Your discipline is a lie

Hey there,

The reason successful people seem "naturally disciplined" is because they stopped relying on discipline years ago.

Instead, they built systems that track progress and make habits impossible to ignore. I thought I was naturally disciplined for years until I started actually tracking my habits. The results were humbling: My "discipline" was mostly just selective memory about my good days.

Here's what we're covering today:

• The 4-step system that makes inconsistency impossible

• How to automate habit tracking so it requires zero willpower

• Why missing days doesn’t ruin your progress

How To Stop Lying to Yourself About Your Habits (4-Step Mini-System)

If you want to see real personal growth without overwhelming yourself, you need a system that makes good habits automatic and progress visible.

Here's how to build that system in under 5 minutes.

Step 1: Set Up Your Habit Tracker Where You Already Live

The first thing you need is a habit tracker that lives where you already manage your life, not another app you'll forget to check.

For me, that’s Todoist.

• Open Todoist and go to Settings

• Integrations

• Browse

• Install the "Habit Tracker" extension.

This allows you to turn any task into a trackable habit with streak counters that show your consistency over time.

Quick video walkthrough:

Step 2: Create Your Personal Development Habit Stack

Instead of cluttering your task list with individual habits, create one master ‘recurring’ task called "Daily Growth Habits" with subtasks underneath.

Add subtasks for your core development areas (examples):

• Read

• Exercise

• Journal

• Learn something new

• Create something

Next to each subtask click the three dots and select "Track Habit."

This creates the streak counters that show your consistency patterns.

Quick video walkthrough:

Step 3: Make Progress Impossible to Ignore

The final piece is making your habits visible throughout your day.

Add the Todoist widget to your phone's home screen so you see your habit list every time you pick up your device.

Then block time on your calendar for each habit, just like you would any important meeting.

This way, your habits have protected time slots, and you're not relying on finding motivation in random moments throughout the day.

Step 4: Give Yourself Permission to Be Human

You're going to miss days, and that's completely normal.

When you miss a habit, don't spiral into self-criticism. Just acknowledge it and commit to getting back on track the next day.

Remember, you're already doing something that 95% of people never attempt: actually measuring and improving your daily actions.

That's it.

Here's what you learned today:

• Tracking in your existing task manager eliminates the "forgot to check another app" excuse

• Creating a habit stack instead of individual tasks keeps your system simple and manageable

• Missing days is normal. Acknowledging and resuming is what separates long-term success from quitting

Set up your habit tracker today in Todoist and commit to just one week of tracking. You'll be amazed at what the data reveals about your real consistency levels and where you can make the biggest improvements.

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