Greg Faxon introduces his concept of “Lazy self discipline”: structuring your life so goals require less effort by asking how the laziest person would achieve them. He presents 10 practical strategies (e.g., lower expectations, imitate others, optimize environment, set tight deadlines, embrace instant gratification, basic self-care, identity play, self-forgiveness, and quitting when appropriate) and closes with a promotion for his January group coaching program Weeks that Work.
I used to think discipline was about waking up at 5am and taking cold showers. Then I realized that I like hitting snooze and cuddling with my wife. So I created a concept that I call Lazy self discipline. It's pretty simple. I just ask myself how would the laziest person on earth achieve this goal? Then I do that. To everyone else I might seem disciplined. I run my own business. I have a six pack. But really I just structure my life in a way that requires less effort. Here are 10 strategies that I recommend. Number one lower your expectations. It's better to under commit than it is to break a promise to yourself. So assume you'll only do one focused hour of work per day. Then ask how would I spend this hour if it was the only hour of work that I had today? This forces you to prioritize. Number two Imitate others. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Find someone else who's already accomplished the goal and do what they did. For example, I follow Jim Wendler's 531 strength training program, even though I know a lot about lifting and could probably program something for myself. Number three Optimize your environment. It's hard to quit drinking if you work at a bar. Surround yourself with places and people who naturally encourage the type of behavior that you want to be doing. 4. Leave it to the last minute. If there's no deadline or it's too far away, you'll have to rely on willpower instead. Pick a tight deadline and make it so you're letting someone else down if you don't meet it. This is better than just telling someone that you're going to do something. 5. Embrace instant gratification. Find ways of achieving your long term goal that feel good in the short term. For example, there's a lot of ways to market your business. Choose one you enjoy instead of just looking for the best one. If you can't find a way to enjoy the process, just tell yourself, I'll feel better when I'm done with this thing. 6. Sleep. It's hard to make good choices when you're tired. 7. Eat. It's hard to make good choices when you're hungry. Alright, I was a little bit lazy with those last two, but they're actually true. 8. Fake it until you make it. When you take on a new identity, you assume the traits of that person. For example, if you start calling yourself a vegan, you'll feel social pressure to eat that way in front of others. 9. Cut yourself some slack. Real discipline isn't about how often you mess up. It's about it's about how quickly you can get back on track. For example, the worst thing you can do when you get distracted at work is beating yourself up about it. It's better to just forgive yourself and move on. And number 10, know when to quit. For example, if you can't get yourself to lose weight no matter how hard you try, it could be that losing weight just isn't a priority for you right now. And if you recognize that, you can let it go and focus on something else, I'll leave you with this the root of the word discipline is disciple, meaning to be a student. Self discipline is all about being a student of yourself. So don't say, I'll try harder next time. When you mess up, ask yourself, what did I learn? If this concept resonated with you, you may like a program that I'm running in January called Weeks that Work. Weeks that Work is a group coaching program. It helps you perform at your peak and execute things without relying on willpower in your business. So go to weeksthatwork.com and check it out.
