How to Improve Self-Discipline as a Beginner in Small Ways

Are you a beginner who wants to become more disciplined but not sure where to even start? Don’t worry, I got you. Here is a complete guide on how to improve self-discipline as a beginner in small ways.

What is self-discipline really?

The dictionary meaning of self-discipline is “the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weakness.”

Sounds deep right? Because it is.

As humans, we all have feelings. We all have weaknesses. Some of them are small and harmless. But some of them? They sneak into our daily life and mess things up.

That is when it becomes necessary to practice self-discipline. Because without it, those little habits and weaknesses can grow into toxic patterns that steal our health, peace, and happiness.

Real life struggles we all face

Let’s be honest. Most of us don’t struggle with huge dramatic things every single day. What really eats us alive are the small everyday things:

• Eating too much junk food
• Scrolling endlessly on our phone
• Sleeping way too much or staying up too late

At first these don’t feel like a big deal. But slowly, they start to show up in our health, our mood, our work, and our relationships.

Too much junk food? Hello health problems.

Too much phone time? Suddenly hours are gone and nothing is done.

Too much or too little sleep? Energy gone, mood off, routine destroyed.

I used to go through all of this myself. And honestly, I still do sometimes. But things started to change when I decided to become disciplined in small areas of my life.

That is why I am writing this. To share my journey, what helped me, and how you can start too.

how to improve self-discipline as a beginner in small ways

1. Find one area you need to improve

When you are a beginner, you cannot fix everything at once. Trust me, I tried. It does not work.

Instead, pick just one area. That one part of your life that bothers you the most right now. The thing you keep saying you will fix but never actually do.

It could be health. Eating healthier, exercising. It could be sleep. It could be finances. Or maybe your studies or work.

For me, it started with health. I wanted to lose weight and feel confident. Then later it was my eyes because I had to get glasses as a kid from staring at screens too much. Sometimes it was my work.

Every time, I picked that one area that I badly wanted to change. And that made all the difference.

So ask yourself. What is that one area for you?

2. Find your driving force

Now that you know your area, you need a reason to actually stick with it. Because let me be real with you. Motivation does not last forever. Some days you will not feel like it.

That is why you need a strong reason. Something that pushes you to get up even when your mind is making excuses.

For me, sometimes it was my birthday coming up. I wanted to look and feel better. Other times it was just not liking how I felt in my body.

It does not matter what the reason is. What matters is that it matters to YOU.

Write it down. Keep it in your head. And remind yourself of it every single day.

3. Start with small steps

This is where most people mess up. They want to change everything overnight. They want to stop junk food completely, wake up at 5 am, work out every day, study for hours, and also meditate.

Guess what happens? They give up.

Why? Because it is too much at once.

When I started eating healthier, I did not give up sugar completely on day one. I used to put three spoons of sugar in my coffee. I cut it down to two. Then one. Now, years later, I drink it without sugar.

That is how change really happens. Small steps.

So do not aim for perfection. Aim for one small thing you can change today.

4. Remove distractions

Here is the truth. You cannot expect yourself to be strong all the time. Especially as a beginner.

If you are trying to eat less junk food, and there is a big bag of chips in your room, what do you think will happen? Exactly. You will eat it.

That is why removing distractions is so important.

Trying to sleep early? Keep your phone away from your bed.
Trying to eat better? Do not keep chocolates in your drawer.
Trying to study? Put away your TV remote.

Make it easy for yourself to stay disciplined by keeping temptations away.

5. Show up every single day

This one is huge. Self-discipline is not about being perfect. It is about showing up even on the bad days.

There will be days when you eat junk food again. Or stay up late. Or skip your workout. That is normal.

The important part is to show up the next day. And the day after that.

Even if it is small. If you planned to work out for 30 minutes but only did 10, that still counts. You still showed up. And that is what builds discipline.

6. Focus on how you will feel after

The hardest part of discipline is usually before you do the thing.

Before the workout, you are tired. Before the healthy meal, you crave sugar. Before studying, you feel lazy.

But once you are done? That after feeling is amazing.

After my workouts, I always feel so happy and proud. Even if I was crying about it five minutes earlier.

So the next time your mind tries to resist, remind yourself of the after feeling. That happy, light, proud moment you always get.

7. Make it a habit

Discipline is not about forcing yourself forever. The real goal is to make it a habit.

Once something becomes a habit, you do not even think about it. You just do it. Like brushing your teeth.

At first, it feels hard. You have to remind yourself. Push yourself. But after enough repetition, it becomes part of your life.

So whatever area you choose, keep going until it becomes natural. That is when it gets easier.

8. Keep getting back on track

This is something nobody tells you. Even after you build discipline, you will slip sometimes. Life happens.

You will eat junk food on a trip. You will stay up late when stressed. You will miss a few days of workouts.

That is not failure. That is normal.

The only thing that matters is getting back on track. Do not beat yourself up. Just continue where you left off.

Even if it has been weeks. Get back up again.

9. Be patient

This is the hardest one for most of us. We want results fast. We want to see changes in a week.

But discipline does not work like that. It takes time. And if you expect quick results, you will feel disappointed and quit.

Instead, focus on the long game. This is about building habits for life, not just a quick fix.

Be patient. Trust the process. You will get there.

10. Reward yourself in healthy ways

This is one thing I did not do earlier but now I realize how powerful it is.

When you make progress, celebrate it. Reward yourself. Not with the same thing you are trying to avoid, but with something else you enjoy.

Finished a week of workouts? Watch your favorite movie guilt-free.
Stayed consistent with eating healthy? Buy yourself a small gift.
Managed to sleep on time for a week? Go for a nice breakfast the next morning.

Rewards keep you motivated and make the process fun.

Final thoughts

So these were my 10 ways on how to improve self-discipline as a beginner in small ways.

I know it is not easy. I know there will be days when you feel like giving up. I know because I have been there too.

But if you just pick one area, start small, keep showing up, and remind yourself why you want this, you will see changes.

Self-discipline is not about being perfect. It is about progress. About slowly building habits that last a lifetime.

And trust me, if I can do it, you can too.