Episode 682: 5 Ways to Have More Discipline in Your Life (Mindset & Self-Care)

EBT682 – 5 Ways to Have More Discipline in Your Life

Intro  00:01

Hey food bloggers. Thank you so much for joining me in this mindset and self-care focused episode here on Eat Blog Talk. One of the reasons I started a blog talk was to hold a space to talk about the importance of mindset and self-care. Being an entrepreneur can be a lot. If we are not taking care of ourselves, then getting actionable information about SEO Pinterest or whatever else is all moot. I will meet you back here every Wednesday to discuss various mindset and self-care topics. So you have the energy and space to tackle the rest.

Hello food bloggers. Welcome to this self care and mindset focused episode of Eat Blog Talk. Thank you for joining me always. In today’s episode we’re going to talk about five ways to have more discipline in your life. As entrepreneurs we can have all the goals and all the dreams and all the good intentions in the world, but if we do not have the discipline to carry through with any of it, then there is no point. Literally. I am currently reading a book called The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin and I believe that every creative soul in the world you, you.

[00:01:18]   

 You should read this book. It is the most beautifully written book I have read in a really long time. I can relate to so much of what the author talks about in the book and it really applies to any creative individual, whether you are an author, an actor, a musician or a food blogger.

[00:01:40]   

 I’ve been dog-earing pages left and right to go back and reread and take notes on later. One of the sections that really stood out to me and made me stop in my tracks was about discipline. I’m going to read you this quote from the book that made me stop on the page and reread this section quite a few times.

[00:02:02]   

 It’s from page 135 in the book and it goes like “Discipline and freedom seem like opposites. In reality, they are partners. Discipline is not a lack of freedom. It is a harmonious relationship with time. Managing your schedule and daily habits well is a necessary component to free up the practical and creative capacity to make great art.

[00:02:30]   

 It could even be said that a focused efficiency in life is more important than the one in work. Approaching the practical aspects of your day with military precision allows the artistic windows to be opened in childlike freedom.” So beautifully said and there’s so much wisdom packed in those words. Rewind if you need to listen to it a couple of times.

[00:02:55]   

 And then if you are a reader, I highly recommend that you either borrow a copy of the book, go to the library, see if they have it or purchase your own copy. It is really so inspiring and so good. So along those lines, let’s talk through five ways to have more discipline in. 

Sponsor (Chelsea Plummer) 00:37

Hi. My name is Chelsea Plummer. I blog at maesmenu.com and I also run a boutique content creation agency, Maes Media. At Maes Media, we are a small team of experienced cooks and bakers who love to write, and we’d love to help you create new blog posts, whether you’re looking for help with writing new blogs or optimizing existing let’s partner together to grow your blog. We have an in-house SEO specialist, and pride ourselves in writing high quality content that your readers will enjoy reading as much as the search engines will enjoy ranking it. Everything is written 100% by humans and an in-house editor copy edits and finalizes all posts, making it a full service offering for you. Take blog post creation off your plate and let us handle it for you. Email me at [email protected] to schedule a free content maximizing strategy call today. That’s Chelsea, C, H, E, L, S, E, A at Maes Media, M, A, E, S media.co Thanks so much, and I look forward to talking with you soon.

[00:04:21]  Megan Porta 

 Number one: Define the non negotiables. Discipline does not exist without clarity. That is super important to know right off the bat. If you have no idea what you’re supposed to be doing or working on, there is zero chance of staying disciplined because you don’t even know what you’re working on. You don’t even know what you’re doing.

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So step one before we even arrive at this episode or these points is to have a clear list of goals that you are working toward. Go back and listen to Eat Blog talk episode number 634 which is five steps to goal setting and planning. If you haven’t already, then come back and meet me here.

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 I will wait. Once you have your goals set and you have a clear picture of what you are working toward, what are those actions you must take daily or weekly, no matter what? These could be things like publishing content on a regular basis, creating and publishing social media content, filming, editing and publishing YouTube videos, prioritizing exercise and self care. Engaging with your audience consistently through your email list and other avenues.

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 When you make something non negotiable, you remove that question of if you will do it if and you simply make it part of your routine. Think of a non negotiable like brushing your teeth. It’s something that is automatic. It’s not up for debate. You get up and you just get it done. Apply that same mindset to your habits so you can get in the groove with being more disciplined.

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 Try adding just one or two non negotiables to your calendar this week and see how it feels. Do not waver, do just get those things done and continue with prioritizing them until you feel ready to add more. Number two Create a System Goals are super duper important, but systems are next level game changers.

[00:06:19]   

 If your goal is to increase your blog traffic, don’t just wish for it or wait for it. I’ve been there by the way. Create a system that supports it. Here is an example. Establish that you are going to write and publish two new posts per week. You’re going to optimize one old post per week and you’re going to engage with your email list and social media daily.

[00:06:43]   

 You can sit down and make this plan and that’s great, but when you put it into action, it becomes a system. First you need to make a content plan. Then you need to determine dates. You’ll sit down and 1 write the content and photograph the content and then 2 publish the content. Putting it all together the same thing applies to optimizing your older content.

