Hacker News Reader

Comment by imgabe | Hacker News Reader

You don't. In the long run, you build a habit. Discipline is a short term solution to stick with something long enough to become a habit.

How do you "stay disciplined" to brush your teeth every day? Chances are you just do it without thinking much about it. You don't hem and haw and read a bunch of motivational memes to gather up the willpower to brush your teeth. It's just something you automatically do.

I highly recommend the book Atomic Habits for advice about how to build up habits. The main key is to start small. If you want to get in shape, you're not going to start out working out for 90 minutes every day. You start with 5 minutes or something so easy that you can't not do it. Then you keep doing it until it becomes automatic and build from there.

View on HN

I also read atomic habits recently. I found it really helpful for these types of problems. As the author says, accomplishing things is brought by building good systems and forming automatic habits. Not by fighting urges off left and right.

I started going to the gym again after a few years off. It was really hard at 1st to simply keep my gym schedule. Now, I go to the gym no matter what because it's simply what I do.

I do think, however, that books like these should be re-read from time to time to reinforce/rekindle the habit building machine.

Read self-help books until they all start sounding the same

I'm not sure, based on your sentence structure, whether that was a "command" or your personal experience.

Regardless, sometimes, "self-help" books do come through on their promise. I found AH gave me good tools to build new habits by exposing me to the idea of designing my environment to push good habits. That's all.

I'd highly recommend reading Atomic Habits. One of the key concepts in the book regarding changing habits is developing or changing how you identify yourself. From your post, it appears you like starting things. More details from authors blog here:

https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits

For me, I started diligently tracking what new interests I develop. Before I picked up a new topic of research or area of interest, I would put it in a note and evaluate if this would take me closer or further from my overall goal. I stopped spending too much time on a new interest if it did not align with my overall goal. "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." It is really important to be self-aware of this trend, and you have shown that you want to improve.

Good luck!

Well said

>How do you "stay disciplined"? You don't.

> In the long run, you build a habit. Discipline is a short term solution to stick with something long enough to become a habit.

>the book Atomic Habits

My mouth tastes horrendous if I don’t brush so that’s a reminder and motivator. It can be good to have the equivalent for other things. I find if I’ve promised something I’m more likely to finish because of the bad taste of breaking the promise. Even f the promisee doesn’t care too much.

I agree. I spend a lot of time trying to develop what I (internally) refer to as 'micro' habits. So, needless to say, thanks for the book rec! Sounds like just what I need.

I could agree more with your post! Also, Atomic Habits really is a great book!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com