๐ The Evolution of Discipline: How Effort Becomes Automatic
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โก The Evolution of Discipline: How Effort Becomes Automatic
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I remember reading somewhere that a good way to find well-connected people is to ask random people, “Who is the most well-connected person you know?”
When I ask my friends a similar question about discipline, many of them point to me.
But I’ve noticed a pattern when it comes to discipline: most people know what they should doโread more, wake up early, eat healthy, exercise, save, investโyet they don’t do it.
The earliest example of this for me was reading. When I was young, adults constantly talked about the benefits of reading, but few actually read. I decided I would read a lot. And I did. It didn’t take much discipline because I quickly started enjoying it, and it became easy.
I applied this same approach to waking up early, eating well, exercising, and managing money. I consistently forced myself to do these things until they transitioned from requiring intense discipline to simply being habits.
Here is a breakdown of how my habits and discipline have evolved across different areas of my life over the years.
Ages 12-18: Consistently woke up early for school, but stayed awake late watching TV.
Ages 18-30: Consistently woke up early for university and work. I strictly eliminated late-night TV and internet to ensure I slept early. (Note: During my university years, I experimented with polyphasic sleepโsleeping only 2 hours a day in 30-minute intervals every 6 hours. It ended when I accidentally set an alarm for 12.5 hours later instead of 30 minutes!)
Ages 30+: I still consistently wake up early, though sleeping early is less consistent due to having children.
Ages 6-12: Displayed early restraint by saving unhealthy food (like chocolate) for later rather than eating it all at once.
Ages 12-24: Never bought unhealthy food or drinks. I only consumed them if they were free.
Ages 24-30: Maintained the rule of not buying unhealthy food, but struggled with free junk food constantly available at the office. It took time to build the resistance to ignore it completely.
Ages 30+: I still never buy unhealthy food or drinks, and I only eat them when freeโexcept at the office, where I now successfully resist.
Ages 12-18: Didn’t know how to talk to potential partners.
Ages 18-24: Started talking to potential partners at parties and put in hours of deliberate practice to actually learn how to talk to potential partners.
Friends (Ages 18+): Intentionally surrounded myself with people who wanted to improve. (At one point in university, I decided group lunches were wasting time and started eating alone. My friends were not happy, but it highlights the extreme phases of my discipline).
Parents: Progressed from living with both parents (ages 6-12), to living with my mother and fighting frequently (ages 12-18), to living independently. Distance resolved the conflicts.
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๐ The Evolution of Discipline: How Effort Becomes Automatic
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Updated on Oct 11, 2026.
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