How to Build Self-Discipline: Resist Temptations and Reach Your Long-Term Goals

by Martin Meadows

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 book 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 things you will learn from the - 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. - 5 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. Scroll up and buy the book now. As a gift for buying my book, you'll get my another book, " How to Keep Going When You Want to Give Up," completely free.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Audiobook, Productivity, Personal Development, Business

107 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Martin Meadows is the pen name of an author who has dedicated his life to personal growth. He constantly reinvents himself by making drastic changes in his life. Over the years, he has: regularly fasted for over 40 hours, taught himself two foreign languages, lost over 30 pounds in 12 weeks, ran several businesses in various industries, took ice-cold showers and baths, lived on a small tropical island in a foreign country for several months, and wrote 400-page long novel's worth of short stories in one month.

Yet, self-torture is not his passion. Martin likes to test his boundaries to discover how far his comfort zone goes. His findings (based both on his personal experience and scientific studies) help him improve his life. If you're interested in pushing your limits and learning how to become the best version of yourself, you'll love Martin's works.

Reviews

[Gry Ranfelt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so I already read Grit and after this I read Relaxation, and though all the advice is sound I've lost a bit of respect for Martin Meadows through the process. This is a money grinder. Reading these three books I felt there was very little new in each of them, and though all of it was interesting it was not worth the extra cash. I felt thoroughly cheated when this book's description of meditation was repeated word for word in Relaxation. Wow, did I feel like a donkey munching shit.
He ought to just write one book, and to make it easier for him - and you, dear reader - I'll recap all of his favorite points:
Keystone habits are important because they can change other habits. keystone habits include, but aren't limited to, meditation, exercising, eating healthier, cold therapy, sleeping more.
He likes this thing called the 80:20 rule, which says that 20 % of something is doing 80% of the action. Like, if you're stressed, there's one or two things contributing to the major part of your stress. (Forget my sarcasm. I kind of like this idea, though I don't think it always applies.)
Cut things to the bone. Are things necessary? If not, cut them out of your life.
Have good, slow morning routines.
Try fasting for more self-discipline and to test your limits.

There. I think that's basically the most important stuff. In itself I thought this book was fine, though very bare, but he should've written one book instead of a bunch of small ones. Would've been more helpful.

For those who liked it I propose reading The Willpower Instinct, as it is far superior and goes more into depth with the why and not just the how - though it also explores the how much more than these books. Seriously. Give it a try.

[Aby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick book to read or listen to, with easy explanation & tips to follow, & applicable on any type of activities & habits.

[Natalie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

How To Build Self-discipline is a book that does just as the label says. The e-book is by Martin Meadows, a man who uses a pen name and one that has dedicated his life to constantly reinventing himself through personal growth activities. This is someone who has walked the talk and here he offers readers some practical advice in an easy-to-read format that is nicely summarised at the end of each chapter and above all, is easy to follow.

Meadows does not spend a lot of time going into the dry, scientific studies that provide proof for a lot of the phenomena he describes. Instead, he uses lots of annotations and focuses on the “how”. He looks at why we are motivated by instant gratification and the status quo and how we can be overwhelmed by decision fatigue. He offers good advice on how to be more mindful about making decisions and how visualising and mediating on realistic, long-term goals and forming habits can achieve enduring results.

The book could use a little more elaboration at times and possibly some diagrams to really hit Meadows’ message home. But that said, the book does offer some helpful advice to people who want to change the way they think and act. How to Build Self-discipline is a great starting point and inspirational tool that will enable its readers to employ real and lasting changes in their lives.

***Please note: a free copy of this book was given to the writer through a Library Thing giveaway. To read the original review on that website please visit: http://www.librarything.com/work/1575...

[Romil Kinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

a short read on habits mostly, a kind of summary of all the books written on habits(the power of habits, atomic habits, etc). Nothing new, but still a reasonable recommendation if you want to work on discipline and habits in 100 pages.

helpful and transformational, for sure

[Sowmya Sridharamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for beginners

I recommend this book only for those who are starting their journey towards self development and are exploring options to self learn. In that case everything mentioned in this book will be a good take away. I am glad I chose audio version, it saved my time yet gave me a chance to get to know more about this book.

Narration style sounds mostly self bragging "I did this, I like this, I do this" etc. And very few mentioning of studies conducted.

According to author it is always cues which triggers the impulse to get/ do something. It is when the self discipline should take charge to reduce the impulsiveness in order to achieve instant gratification.

