How to Develop Self-Discipline, Resist Temptations and Reach Your Long-Terms Goals
If you want to make positive changes in your life and achieve your long-term goals, I can’t think of a better way to do it than to learn how to become more self-disciplined.
Science has figured out a lot of interesting aspects of self-discipline and willpower, but most of this knowledge is buried deep inside long and boring scientific papers.
If you’d like to benefit from these studies without actually reading them, this course is for you.
Read more
How to Develop Self-Discipline, Resist Temptations and Reach Your Long-Terms Goals
If you want to make positive changes in your life and achieve your long-term goals, I can’t think of a better way to do it than to learn how to become more self-disciplined.
Science has figured out a lot of interesting aspects of self-discipline and willpower, but most of this knowledge is buried deep inside long and boring scientific papers.
If you’d like to benefit from these studies without actually reading them, this course is for you.
How to Develop Self-Discipline, Resist Temptations and Reach Your Long-Terms Goals
If you want to make positive changes in your life and achieve your long-term goals, I can’t think of a better way to do it than to learn how to become more self-disciplined.
Science has figured out a lot of interesting aspects of self-discipline and willpower, but most of this knowledge is buried deep inside long and boring scientific papers.
If you’d like to benefit from these studies without actually reading them, this course is for you.
I’ve done the job for you and researched the most useful and viable scientific findings that will help you improve your self-discipline.
Here are just a couple of things you will learn from the course:
- what a bank robber with lemon juice on his face can teach you about self-control. The story will make you laugh out loud, but its implications will make you think twice about your ability to control your urges.
- how $50 chocolate bars can motivate you to keep going when faced with an overwhelming temptation to give in.
- why President Obama wears only gray and blue suits and what it has to do with self-control (it’s also a possible reason why the poor stay poor).
- why the popular way of visualization can actually prevent you from reaching your goals and destroy your self-control (and what to do instead).
- what dopamine is and why it’s crucial to understand its role to break your bad habits and form good ones.
- practical ways to train your self-discipline. Discover some of the most important techniques to increase your self-control and become better at resisting instant gratification.
- why the status quo bias will threaten your goals and what to do to reduce its effect on your resolutions.
- why extreme diets help people achieve long-term results, and how to apply these findings in your own life.
- why and when indulging yourself can actually help you build your self-discipline. Yes, you can stuff yourself (from time to time) and still lose weight.
Instead of sharing with you the detailed "why" (with confusing and boring descriptions of studies), I will share with you the "how" – advice that will change your life if you decide to follow it.
You too can master the art of self-discipline and learn how to resist temptations. Your long term goals are worth it.
What's inside
Learning objectives
- How to break your bad habits and form new, positive ones
- How to escape the status quo bias that makes people avoid making changes in their lives
- How to train your self-discipline to become a true master of your willpower
- How to use strategic indulging to improve your diet adherence
- How to break your bad habits and form new, positive ones
- How to escape the status quo bias that makes people avoid making changes in their lives
- How to train your self-discipline to become a true master of your willpower
- How to use strategic indulging to improve your diet adherence
Syllabus
Status quo bias is a preference to keep things as they are. Any change from your current state is perceived as a loss. As a result, making positive changes in your life can be much harder than you think – simply because you will perceive them as losses, even if the current situation is no longer optimal for you.
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Syllabus
How do you build self-discipline in your life? How do you resist short-term rewards in order to reach your long-term goals? This course (based on my bestselling book How to Build Self-Discipline: Resist Temptations and Reach Your Long-Term Goals) has the answers to these questions.
Self-discipline can seem difficult, but can be simplified to one simple concept: automating your behavior. You don’t need more self-discipline than you already have if you establish new habits in your life – default actions you take when tempted away from your long-term goals.
Self-discipline is about controlling your temporary urges to meet your long-term goals. The key phrase here is long-term goals. They are the reason why you say no to instant gratification and one of the most powerful tools to help you stick to your resolutions.
People who want to become more disciplined often mistake self-discipline with making themselves miserable. That’s not what self-discipline is about.
Let's review what you've learned about the basics of self-discipline.
Although dopamine can work against you, it’s not an evil neurotransmitter just waiting to find yet another temptation to break your long-term goals.
Let's review what you've learned about the secrets of dopamine.
You can introduce more willpower and discipline in your life if you make an effort to stop avoiding discomfort. Acting against your urges and emotions will build more toughness, which in turn will help you resist temptations better. There are three simple ways to develop more willpower.
Let's review what you've learned about training your willpower.
Studies show that due to a phenomenon known as temporal discounting, people prefer immediate gains over future rewards. Part of the reason lies in considering their future selves strangers. If you fall into this temporal discounting, you may fail to introduce changes that would benefit you in the future, such as saving money. After all, why save for a stranger?
False hope syndrome refers to a behavior of setting unrealistic expectations about the speed, amount, ease, and consequences of the changes you want to make in your life.
Decision fatigue is simply not having the energy to make a decision. When this happens, people tend to stick with the status quo, neglecting to make the healthier decisions in-line with what they are trying to change.
