Discipline

Our brains constantly calculate the cost and benefit of our actions, and if we perceive the benefits of our current habits to be greater than the effort needed to change them, it becomes difficult to make a change.
- For example, what are the costs and benefits of playing video games now or studying?
We know we should become more disciplined, but we are often not ready for it because we enjoy our current life as it is, whether that is playing video games a lot or waking up late.

Having a competing interest is essential in cultivating discipline. Having a competing interest is what makes you ready for change.
Discipline requires a willingness to pay a price (the pain of change).
This concept is drawn from research on addiction: people only quit a substance when they want something more than the pain of withdrawal and the pleasure of the substance.
I have to want something more than the pain of getting off of this substance. Humans need to have a good reason to want to change, you can't brute force change without an end goal in mind.

Our wants and desires typically come from the external world (i.e. My parents/friends/favourite youtubers are doing this so I should do it). Personalised ads are CONSTANTLY telling you what you want (which is why you should block ads on all of your devices!).
None of the above is a competing interest. You can't develop discipline for someone else. Individuals who grow up in controlling environments are overwhelmed with external demands, meaning they haven't been able to figure out what they personally want.
Discipline is an ==internal force that overcomes your barriers.

Write down a list of things that you think you want to achieve, preferably on a piece of paper. Do this in a quiet room, with no distractions. I like to do this outside in sunlight, away from technology.
Ask yourself if this is something you TRULY want, or was this something that was INSTILLED IN ME from the external world? You will find that most of your wants aren't internal.
Pick ONLY ONE THING that you actually want. Sit with that thing, think through how to achieve it for a few moments in silence.
Start with something small, such as going for a walk everyday.

Your mind might trick you in telling you that what you're doing isn't enough. It is trying to keep you stuck because it does its CBA and decides that the cost isn't worth the gain. It also wants to protect you from any unnecessary pain.
1. The reality is that progress is rarely linear. There will be days where you do what you set out to do, days where you only achieve part of what you want and days where you will achieve nothing at all. Habits can take a very long time to form, ranging from weeks to months so be kind to yourself and recognise that inconsistency is part of the process.
Your mind might remind you of other things that you should be doing. Your