to “better mental health, more time to relax, and less anxiety.” To establish a routine, try to start your morning and evening with activities that mark the start and end of the day, and make sure you go to bed and get up at the same time each day.
You Can’t Resist Temptations
Giving in to temptations, whether they be unhealthy comfort foods, scrolling on social media, or not going to the gym, can reduce your chances of meeting your own long term goals. To improve your self-control, try to set clear rules for yourself, and you could even reward yourself at the end of the week if you follow them all.
You Never Set Personal Goals
Goal setting is essential for creating purpose in your day-to-day and measuring your progress, both professionally and personally. Disciplined people set SMART goals, meaning each one is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. This will improve your motivation and give you a sense of direction.
You Fail to Prioritize Tasks
Taking time to prioritize your tasks helps you manage your time and resources in the most efficient way. BetterUp says, “If you haven’t prioritized your tasks, you might waste time working on the wrong things, like low-priority items instead of high-stakes and urgent tasks.”
You Allow Distractions to Derail You
A message coming through on your phone, a noisy working environment, or just having too many tasks on the go at the same time—distractions can be disruptive. To stay productive, try to set clear boundaries with yourself and others in the workplace and consider using focus-enhancing apps.
You Don’t Take Care of Your Health
Your physical health can affect your mental and emotional health, meaning that when you’re not looking after your body, you’ll find it hard to be disciplined. Try to incorporate regular exercise into your day, eat a balanced diet, and get enough sleep each night.
You Rely Too Heavily on External Motivation
Relying on others or certain situations to be motivated will mean you become inconsistent in your discipline. Instead, try to develop your own motivation by considering your own personal values, setting SMART goals, and considering the deeper reasons behind each task you need to complete.
You Ignore the Power of Reflection
Reflecting on your activities or day-to-day can allow you to monitor your progress toward the goals you’ve set for yourself, acknowledge your achievements, and set new goals for the future. Not taking time to reflect can make it hard to learn from your past actions.
You Don’t Manage Your Finances Wisely
Financial discipline is essential for ensuring you are secure, but also so that you can meet your savings goals. Impulse spending can quickly derail your monthly finances, and by not saving for the future, you risk not being able to meet your life goals. Try to manage this with a monthly budget.
You Avoid Challenging Tasks
Nobody likes to fail, but being challenged is an important step in developing your own skills and personal growth. Facing challenging situations also builds your resilience and confidence, meaning you’ll be better able to face the next hurdle. By gradually setting yourself up for more and more challenging tasks, you’ll help build habits that set you up for success.
You Lack Persistence
Being persistent means that you will continue working towards a goal, even if you face difficulties or setbacks along the way. Not being persistent can mean you give up on your goal, which disciplined people won’t do. It’s important to keep positive, break your goals down into smaller steps, and take time to learn from the setbacks.
You Fail to Learn From Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, but ignoring them is a waste of a valuable life lesson that might help your personal and professional growth. Take time to consider what went wrong and why. “Understanding how it happened will help you make different choices in the future, so similar mistakes don’t happen again,” according to Masterclass.
You Don’t Seek Feedback
Feedback from others is crucial to helping you understand your personal weaknesses and strengths. By listening to these insights from trusted colleagues, friends, or mentors, you can focus your personal development. Avoiding it will only result in you missing opportunities for growth.
You Struggle with Decision Making
We all have to make decisions every day; some are easier than others, but making effective decisions is essential for staying focused on your goals. By being indecisive or changing your mind a lot, you can become confused or hinder your progress. Try to set yourself a time limit and use it to weigh up the benefits of each option.