Effective in Being Disciplined

I've already completed 30 consecutive weeks delivering this newsletter. (It's hard to believe how quickly time flies.) Through this journey, I've had the chance to learn about newsletters and content creation, but above all, this has been a test of my self-discipline. There was a particular week when I found myself on a work trip, returning late on a Thursday. Despite feeling exhausted, I made the decision to go to bed early and wake up at 4 am on Friday to deliver this newsletter. "Why not simply skip a week?" you might ask. So, below, I'll share the insights I've gained, hoping they may prove beneficial to you as well.

Effective Discipline: Insights from writing for 30 weeks

I have been training myself to be disciplined for over a decade and sending a weekly newsletter has still been extremely hard for me. This is what I have learned throughout this process:

1. Understand Your "Why": Initially, I said altruism was my motivation, claiming to do this “to help others.” While the positive responses I receive from some of you really brighten my day, I've discovered that anchoring my efforts solely in the service of others can lead to justifications for skipping or abandoning the task altogether. Therefore, I've adopted a more self-centered "why" - I am doing this to improve my writing for an audience. Once, I jokingly wrote about potentially writing a book, and a handful of you shared tips and offered to help. This is now the second thing that keeps me going. It might take time, but practice makes perfect. The way I see it, if I get to a hundred posts, it will be equivalent to writing a 60,000-word book, and I am already a third of the way there.

2. Recognize Your Limitations: Through trial and error, I've come to understand my writing process in three distinct stages: (1) Ideation and research, (2) Unrestricted writing, and (3) Editing and proofreading. I've learned that transitioning smoothly from the first to the second phase requires time for my thoughts to clarify, and surprisingly, the final stage usually takes me a considerable amount of time. Armed with this awareness, I've embraced various tools to streamline my workflow (AI to the rescue!).

3. Embrace Imperfection: Despite my ongoing battle with pre- and post-publication doubts (perhaps a manifestation of impostor syndrome), I've found peace in a recurring feedback I have heard from multiple content creators - “No one cares about you more than yourself”. I've adopted a mantra where I envision my children as the primary audience for my writings when they grow up. If my efforts can potentially benefit them, and only them, it would still be worth it.

4. Improvements will be marginal, and that’s fine: What I've realized is that progress often comes with diminishing returns. While writing certainly became more manageable after the initial ten weeks, the rest of the improvement I has been almost imperceptible. Prepare yourself for this reality, as it's a common feature of disciplines that take time to build. Therefore, it is important to learn to enjoy the ride (point #1 above).

You can apply these learnings too. Whether your aspirations involve writing more frequently, adopting a healthier diet, integrating meditation into your routine, embarking on a strength training regimen, or any other challenge demanding sustained discipline, remember: the crucial step is to just get started. As soon as you start, remember that no one really cares that much, get to know your limitations and plan accordingly, establish a compelling personal motivation (while altruism is commendable, self-interest is sometimes needed), and learn to enjoy the ride as progress will sometimes be imperceptible.

Let's get it started (in here),

Jorge Luis Pando

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." - Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur