Mastering self-discipline during student life will set you up for the future. Self-discipline is an excellent trait to master when you are a student as you are continuously adding & deleting things from your life.
Discipline plays a colossal part in deciding the course of your life and significantly impacts your thoughts and actions. Not everyone is equipped with the amount of self-discipline that is required of them. It is almost the foundational basis for any long-term goal that has to be accomplished through hard work and perseverance. Self-discipline is commonly defined as conducting yourself rationally, without your emotions infiltrating your thoughts. In simple words, the behavior where you do not lose self-control and get carried away.
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What is self-discipline for students?
Now, the question that arises is what is self-discipline for students and how shall they practice it? Self-discipline is a very important habit for students of all ages but especially those belonging to school and college because these are the formative years when you learn as many new skills as possible and try to expand the horizon of your knowledge.
As a student, completing your homework and assignments daily, revising everyday lessons, reaching school or college on time, being attentive in class, attending all lectures, doing the follow-up with teachers and professors, meeting deadlines, managing your time, and reserving some of it for extra-curricular are some acts that you can or let’s say you should engage in, to be self-disciplined. This applies more to college students because this is the period when you start learning to be independent and have to take up a lot of responsibility on your shoulders at the same time as being exposed to the world. Thus, it requires a lot of discipline to finish your work on time as well as balance other aspects of life.
Importance of self-discipline for students
Many of you might wonder why discipline is emphasized over and over again. After all, what is so great about being able to practice it in the right amount and right way, that too when you are a student. Well, these are some of the greatest benefits of leading a disciplined life as a student:
- It improves your academic performance– As Swami Vivekananda rightly observed- ” Education is the manifestation of perfection”, every student needs a lot of discipline to strive for this perfection and the journey is ever so much important than the destination. You just can’t expect to rank in class after spending a rather idyllic year and mugging up everything right before 20 days of your exam. No, that’s very taxing on your mental health would never yield desirable results. We all know that success is never served on a platter; either you work for it or let go of it. There’s no convenient middle ground between the two. And successful students require to study round the year with a fair balance of healthy meals, sufficient sleep, and enough energy so that they can come out with flying colors.
- Key to a stress-free life- Maintaining a disciplined life will enable you to complete your projects and home works on time and thus save you the stress of last-minute rushes or a teacher’s insult because you begged them to allow a delayed submission.
- Multiplies your self-confidence– Brian Tracy said- ” Every act of self-discipline increases your confidence, trust, and belief in yourself and your abilities” and it’s indisputably true. Working on yourself and self-discipline would mean improvement and as you get better day by day, your confidence grows in leaps and bounds. You become more sure of yourself and your abilities, and in the process, people around you also start deeming you as a responsible student and entrust you with more responsibilities. Your teachers also start relying on you.
- Helps in time management- Having completed your work much ahead of time, you will have a lot of time for other activities that you are involved in. For example, if you finish your term papers on time and submit them, you will have a lot of time at hand for administering the activities of a society in college that you head or go back home early and get back to painting if that’s your hobby or watch a movie with at the weekend with friends.
- Uplifts your reputation- It would not be folly to say that self-discipline becomes your identity as a student after a point in time. You become known for your punctuality, constant efforts, and responsible nature in your friend circle and the neighbourhood. More and more people respect you as a result of this and you enjoy the benefits of an untainted reputation throughout your student life, which is a great perk, after all.
- Enables you to shrug off temptations in a jiffy- You cannot allow yourself to dissociate while you are studying or doing some other work and self-discipline helps you restrict that. There will always be a phone buzzing or a party invitation waiting but once you’ve set your goal and made up your mind to achieve it at any cost, you won’t succumb to these temporary amusements because you know where to reach.
Example of Self-Discipline for Students
- Know your limits– As much as it is important to make friends and socialize, it is equally important to know when and where to draw the line. Prioritizing friends and night-outs over assignments can be harmful to your academic growth. Go out, have fun, play, enjoy but keep a specific part of the day for doing this, and do not kill up all your study time for friends or family. That’s tomfoolery and would hamper your discipline in more ways than you can think of.
- Reward yourself frequently– The human mind functions on motivation. So, you should always remember to reward yourself with breaks at regular intervals after fulfilling a goal or a good ice cream treat which will keep you undeterred on your path to pursue self-discipline. You will have a sense of being disciplined and yet, you won’t be stressing yourself too much.
- Work hard but smart- Of Course it is not at all easy to be a disciplined student and demands a lot of patience and honest efforts, but you need to have a defined plan for every day. You list down your work and assign them different schedules throughout the day and not only that, try completing them within the stipulated time. That’s how you reduce your workload and get done with your work with effortless elan.
- Remove Distractions- Recognize your distractions well. Facebook groups, Twitter, Messenger, Instagram reels, buzzing Whatsapp groups, Netflix shows- identify whatever it is that you fall prey to and remove that while you are studying, exercising or practising music. Smartphones are potential distractions to students because they are not usually well-versed with self-restraint techniques, and thus you should consider abandoning your smartphone at least when you study. Switching to ‘aeroplane mode’ or switching it off may be a good idea to detach yourself temporarily.
- Follow a routine- Well, this might sound like the school principal giving long, boring pieces of irritating advice at the morning assembly but it truly works wonders. If you are a student and you find yourself thoroughly indisciplined, check your weekly activities, commitments and make a routine today itself. Make a point to abide by it. This influences the process of building self-discipline in students and makes it a lot more easier
The most important part of self-discipline is consistency and a positive attitude. Naturally, you will keep getting distracted and lose patience but you cannot ever afford to get so discouraged that you ultimately give in to indisciplined behavior. Practising all of these methods over a considerable period, regularly is the only key to mastering the art of self-discipline your budding minds!
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Also Read: 6 Best Self-Discipline Exercises That You Should Practice
Damayanti Dubey is a final year English major at Loreto College, Kolkata. She is a writer by passion and loves to indulge in languages, especially English, Bengali, and Urdu. She aims at exploring all of their intricacies and nuances. Damayanti is a disciple of Padma Bhushan Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and is a national scholar of Indian classical music. She has always believed that a sound mind, free from the clutches of regressive and negative thoughts is the key to living a healthy life and makes efforts to promote mental wellness through the power of her words.
Damayanti believes in thinking beyond boundaries.