How to become a self-disciplined person?

Hi, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on self-discipline in case they're useful for you.

Having self-discipline is like having freedom. The key to self-discipline is to find a good balance between self-discipline and desire.

Self-discipline isn't about suppressing your desires and becoming a robot who just completes plans without playing or resting. It's about choosing the right time to release and satisfy these needs, relieve stress, and restore your body's balance. If you don't fulfill your desires, they'll haunt you for a long time. Psychologist Hull calls this "drive."

Huel believes that we all need certain things to survive, and that these needs generate drives. A drive is basically a motivational structure that gives the body strength or energy so that the need can be satisfied and the drive reduced.

For instance, if someone is hungry, they'll be driven to find food and eat it. If you go hungry for a long time, you'll crave certain foods when you see them and want to draw pictures of cakes when you touch paper. This will affect your ability to behave in a disciplined manner.

The truth is, you can have your cake and eat it too. I want to play games, and that's a big motivator for me. I also want to study hard and pass the exam, and that's another driving force.

The theory of drive reduction says that suppression is the worst option, while release is the best. The challenge is choosing the right time to release and then maintaining that position while resisting temptations.

1. How you choose the right time depends on your own biorhythm and level of arousal.

For example, I know that I am most productive studying in the library during the day, and seeing other people studying hard also wakes up my learning drive to the optimal level. However, after 8 pm, it is easier for me to lose concentration and become distracted. So, it is better to respect this law and reality and arrange your studies during the day and play games after 8 pm.

This is a great time to play games as a reward for all your hard work studying. It'll encourage you to keep up the good work. Plus, you'll find that you enjoy gaming even more now you've got a bit of a break from studying. You can have your cake and eat it!

2. So, how can you stick to your goals for a set period of time?

The marshmallow experiment is a good example. A group of kindergarteners were put in a situation where they could either eat one marshmallow right away or wait 15 minutes and eat two marshmallows.

Later on, it was discovered that about one-third of the children could really wait patiently and were rewarded with two marshmallows in the end. It's important to understand that this was a group of preschoolers screaming and yelling.

How did they do it? I think there are two main things to take away from the experiment. First, they gave the kids a clear time limit of 15 minutes. Second, they had a clear reward and punishment system. Those who could wait got twice as many marshmallows. The reward itself could be seen as a punishment.

When it comes to self-discipline, delayed gratification is also a big part of it. To be effective, self-discipline also requires clear time boundaries and clear rules for rewards and punishments.

For instance, in addition to gaming, I also enjoy chocolate. I've decided that my basic study time is four hours, with each hour being a pomodoro.

When I've studied for an hour, I treat myself to a chocolate. When I've collected four, I reward myself with two hours of games in the evening. When I've collected more than eight, I allow myself to do something else I enjoy.

At this point, learning might be tough or challenging, but as long as I can meet the goal within the allotted time, I can enjoy a sense of freedom outside of learning. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by negative emotions or self-criticism, I can focus on finding joy in other aspects of my life.

Of course, these methods might also boost external motivation and reduce internal motivation. You can also think more about this:

What are my own needs and desires?

If this is really what I want to do, what do I want most of all?

If this really happens, how will it help me? What kind of person can I become?

In the later stages of his theory, Hull came up with a formula that says a person's effective behavioral potential (P) is equal to their drive (D) multiplied by their habit strength (H) multiplied by their incentive motivation (K). Habit strength is the power of time, and incentive motivation is stimulated by external goals.

In other words, over time, developing habits and following goals can help us reach our full potential and truly experience the freedom to explore.

Just a heads-up: I've expanded on Hull's concept of drive a bit to make it easier to understand. Drive isn't just about biophysical needs.