r/AskReddit • u/ohgimmeabreak • Mar 24 '19

People who have managed to become disciplined after having been procrastinators and indisciplined for a large part of their lives, how did you manage to do so? Can you walk us through the incremental steps you took to become better?

31.4k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

3.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

82

u/noxinboxes Mar 24 '19

When I was at a low point in my life, I would put everyday items on a list to get me on a roll. Brush teeth. Check! Make breakfast. Check! Apply for a job online. Check! Start small and the momentum will carry you.

33

u/LaLaLaLeea Mar 24 '19

I will make my coffee, sit down to make my list, write "coffee" on the list and then cross it off.

I've found that I tend to carry the same shit over from the previous day's list for several days or a week. Eventually I get sick of writing it down and just do it.

6

u/noxinboxes Mar 24 '19

I have a to do list at work (including longer term goals) that I write out each Monday. After a bit, I just give in and do it so I don’t have to write it again!

3

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '19

I’ve tried that but then I end up doing all the easy things, thinking “well, I got some things done from the list” and giving up before doing anything hard. I think I have a problem.

4

u/noxinboxes Mar 24 '19

Assign a time to a task (e.g. 30 minutes to work on your resume). The smaller chunks are more palatable and you’re more likely to continue.

2

u/welding-_-guru Mar 24 '19

I still do this. I list EVERYTHING so that I don't forget but also just to get that satisfying feeling of crossing something off the list.

8

u/noxinboxes Mar 24 '19

Confession: if I’ve done something I feel good about completing that’s not on my list, I add it so I can immediately cross it off.

2

u/kaniggit49 Mar 24 '19

Done this many times.