Becoming your own boss, setting your own schedule and finally getting to run the business of your dreams are all welcome benefits of becoming an entrepreneur. However, entrepreneurship is a goal that takes lots of determination and plenty of self-discipline to achieve, and not everyone is suited to be a business owner.
But if you think entrepreneurship is the right path for you, there are steps you can take to build your self-discipline and ready yourself for the tough journey ahead. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council each share their top tip for building self-discipline and why it’s so key to succeeding as a future business leader.
Young Entrepreneur Council members share how to build your self-discipline.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Be Patient And Resilient
Life will test you with many setbacks and failures; however, you have to move on to the next challenge regardless of the results behind you. Focus on your end goal and, eventually, you’ll develop a routine and strategy to help you stay motivated. I start my morning with a routine and incorporate timeboxing into my project management system to keep me focused and maximize my time. – Julian Hamood, Trusted Tech Team
2. Determine What Distracts You
For me, discipline means staying on task even when there are distractions around me. If you want to build self-discipline, you need to be aware of the things that derail you and make changes to avoid similar situations in the future. For instance, I learned that turning my phone off is essential when I need to achieve peak focus and productivity. – John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC
3. Focus On What’s Important Rather Than Urgent
Self-discipline for me is about carving out time every day to focus on the important versus the urgent. Urgent things pop up in our business and personal lives all day, every day. However, if I have dedicated, scheduled time to focus on what’s important to me and my business, I am able to go much further, faster. – Jessica Fialkovich, Exit Factor
4. Address Any Procrastination
If lacking discipline means procrastinating, tap into the reasons why it happens. Procrastination is neither a time management nor a self-control issue; it’s an emotion regulation issue. Most likely, you keep putting off certain tasks, so try to find a pattern. Are you afraid of failure, or are you bored by something in particular? Once you know what’s off, you can address that directly. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
5. Start With Small Steps
Successful entrepreneurs are often hard on themselves. They need to be able to work long hours, be resilient and think long term. When it comes to building self-discipline, it’s important that you start with small steps. For example, try setting a timer for yourself if you want to work for more than an hour straight without taking a break. Start small and build up your self-discipline over time. – Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
6. Delay Gratification
Be responsible and happy without the need to gratify yourself as soon as possible. Sometimes we are disciplined in thinking we are up for another gratification right now. Try to delay everything—especially with your “wants”—and see how long you can last knowing that you still have more to do and the reward will take time. You’ll learn patience and endurance as a bonus. – Daisy Jing, Banish
7. Create And Follow A Schedule
One way to build self-discipline is to create and follow your own schedule. New entrepreneurs believe they need to work at least 50-hour weeks to succeed, so they don’t bother making a set-in-stone schedule. If you’re disciplined, you can get the same amount of work done in 30 to 40 hours. I recommend choosing a six- to eight-hour work block that matches your peak productivity levels. – Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
8. Keep A Daily Task List
Keep a daily task list that’s organized. This will help you track what you need to do, set a schedule for the tasks and organize by priority. I use my calendar app to do this, listing my tasks separately by date so I can ensure that I don’t miss anything. This will keep you accountable and organized. – Andy Karuza, NachoNacho
9. Change Your Mindset
Self-discipline is the ability to keep promises to yourself. Becoming a master of self-discipline only comes from failing at it hundreds of thousands of times. Give yourself some grace and treat yourself like someone you’re responsible for helping. This paradigm shift greatly reduces the negative thoughts and emotions that occur when you inevitably fail, and gives you the courage to keep failing again and again. – Shane Levinson, Carpets of Arizona