I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 20 years now, and for the past year and a half I’ve been on the road, living the life of a Digital Nomad. Along the way I have met many, many others like me, and multitudes more who want to live the same lifestyle.
From all of them I’ve learned one important lesson: you cannot be a Digital Nomad until you’ve developed one critical trait, a superpower, if you will.
I’ve spoken to DN’s in Chiang Mai who were floundering, trying to figure out why they couldn’t make enough to survive in the most affordable of places.
Over coffee in the States I’ve picked the brains of would-be DN’s who were eager to jump into the lifestyle but couldn’t get started.
The list goes on. Every one of them – every single one – had the same problem. The lacked the one thing that would help them surmount their problems. The one thing that would allow them to create habits that could power them through the difficulties they were experiencing, that would provide them with the skills they needed to survive the tough transitions ahead.
They lacked discipline.
Ugh. BOOORING!
Yes, discipline. Dull as dogshit, I know, and for most people it conjures up thrilling images of an aged Catholic school nun with a ruler, eyeing her wayward students.
Discipline isn’t sexy. It’s not as exciting as jacking up your Instagram followers to 1,000 or getting hundreds of shares on a Facebook post you put up last week. No one is going to ooh and aaah over it like a sparkling Bugatti or a new pair of Manolos.
But you very likely need it. Deep down, you know you do.
Discipline gets you out of bed every morning earlier than you’d like but exactly when you need to be. Discipline keeps you focused on that arduous task you really have to complete when all the other nomads in town are down at the beach bar drinking 50-cent drafts and playing cornhole.
Discipline will have you studying every day to fill the gaps in your game. It’ll have you relentlessly examining your habits to figure out what you need to level up, and it will guide you in the creation of new routines.
Every nomad I have ever talked to – hell, every entrepreneur I have ever talked to – that has struggled with their business has suffered from a lack of discipline. The good news is that discipline isn’t like baby-blue eyes or a glorious hairline. It’s learned. So if you suck at it, you can improve.
Do you suck? Do you have no discipline? Be honest.
Good, admitting it is the first step. Now let’s work.
DECIDE, ALREADY!
The first step to developing discipline is to decide. Decide that you want it. That you need it. And that, damn it, you are going to do it no matter how hard it will be.
And it’s going to be hard. Otherwise it wouldn’t be worth doing, right? The easy stuff is done by everyone, every day. No one wins awards or becomes a legend by eating Cheetos on the couch and watching TV.
Once you’ve committed to getting it done, start small and simple by working your Discipline Muscle a little every day. Choose a task that needs doing every day, like writing, coding, cleaning, making phone calls to potential customers, taking a typing lesson, learning a new language, meditating, etc. Then select a 10-15 minute time slot – the earlier in the day, the better – and tell yourself that every day, EVERY DAMNED DAY – you will work on that task for a minimum of 10-15 minutes at that time.
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If the 10-15 minutes passes and you still want to work on that task, great. Keep working as long as you wish. But the minimum is 10-15 minutes, and you must do it every day. Without fail.
There are two keys here:
- Repetition. Developing a habit requires repeating an action over time. Keep repeating the action and the habit will form.
- 10-15 minutes is diddly. You can do anything for 10-15 minutes. Set the bar so low so that any resistance to starting the work evaporates.
For most people, the doing is not the problem. It’s the starting. My 5-year-old loathes working on math problems in his workbooks. He can blow through them easily and in minutes, but it sometimes takes him 20 minutes to get started because he’s busy furiously complaining that it’s sooooooo much work.
Does this sound like you? You’re not alone. Starting is the hardest part. It’s so cliche it should be the title of a country song. To get over this, tell yourself that you have no choice, you’re going to start, and that it’s only 10-15 minutes. If it sucks you can quit 10-15 minutes in. But you must start.
After awhile, you’ll not only realize that starting has power, but that you enjoy starting work. The fact that you’ll be able to get massive amounts of stuff done will be the cherry on top of your Hot Fudge Discipline Sundae.
Turn it up to 11
Continue working on the habit until it feels bad to skip it. You will eventually become so accustomed to the habit that you will crave it. Your mind will thirst for that little chunk of routine in your day.
When that happens, it’s time to switch to something a bit harder. If you initially chose some work that’s essential for your business (or starting your business) then stick with it, or increase the minimum time you work on it from 10-15 minutes to 20-30 minutes.
If instead you chose something unrelated to your business, it’s now time to choose something required to support your lifestyle. Do you need to learn how to code? To do SEO? To write? To work on a podcast?
Set that as your new habit to work on every day, and work on it for 10-15 minutes, without fail.
You’ll be exercising your Discipline Muscles indirectly by creating a groove for a habit to live in. The very action of building the habit will strengthen your discipline.
If you’re tempted to take a day off, tell yourself that taking a day off is a setback, not a reward. It will devastate your development, and you’ll be back to square one. Tell all your friends what you’re doing, and have them hold you accountable. Share your progress every day on social media, and have your followers/fans/friends keep you on track.
If you fail, jump right back on and start again.
Developing discipline is difficult work, but it’s worth it. Without it you’ll probably be just another Wantrepreneur sitting on the couch, eating Cheetos.
100% ! It’s all about creating that daily routine. In 9 to 5 life you don’t get to decide your routine but digital nomads, entrepreneurs have to do it!
Improve your life through travel and remote working http://IAmDanElson.com