Author suggests to embrace the feeling of craving completely instead of pushing it away, let it linger around for a while and it shall slowly fade away.

One very interesting takeaway for me is when author suggests to chain the new cues with already established cues. For example, brushing the teeth immediately after waking up is your well developed routine, then may be you can include 5 minute meditation or 15 minutes body stretches right after the brushing routine. In this way, the new cue gets added with less and grows to become a habit.

In almost all examples author uses only "eating chocolate" and how to avoid kind of an example, I would have appreciated if there were variety of behavioral compulsions addressed.

Author also mentions to avoid traps while setting up your goals or establishing self discipline.
-- Temporal Discounting
-- setting unrealistic goals
-- False hope Syndrome
-- Descision fatigue
-- Stress
-- Status quo bias

My suggestion would be- Go for an audio book, instead of a physical book. Save your time for some other book.

[Racquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 This is NOT the book to buy and leave sitting in your library for 6 years before finally picking it up to read. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Surprisingly, this is one of the very few self-development books that is not inflated with unnecessary fillers. It was concise while still managing to have a lot of good points. This was a worthwhile quick read for sure.

[Anton Olofsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is ok, it looks at scientific research on how to be disciplined which is interesting. However, the book does present too many similar examples and can be repetitive at times. It also mentions chocolate bars way to much :)

[Kokelector · Rating 2 out of 5]

Son de eso libros que te hablan directo, al tú: quien quiere lograr cosas. De esas escrituras livianas, muy livianas, para intentar darte algo de empuje en lo que resta del año. Martín Meadows, el seudónimo de quién escribe, te cuenta cómo ha logrado cambios en su vida y te invita a que también los pruebes en la tuya: desde una ducha helada hasta saber cuándo detenerte. Pero es de esas escrituras que sólo son un monólogo consigo mismo, y que intentan “venderte” el autodesarrollo como un promoción en cualquier supermercado y al alcance de la gran mayoría. Lo leí porque cayó en mis manos y creo que si no fuese porque se lee en menos de dos horas, no podría reseñarle, porque no aporta en lo absoluto. Si puedes pasar de él: hazlo, porque en el mercado existen muchos más libros de este estilo que de verdad pueden ayudarte a conseguir construir la autodisciplina para el desarrollo personal.

[Yousif Alkhafaji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read but didn't learn to much that was new

[Analu · Rating 5 out of 5]

En audiolibro y algo de lo aprendido es:
Autodisciplina: Resistir a la gratificación instantánea para lograr metas a largo plazo.
Construye buenos hábitos, pues la disciplina en gran medida depende de la motivación y los hábitos.
Establece metas reales que te motiven.
Los cambios positivos permanentes son los más valiosos.

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super quick read. The last couple of chapters are the meat of the book and this, the most insightful. Otherwise, it felt rushed through and full of boastful statements on how self-disciplined the author is.

[Renjith R · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good ideas to follow and some more points to think again and adapt if applicable only. The author's perspective is not always right, and it all depends on the context of execution. Good for a quick read.

[Gianfranco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utile soprattutto per chi si avvicina ad un mondo che da fuori può spaventare. Molto scorrevole come lettura. In una parola efficace.

[Mauro Parada Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic things

[Marisa Quiroz Lemus · Rating 2 out of 5]

No dice nada q no sepas o hayas escuchado antes, creo q tal vez como recordatorio a cosas q ya sabes puede ayudar

[Mehnaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful.

[GabyUfita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante pero exageradamente escueto.

[Laura Puerta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bueno, los consejos que da para mejorar la autodisciplina tienen un fundamento científico, además los múltiples ejemplos ilustran perfectamente lo que se quiere lograr con cada consejo.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read.

[Anshu Rai]

Read it only if you're absolutely new to the non-fiction. However, I'd have skipped if I were you.

It's 94 pages, and can be skipped kind of book. However, if you are absolutely new to the non-fiction, especially the self-help, or habit genre only then consider reading this book.

The Pros:

It's a summary of everything that you have ever read on the internet or have heard from your peers and elders about self-discipline. What makes it unique is the fact that the author has arranged everything in order and has provided you with gist along with some research studies.

It does maintain the continuity as the author starts from the very basic "Fundamental Principle of Self Discipline - The 80/20 Rule" and the book progresses with chapters on "Finding Purpose", "Role of Dopamine", "5 Ways to increase self discipline which were meditation, cold Showers, fasting, getting up earlier, and not giving in to the first feeling of fatigue", the remaining two chapters were not even worth mentioning here because everything seemed like repeating in a loop.

