Zach Swee

So it’s time again for the Days of Discipline.  The DoD was something I invented in college.  Basically, I was finding myself not really getting anything done.  I felt like I was just spinning my wheels and days would go by without me accomplishing anything I actually wanted to accomplish, and just wondering where all the time went.

So I created the 12 Days of Discipline.  I made a list of 12 things that I wanted to be disciplined in.  These would be things that I wanted to be a part of my routine, but because of laziness or bad habit, was not.  Things like flossing.  And working out.  So I made my list, and I told myself for the next 12 days, I would just simply force myself to do them.

No excuses, no exceptions, no special circumstances.  These 12 things were daily non-negotiables.

And what did I discover after my 12 days?  I learned that discipline really is a choice, and that I was lying to myself before when I thought I didn’t have the willpower to do them.  Some of the things were hard to make myself do, but ultimately it just takes the decision to make it happen.  I had the willpower in me, I just had to exercise it.  On top of that, after 12 days of doing these things every day, I was well on the way of turning these things into habits, and they were much easier to do by the end.

A couple years ago I decided to again do the Days of Discipline, although this time I wanted to go more hard-core, so I instituted the 40 Days of Discipline — 40 daily disciplines for 40 Days.  Again, it was hard, but I forced my way through it, and halfway through, it didn’t seem hard anymore.  By the end, I formed habits that lasted me months and some for years.

But it’s come that time again.  I feel like with my busy work schedule, it’s hard for me to get everything done personally that I want to do.  I’m finding myself tired after work and just sitting on the couch watching TV or movies, instead of accomplishing the things that I really do want to have as a part of my life.  That all changes now.  For the next 60 days, I am going to be going through the follow list of 60 things.  The whole things seems a little daunting now, but if my previous experiments in this have taught me anything, the difficulty I experience now will go away and will be far overshadowed by the benefits of making these disciplines into habits later on.

So without further adieu, here is my list:

Daily:

• Wake up early and get out of bed immediately (no snoozing)
• Make my bed
• Track my weight
• Do stretches
• Do push-ups
• Do sit-ups
• Exercise
• Read Bible
• Pray
• Carry a pack between home and work
• Drink more than 4 glasses of water
• Write down everything I eat
• Memorize a verse
• Memorize something else
• Clean my apt/kitchen/bathroom/car
• Take a picture a day and upload to Facebook
• Call a friend
• Read a book
• Journal
• Brush twice a day
• Floss

Once A Week:

• Call home every Sunday
• Take contacts out
• Clean shower
• Go to church
• Study for Bible study
• Work on my life story
• Watch a Netflix movie
• Go for a motorcycle ride
• Hang out with a friend

General Principles:

Personal:

• Eat healthfully
• Plan out meals
• Only drink free diet soda
• No unhealthy fast food
• No candy
• Put dishes away right after using them
• Stay clean-shaven
• File mail immediately
• Write down everything I spend
• Get gas when it falls under a 1/4 tank

Work:

• Start work by making a To Do list
• Dress appropriately to work
• Keep office, storage closet, and portable clean
• Respond to emails and calls right away
• Keep files organized
• Keep my work calendar up-to-date
• Label all tapes
• Don’t look up Facebook or Reddit until all my work is done
• Track work hours and tasks

One-Offs

• Finish list of Things to Do Before I Die
• Sort computer files
• Get new gym key
• Burn Ish’s Wedding to DVD
• Put up Facebook photos
• Finish Waldo video
• Make dentist appointment
• Make eye appointment
• Visit Planet Fitness
• Do a Video CoPilot tutorial