On discipline

19 April 2010

Discipline is an interesting word, isn’t it? When it’s used to express how one person interacts with another (a parent disciplining a child, for example, or an employer disciplining an employee), it has negative connotations. It’s no fun to have someone discipline you and, I can imagine, it’s not fun disciplining someone else.

But when you apply it to yourself—that is, when you have self-discipline—it has positive connotations. At least it does to me. In fact, as a fairly lazy person, self-discipline is something I strive for. And the older I get, the easier it is to achieve.

I was talking with a friend the other day who said that her dentist sometimes reprimands her for not flossing. So I asked her why she didn’t just floss, rather than be subject to reprimand. I pointed out that flossing is good for her gums. It seemed simple enough to be me, but that’s because I’ve developed the habit of flossing daily (and I have a childhood-based fear of being yelled at by the dentist).

Born organized people can’t understand why clutter-prone people don’t just pick up their stuff. To them, it’s natural and takes neither effort nor thought. But for cluttery people it’s another story. It takes effort and forethought. Or it least it does until a habit is created to make it automatic.

Creating a new habit takes self-discipline. But it can be so worthwhile. Say you have an area in your home that attracts clutter, one that bugs you every time you look at it. Even though it bugs you, it’s hard to muster the energy to deal with it. (I’m speaking from personal experience.) Here’s my suggestion: Try focusing in on that one spot and creating a habit to keep it clutter-free. Tell yourself you’ll put stuff away every time the thought goes through your head that you need to. Or, even better, create the habit of clearing that spot on a daily basis. Maybe before bed. Or before dinner. Or after dinner. Just make it a habit.

I’ve written here before about some great tools that can help you create the habit. My favorite is Don’t Break the Chain . I’m successfully using the Don’t Break the Chain method at the moment to create the habit of properly dealing with my clothes every night after I take them off, rather than piling them on the dresser.

Self-disclipine. It’s a beautiful thing. Use it to get a new habit going. Once that habit has become automatic, use your mighty power of self-discipline to create another. This is how I, a naturally messy person, have managed to live with less mess.

Tagged with: don't break the chain, habits, routines