However, I appreciate the author for summarising the information, and for preparing a handbook, or a user manual to self-discipline. It is a 94 pages read and can be completed in a 3-4 day span, and a reader can always go back for reference because the book is too small, and clearly divided in chapters that the reader won't get confused.

The Cons:

Having read "Atomic Habits by James Clear" and "Grit By Angela Duckworth" this book had nothing new to offer me. In fact, to me it was more like a revision of everything that I have read in the past. Moreover, I have a deep inclination towards the self betterment topic so, I browse YouTube too, and all the information I got from the book was something I have already known.

Author share his ideas systematically but there was no novelty, he didn't come up with new hacks to make Habits formation easier, or meditation easier.

So the biggest downside for me was lack of originality, and creativity in this book.

Book Summary:
The prologue starts with a quote "Life Is Easy When You Live It the Hard Way" and this sets an intriguing plot and you feel like you're in for something exciting, something life changing.

Then you read some basic lines and there comes a highlight:

"People who focus on instant gratification – things that are safe, easy and comfortable – rarely reach their long-term goals."

So the prologue was just setting the theme in words you must have heard or read before.

Then comes the first chapter:

"80/20 Principle - Principle of Self Discipline"

20% tasks bring 80% results so focus on those 20%. This chapter was filled with thoughts on this philosophy and topics like how to Make Habits with a popular highlight:

"Developing new habits is the essence of self-discipline. But there’s a better way to introduce new habits than doing it one by one…"

The chapter further progressed with forming Keystone Habits of Physical Activity, Food Journal also, meditation, getting up earlier, trying new things every single day, saving money, and expressing gratitude.

The next chapters had tried to create a picture on purpose and the need for self motivation for self discipline. There chapters included talks on visualization of final results through visualization of each step, being selective and choosing things we really like to enable self discipline.

As the book was around 50% completed there was a chapter dedicated to Dopamine, the role it plays, and how to utilise it for self discipline.

Further, the book mellowed with chapter on 5 Practical Ways to Train Your Discipline and these 5 ways were Meditation, Cold Showers, Fasting, Control Small Things and Monitor Yourself, Go Beyond the First Feeling of Fatigue.

There were two more chapters which basically had more of these practical way but I feel as for the summary, all that I have covered is sufficient.

[Jonathan H. MONTES · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. It took a lot of from other books and concepts that should already be apparent to you if you read other material on this type of subject. I think 3 stars is okay for a book that regurgitates common knowledge. Had there been something original about it, another start would have been given. The space was there, with only 55 pages.
It's good for those that need a quick read, or want a boost of motivation in a small dose.
Good rounded book.