1995, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: A man named McArthur Wheeler decided to rob a bank. Instead of wearing a ski mask like other robbers, he smeared lemon juice on his face, packed his gun, and left home.
Let's review what you've learned about the traps that challenge your self-discipline.
In the last lesson of the course, we’ll discuss some bonus tips and tricks that will help you stay disciplined and achieve your goals. These ideas will increase your chances of forming a new habit, thus making it easier on your willpower as discussed in the very first lesson. When you combine them with all the things you’ve learned in the other lessons, you’ll become much more successful at saying no to temptations.
Let's review what you've learned about the additional quick tips and tricks to stay disciplined.
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Reviews summary
Practical strategies for self-discipline
Instructor uses stories and is engaging.
Concepts like dopamine are explained simply.
Offers actionable ways to build discipline.
Activities
Review 'Atomic Habits'
Show steps
Provides a practical framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones, aligning perfectly with the course's objectives.
View
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build...
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Read the book 'Atomic Habits'.
-
Identify three key strategies from the book that resonate with you.
-
Reflect on how you can apply these strategies to your own life.
Review Dopamine's Role in Motivation
Show steps
Reinforces understanding of dopamine's role in habit formation and breaking bad habits, a key concept covered in the course.
Show steps
-
Research the role of dopamine in reward and motivation.
-
Summarize the key findings in your own words.
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Relate these findings to your own experiences with habits.
Design a Habit Tracker
Show steps
Applies course concepts by creating a practical tool for tracking and reinforcing positive habits.
Show steps
-
Choose a method for tracking habits (e.g., spreadsheet, app).
-
Identify 3-5 habits you want to track.
-
Track your progress daily for at least one week.
-
Analyze your data and identify areas for improvement.
Four other activities
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Show all seven activities
Create a Self-Discipline Manifesto
Show steps
Solidifies understanding of self-discipline principles by articulating your personal commitment to them.
Show steps
-
Reflect on your personal values and goals.
-
Write a short manifesto outlining your commitment to self-discipline.
-
Share your manifesto with a friend or family member.
Practice Delayed Gratification
Show steps
Reinforces the ability to resist immediate temptations by practicing delayed gratification techniques.
Show steps
-
Identify a small temptation you want to resist.
-
Set a timer for 15 minutes and resist the temptation.
-
Reward yourself with something healthy after the timer goes off.
-
Repeat this exercise daily, gradually increasing the time.
Review 'Willpower'
Show steps
Delves into the science of willpower and self-control, providing a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms involved.
View
Social Psychology and Human Nature
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Read the book 'Willpower'.
-
Identify three key insights from the book.
-
Reflect on how these insights can improve your self-discipline.
Share Your Self-Discipline Strategies
Show steps
Reinforces your own understanding by teaching self-discipline strategies to others.
Show steps
-
Identify someone who is struggling with self-discipline.
-
Share your knowledge and strategies with them.
-
Offer ongoing support and encouragement.
Review 'Atomic Habits'
Show steps
Provides a practical framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones, aligning perfectly with the course's objectives.
View
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build...
on Amazon
Show steps
- Read the book 'Atomic Habits'.
- Identify three key strategies from the book that resonate with you.
- Reflect on how you can apply these strategies to your own life.
Review Dopamine's Role in Motivation
Show steps
Reinforces understanding of dopamine's role in habit formation and breaking bad habits, a key concept covered in the course.
Show steps
- Research the role of dopamine in reward and motivation.
- Summarize the key findings in your own words.
- Relate these findings to your own experiences with habits.
Design a Habit Tracker
Show steps
Applies course concepts by creating a practical tool for tracking and reinforcing positive habits.
Show steps
- Choose a method for tracking habits (e.g., spreadsheet, app).
- Identify 3-5 habits you want to track.
- Track your progress daily for at least one week.
- Analyze your data and identify areas for improvement.
Create a Self-Discipline Manifesto
Show steps
Solidifies understanding of self-discipline principles by articulating your personal commitment to them.
Show steps
- Reflect on your personal values and goals.
- Write a short manifesto outlining your commitment to self-discipline.
- Share your manifesto with a friend or family member.
Practice Delayed Gratification
Show steps
Reinforces the ability to resist immediate temptations by practicing delayed gratification techniques.
Show steps
- Identify a small temptation you want to resist.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes and resist the temptation.
- Reward yourself with something healthy after the timer goes off.
- Repeat this exercise daily, gradually increasing the time.
Review 'Willpower'
Show steps
Delves into the science of willpower and self-control, providing a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms involved.
View
Social Psychology and Human Nature
on Amazon
Show steps
- Read the book 'Willpower'.
- Identify three key insights from the book.
- Reflect on how these insights can improve your self-discipline.
Share Your Self-Discipline Strategies
Show steps
Reinforces your own understanding by teaching self-discipline strategies to others.
Show steps
- Identify someone who is struggling with self-discipline.
- Share your knowledge and strategies with them.
- Offer ongoing support and encouragement.
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