I had a conversation with a friend a while back and he said that once you have discipline in your life everything is easy. I only wish that were true. That reality is that doing hard things is hard. Discipline allows you to do them anyway. It doesn’t make them easy.

My definition of discipline is wanting something more in the future than the something that you want today. For example, having the discipline required to lose weight means you want to weigh less in the future more than you want that handful of chocolate covered raisins today. Said another way, discipline means you’re willing to give up something today so you can have something better tomorrow.

You can have more discipline in your life when you realize that discipline is a developable skill. Developing that skill is a gradual process that involves making consistent changes to your mindset, habits, and routines. Here’s how to get started.

Set Clear Goals. Discipline rises and on goals. Until you know what you want in the future you’ll have no reason to work towards it today. So begin by defining your short-term and long-term goals. You’ll need to be as specific as possible here. You should have goals in multiple areas of your life. That balance will allow you to keep moving forward when setbacks and obstacles try to knock you off track. It’s knowing what you want to achieve that provides a sense of direction and purpose. Purpose makes up the core of your discipline.

Prioritize Tasks. Instead of doing the easiest things first create a prioritized task list based on their importance and deadlines. Focus on high-priority items first. As you develop discipline it will be less likely that you look down your list and pick a lower priority task to do first. You’ll need to do everything possible to stick to your prioritized task list for at least 30 days. It’s at that point that your newfound discipline can take over.

Create a Routine. Establish a daily routine that includes dedicated time for work, rest, and personal activities. Consistency in your schedule helps develop discipline. Do NOT over schedule your calendar. “Stuff” as they say, happens. There is nothing wrong with having a gap in your calendar here and there to handle that stuff. If you completely fill your calendar everyday then when the inevitable “stuff” happens your routine is shot to hell and likely, your discipline is shot with it.

Eliminate Distractions. Identify and minimize distractions in your environment. “Distractions” may well include co-workers who lack discipline. You may need to politely decline their hallway conversations or gossip sessions. They might be using you as an excuse to procrastinate and few things can impact your personal discipline like allowing someone else’s procrastination to become your problem.

Time Management. You can’t really manage time, you get 1440 minutes a day to use as effectively as you can. So learn to manage the “events” of your day that use up that time. Set deadlines for tasks and allocate specific time blocks for different activities/events. Do not confuse “busy work” for true productivity. If an event did not contribute toward getting you closer to one of your goals or objectives then you might have been busy but it’s unlikely you were productive.

Build Habits. The most successful people know that not all habits are bad. In fact, many could be considered positive habits. Identify the positive habits in your life. To be a positive habit they need to align with your goals. Consistently practicing these habits helps automate positive behaviors and build unshakable discipline.

There are certainly other areas of focus that can help you further develop discipline in your life but these are a good place to start. Building discipline is a gradual process, and it’s important to be patient with yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day and your durable discipline won’t be either. Consistency and perseverance are key components of developing lasting discipline in life.

Stay the course because your future self will be mighty glad you did.