Annotations from Kindle:
p.02) People who focus on instant gratification-things that are safe, easy and comfortable-rarely reach their long-term goals.
p.04) The 80/20 Principle says that 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. In reality, you often need to know just one thing to achieve extraordinary results.
p.05) Now imagine your behavior is automated-you followed the 80/20 Principle and introduced a habit in your life. At the sight of a chocolate bar, you become self-aware of your craving. But instead of giving in, you recognize the craving for what it is-a detour that will take you away from your long-term goal.
p.05) Research shows it takes anywhere from 18 days to 254 days to form a new habit. On average, it takes a little more than two months. 66 Days.
p.05) Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, breaks down a habit into three elements: cue, action, and reward.
p.06) Unsurprisingly, one of the most powerful habits that lead to changing other patterns is regular physical activity.
p.07) Another keystone habit that can help you make changes in your life with much less discipline than tackling each of them separately is food journaling. Research shows that people who journal their intake of food ate less and made healthier choices.
p.08) Expressing gratitude for things you’re thankful for. Studies show that writing down three things that went well on a given day led to steady increases in happiness.
p.09) The second most important thing to learn how to live a more disciplined life is to understand how important self-awareness and motivation are and how they can help you stick to your resolutions.
p.10) Now look at that piece of chocolate. Is it really worth it to give up this powerful vision for a short burst of sugar?
p.13) Constantly Monitor Yourself: Bad habits are difficult to overcome because they happen too quickly. Before we know it, we shove a chocolate bar down our throat. Your “why” is of no use if your habits leave you unable to take action.
That’s why it’s so important to constantly monitor your thoughts and stay focused on the present moment.
p.15) The mere sight of a cue (say, a cigarette) will increase the level of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. It produces a craving that, if not met, will lead to a decrease in dopamine. As all of us can attest that an unmet craving doesn’t feel good.
p.16) What can we do to have a fair chance against dopamine?
The most important technique is to be aware of a dopamine rush and cues that cause it. Self-awareness will help you mitigate the clouding effect of dopamine on your decision-making process.
p.17) Dopamine motivates you to give in to a temptation because it expects a reward. It responds to a cue that your brain associated with a specific outcome, e.g. the rush of sugar.
p.25) Sir Roger Bannister, who was the first man to run the mile in less than 4 minutes in 1954, said in 2000, “It’s the brain, not the heart or lungs, that is the critical organ, it’s the brain.”
N) Meaning that the brain has to be disciplined and work hard to overcome bad habits. It’s all in the mind. It’s a mind game with yourself. But you can always win.
p.27) Ross Hommond conducted a review of research on the role of social influence in the obesity epidemic. His findings confirm that social influence is a significant factor in obesity.
In other words, our friends and family can “infect” us with obesity. If they can make us prone to gaining weight, they surely can influence other areas of our lives, too.
p.27) N) People will notice your changes. Just because people don’t say anything about it, doesn’t mean you haven’t accomplished anything. The fact is, that people will hate that you have managed to change your life and they are always struggling.
p.32) Studies show that due to a phenomenon known as temporal discounting, people value immediate gains over future rewards. Moreover, they consider their future selves as strangers. As a result, you may fail to save money for the future (after all, why save money for a stranger?) and introduce other changes that would benefit you in the future.
p.33) For instance, when you see a chocolate bar on your desk, think about the future reward first (a healthy mind and body) and then compare it to the present reward (a brief burst of energy).
p.33) Try both approaches-spend a minute or two thinking about the best version of yourself, the kind of person you want to become. Then imagine the worst kind of a person you never want to become. Which image motivates you more to stick to your goals and say no to instant gratification.
p.35) Come up with a strong “why” that will keep you going when the first rush of motivation goes away, replaced by the hard reality where success requires stick-to-itiveness. Even when it rains. Even when you don’t feel like doing it. Even when you’d rather stick to your old habits and give in to your temptations.
p.36) President Obama once said in an interview, “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.”
His decision to reduce the number of decisions he’s making every day helps him make better decisions when faced with more important matters than the color of his suit.
p.40) McArthur Wheeler: the man who robbed thinking the lemon juice would keep him invisible. A good story to read online.
END

[Kyle Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a book that seems to self-inflate the author and his own life experiences, pick this one up. There are aspects of the book that are definitely helpful in theory and some in practice. He had my attention for the majority but my trust fell short toward the very end. One of his final tips/tricks was essentially: “Reward yourself with indulgence. We all make mistakes/give into temptation on occasion so instead of feeling guilty about the occasional slip up, plan when you’re going to give in and enjoy it.”

This is TERRIBLE advice for someone who’s actively trying to become more rigid in avoiding temptation and beating addiction or bad habits in their life. Planning to do it and even enjoying it just reinforces the behavior and the mindset that it’s really not that bad.

All in all, there were plenty of practically guided tips that I will try to incorporate but I wouldn’t weigh his overarching themes as competent or solid after wrapping this book up.

[Todd Kinsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful tips

There are some useful tips in Martin's book. That being said it reads more like a college thesis rather than a book. Many of the ideas and concepts are left undeveloped.

Meadows shares some of his "why's" but often leaves out the how's.

Like many self-published books it lacks polish but there's still some good substance.

[Alise R · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lasīju tāpēc, ka dabūju par brīvu. Izcili stulba grāmata, ko var izlasīt stundas laikā. Visu panākumu atslēga ir neēst tos nolādētos saldumus!! Autors ir pašpasludināts Dievs Zemes virsū, mums visiem jāseko viņa piemēram un viss būs čiki. Šķiet, ka no viņa arī makeuparevelinu smēlās idejas savai grāmatai.

[Tessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Good ideas for how to develop self-discipline but very little on how to implement them beyond "get up earlier" or "come up with a good why". Like another reviewer mentioned, it reads like a college thesis paper.

[Mauricio Liesegang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente, desde el principio al final aprendes algo. Tiene sentido lo que explica y seguro aplicar el contenido del libro da resultados en lo que te propongas.

[Ahmed Alarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self-discipline depends on habits..
Be be motivated and try to find a mentor to guide you to the right way.

Note: this is an audiobook

[Shakiyla Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read!! Have some really good strategies that I’m going to be adopting in my life.

[Dario Cabello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all his tips, it really organizes your mind

[Katie Coverdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tips for building self-discipline. Made me motivated to improve my self-discipline!