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 This will require just a bit of planning for email and social media engagement. You’ll need to set days of the week to publish these pieces of content. Then think in a backward fashion to plan, write and execute them. Get as detailed with these things in both your calendar and your to do list as possible and and etch them in stone.

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 Once they are there, they are happening and they become systems. So be sure to get them done. Prioritize them. Having a system in place removes you relying on motivation which as you know can fluctuate and it keeps you progressing in a forward direction. Regardless of how you feel, the system is there and it has to keep going.

[00:07:52]   

 Number three – Time Block Like a Pro. One of the biggest discipline killers is an unstructured schedule and calendar time blocking can be like pure magic strolling into your business. It will help you protect your most important work instead of squeezing it in when you can. Here are some block off deep work time for writing, creating or strategizing.

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 Schedule breaks and rest so you can avoid that nasty burnout. Batch similar tasks together, for example content creation on Mondays, social media on Tuesdays, et cetera. And remember that this is a process. I literally tweak my time blocking every single week and that is no lie. Here’s an example. One of my goals is to publish weekly mindset episodes.

[00:08:44]   

 These that I’m recording now. My non negotiable is that I keep up with this weekly and stay six weeks ahead with episodes. I do this to avoid overwhelm and to give my schedule a little wiggle room so I never feel pressured. My system for making this happen is to write out one outline weekly and to record a different episode weekly.

[00:09:07]   

 So recording the outline I wrote for the previous week. At first I was writing my outlines on Thursdays and recording them on Mondays. I recently decided to time block to get more in the flow with these episodes. So now I record the episode that I wrote the previous week and I write a new one immediately after that.

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 I will record the following week. I can do all of this in less than two hours. Before it was taking me at least three hours. It feels like everything is super efficient with this now, but I will keep my eyes peeled for ways to improve this system and time blocking. And the magic of time blocking is that it actually gives you more freedom because you’re not scrambling at the last minute.

[00:09:49]   

 Number four – Eliminate Decision fatigue. Every single teeny tiny decision you make during the day and at night drains your mental energy. And what I’m finding as I get older and also as my business is mature is that mental energy is so precious. It is perhaps the most precious commodity. As someone who runs multiple businesses on top of having a life outside of work and a family and all of that, I literally look for any and every opportunity and idea that will save me mental energy.

[00:10:25]   

 In addition to saving energy, this point will also help you to be a more disciplined individual. Win win. Right. The more you can pre decide anything in your life and business, the more discipline you can maintain. Reduce small daily decisions by meal prepping so you don’t waste time figuring out what to eat.

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 Planning blog content out ahead of time so you’re not guessing about what to post ever. Creating a weekly to do and task list so there’s never a question in your mind about what you should be working on or doing at any given moment. Saving energy on those little decisions gives you the bandwidth to focus on major decisions.

[00:11:06]   

 We’ve all heard the reference to Steve Jobs wearing the same black turtleneck every day in order to reduce decision fatigue. It might seem way too simplified, but that was one thing he never had to think about. So think about this question. What is your equivalent? Maybe having a structured morning routine or a weekly content plan?

[00:11:28]   

 Do what you can to eliminate some of those decisions from your days and your weeks so that you can have more precious energy and more discipline. Number five – Use rewards and consequences. Discipline does not have to feel like drudgery. I think a lot of entrepreneurs tie these two words together. Just like the passage I shared at the beginning of this episode, discipline and freedom are partners.

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 Keep this concept in mind as you work to improve your discipline. I’ve personally found that attaching rewards to good habits and gentle consequences to slipping up helps me to stay on track. Rewards could be after completing your weekly content that you set, treat yourself to a coffee date. A consequence could be if you miss a deadline, you donate $10 to a cause that is not your first choice or whatever.

[00:12:26]   

 Our brains love instant gratification, so allow yourself to celebrate the small wins that you achieve through being disciplined and this will keep that momentum going. Discipline has nothing to do with being perfect by the way. Just figure out what works for you. You do not have to overhaul everything at once in your business and in your life.

[00:12:48]   

 Pick one or two of these strategies and experiment with them this week. Then tweak, refine and build as you go. Those small changes are going to lead to big results. Stick with them. Trust the process. This week I challenge you to pick one discipline related change and commit to it for seven days.

[00:13:10]   

 Whether it’s defining your non negotiables, planning ahead to eliminate that decision fatigue, or setting up some sort of reward system for yourself, see what happens when you take consistent action. Let’s recap what we talked about in this episode. The five ways to have more discipline in your life. Define your non negotiables. Create a system, not just a goal time block like a pro.

[00:13:35]   

 Eliminate decision fatigue and use rewards and consequences. The key takeaway here is that discipline and freedom go hand in hand. The more you build intentional habits, the more space you’re going to create for all of that good stuff. Creativity, joy and long term success. All things that we want. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. I will see you back here next time. 

Outro 

Thank you so much for listening to this mindset and self-care episode here on Eat Blog Talk. If you are a food blogger providing a service for other food bloggers, and you want to spread the word about the value that you offer. I would love to offer you a free way to do just this. Send me a 60 second audio clip to be featured in a mindset and self-care episode here on Eat Blog Talk. Go to eatblogtalk.com/audioclip to learn more.