The ULTIMATE Guide To Becoming Motivated & Disciplined

You know what you need to do. You just don't do it.

This is one of the most frustrating experiences you can go through.

And it's soul destroying.

You had dreams and ambitions a long time ago that excited you.

But fast forward to now and maybe you're not happy with how things turned out.

Why? Because you can never stay on track for long enough.

Maybe too many bad habits fill your time.

You then feel ashamed at not getting anything done so you fall back on your bad habits in an endless shame spiral.

People stay stuck here for years.

But there's hope.

You're reading this article, which means you have a chance at changing.

I'm giving you the ultimate step-by-step system to help you build the motivation to change your life.

But first, let's talk about why motivation is an issue in the first place.

Why You Can't Stay Motivated

There are a few reasons why you struggle to stay motivated:

• You lack awareness. You don't have enough visibility when it comes to your life, your choices and their consequences.
• You lack clarity. Your goals are vague, unspecific or unrealistic.
• You haven't made a full commitment & gone "all in" yet.
• You lack focus. Being constantly distracted which makes desirable change impossible.

So to get moving, we need a solution that… 

1. Makes you aware of your situation in a way that lights a fire under your ass to get moving.
2. Gives you clarity in your goals and the next steps you need to take.
3. Challenges us to make a full commitment.
4. Reduces distractions & allows us to stay focused on the essential tasks.

Remember this, it's never too late.

You only need 6 months of pure focus & dedication to reinvent yourself.

If you start now.

How To Get Motivated & Disciplined

This method is hands down the only resource you need to shift into fifth gear and make some serious changes in your life.

If you want to take back control of your life and get motivated, look no further.

There are 8 steps in total.

Let's go.

Step #1: Become aware of your responsibilities

The first thing you need to acknowledge out loud is what it is you're responsible for.

If you're a student, you're responsible for your grades.

If you're an employee, you're responsible for your performance.

Are you responsible for your family? A pet?

Also, aren't you responsible for the happiness and well-being of your future self?

Step #2: Know what's at stake (consequences)

Once you've identified your responsibilities, what's at stake if you don't uphold them?

Will you fail out of school? Will you be fired from your job? Will your loved ones or pets die?

Thinking through these consequences is a crucial part of getting disciplined. It becomes the backbone of your productivity.

Most people miss this step entirely.

And let's consider your future self for a moment...

What do you want for that person?

What are you willing to do today to increase the chances for happiness for them?

What's at stake for your future self if you aren't willing to do anything to help them today?

Step #3: Make a commitment to change

If you've internalized what's at stake if you do nothing, then what are you willing to change in order to fulfill your responsibilities?

Are you willing to change your habits?

Are you willing to change your mindset?

Are you willing to pay attention to something other than your monkey/lizard brain?

Acknowledging your responsibilities and the consequences of not upholding your responsibilities is the foundation of making positive changes in your life.

If you're still reading then maybe you're willing to make changes.

It's normal to feel overwhelmed at this point. Especially if there's so much to change.

But this is the tipping point. 

At this point most people fall back on their bad habits to avoid the feeling of overwhelm.

Don't let the addiction & shame spiral win.

Go back to your responsibilities, your consequences and your previous commitment to make changes and then come back here.

Step #4: Look at your boulders (big goals/dreams/projects)

After looking at the previous steps, the next step (which is also a key strategy to reducing overwhelm) is to get clear on your boulders.

These are your big goals, dreams and projects.

Write them down and consider if they're attainable or not.

"Become the next elon musk" for example, is a vague wish with no concrete path forward.

You must be able to break down your boulders into actionable steps.

Step #5: Break those goals into smaller tasks

The next strategy is to start chipping away at your boulders to make a list of manageable tasks.

Once you have created all of the tasks required to tackle your boulders and effect change, you need to prioritize them.

Find a free task management app and start dumping everything in, categorizing and tagging as needed.

This is a trial and error process.

Don't take on too much at once unless you like failure.

It's counterintuitive to slow down but multitasking guarantees mediocrity. 

Instead, prioritize your tasks based on need and benefit.

Don't try to tackle more than two or three at a time, and never simultaneously.

Change will not be immediate.

This is another great excuse for some people to give up.

Progress comes from patient consistency.

One day, you'll be amazed at how far you've come, but only in hindsight.

Step #6: Become aware of what distracts you

"I want to change but I end up wasting my time on distractions"

If you're saying this, you either skimmed the first part of this article or didn't do it.

Go back and do the first three steps again.

That being said, you absolutely cannot change in a lasting way if distractions are eating up all of your time.

Remove your distractions.

Delete your accounts and useless apps.

Install blockers.

Get an accountability partner.

Be honest. Remember your responsibilities & your stakes.

Remember your commitment to change.

You've broken down the boulders, now get to work.

Step #7: Optimise your environment for focus

With distractions out of the way, optimize for focus.

Kill multi-tasking.

Work in focused batches on one task at a time. 

Play music if it helps or get earplugs.  

Increase your chances to achieve flow, get in the zone, and make progress on your task.

Do your research ahead of time unless research is the task itself.

Step #8: Just do it

Don't overthink it.

Do it scrappily.

Be willing to get it wrong and learn from your mistakes.

Perfection is the enemy of great.

The only real failure is the failure to try.

If you lose focus, take a timed break and re-focus.

If you get distracted then remove the distraction.

If the task is too big then keep breaking it down until it's small enough to complete.

You want to change.

You know what's at stake.

You know what you are responsible for.

So go do it.

Until next time,

Oliver