Why Mastering Adaptable Discipline Unlocks Your Greatest Success
Be free from rigid routines and use the power of adaptability to keep on track, overcome setbacks, and have real success.
Imagine for a second that you a parent of two young kids: life is chaotic, and between work, school drop-offs, house chores, and trying to have some personal time, you are feeling like you are constantly juggling too many things.
You set goals for yourself, like waking up early to read or meditate, but then your kids gets sick, or you have a stressful work week, and all your plans fall apart.
You want to be more disciplined, but it feels impossible when life is unpredictable.
As the father of two I can completely relate with the situation as my life is as chaotic sometimes, as the hypothetical situation describes.
Life can be chaos even when you are not a parent; the mere fact of having to juggle too many things can be daunting.
So, what do we do. How do you stay on track when life is chaos?
Life is chaos
If you have plans set that stick to a routine, and they seem to work in the happy path — or happy, uneventful times — then you can think that you are following a path of discipline.
That until one event messes with them. I’m sure you are familiar with the domino effect, but if you are not, the domino effect is a chain reaction where a single event sets off a sequence of similar or related events, often with increasing impact.
What you are following is indeed a form discipline, but in my experience, is the type of discipline that has become the mainstream “definition of discipline”. What I call Rigid Discipline. All about willpower, and trying to do stuff even if you don’t want to or even if you can’t.
If you look around in social media, in literature, the message conveyed by gurus and influencers is this: “Get up and get it done, no matter what it takes, no matter what it cost. It’s all about willpower”.
But is it all about willpower?
The truth is that its easier said than done. When people think of willpower, they think of an infinite source of it, that you can pull from in order to get stuff done. Studies prove that this cannot be farther from the truth. Actually, our willpower acts as a battery that, when pulled from constantly without replenishment, gets depleted1.
So, when we run out of willpower, what’s left?
The answer is: excuses. Think of this point as the finger that pokes the first domino piece to start the downfall. It can translate into hitting the snooze — it will be just this time, right? —, or eating that piece of candy you promise you wouldn’t eat — I’m just treating myself —, or stopping halfway in your daily jogging that supposed to last 20 minutes — I’ll just walk this one time.
It’s not all about willpower. It takes more than that to reach sustainability in our discipline and willpower alone won’t bring us back to the path.
Rethinking Discipline
I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all to get sidetracked from time to time; no road is perfect. If you are trying to get from point A to point B and you get lost on the way, it is important to have the willingness to make a U-turn and return to the right path.
The difference is how we choose to use our willpower. Rather than exhausting it to simply ‘keep walking’, we should save it and use it to stay on the path and to keep bringing ourselves back to it.
To me, being a disciplined person is not about just keeping your head down and marching forward. Real discipline is about understanding the big picture, knowing when to step back and reassess the situation, and making adjustments to your approach. In other words, discipline is about developing those qualities that enable us to stay the course, correct our path, fine tune it, and arrive at our goal.
I’ve coined the term Adaptable Discipline to describe a mental model based in discipline to stay committed to your goals while still being able to change your methods. It understands that discipline is not about keeping to a plan no matter what has happened to throw it off track.
People think that discipline is setting a goal, coming up with a plan and implementing it regardless of the circumstances.
Let me illustrate with an example.
Let’s say I want to lose weight and decided to try out intermittent fasting — not that I haven’t tried before!
I stick to my plan and see results: I lost weight. Amazing!
One day, I am tempted to break my fasting window.
Fine. Tomorrow, I’ll do better.
A couple of days later, I do it again. It’s okay, I can always try again the next day.
This pattern repeats itself and over time I return to my initial weight or even go beyond it.
Could it not be better to, instead of setting Instrumental Goals, understand the what, the why of the goals that are being set, to understand what are the Ultimate Goals, the reason why we are doing this?
This clarity helps to broaden the options and approaches that are available to meet our goals sustainably. It also allows us to keep our sights on the main prize and to do whatever it takes to get there. More succinctly, it enables us to adapt to the twists and turns of life and therefore increase our chances of success.
It is Adaptable Discipline that becomes the mindset that brings us back to the track and the goal, and not a discipline that locks us up in a system with no direction.
Discipline is not about rigidity; it is about realignment.
In Order To Be Flexible, You Have To Be Adaptable
A lot of people think that flexibility is a genetic trait; you either have it or you don’t. In fact, flexibility is a function of adaptability. In order to be really flexible in the way that we approach the various challenges that life throws at us, we first need to make adaptability a way of thinking.
Adaptability as a Pillar of Adaptable Discipline
Adaptability is one of the key qualities of the Adaptable Discipline mindset. It helps us to change our plans and methods and strategies and if not to abandon our goals. If obstacles appear, a flexible person will not consider them as problems but as a way to adjust one’s approach and remain on track towards the objective.
But here’s the thing, there is a huge difference between that and just throwing out the goals. Sometimes we will need to re-evaluate our goals all together and that is okay. That is what adaptability is all about. Do. Assess. Pivot.
How Adaptability Affects Our Thinking
In the brain, adaptability is associated with cognitive flexibility — the capacity to change thinking, to work with new information, and to come up with different strategies2. The current scientific discoveries state that people who work on adaptability develop better critical thinking and stress management because they are not set on a particular path and can easily change their approaches345.
Adaptability enables us to step back and look at the whole picture. Instead of getting angry when something doesn’t go as planned, an adaptable mindset will help you ask:
What can I change?
What other ways can I help achieve what I am trying to do?
Is my current strategy still the best way to achieve my goal?
Be A Thermostat
To explain this concept, I will use an example, so I will explain it with the help of an analogy: the thermostat and the heater.
Rigid Behavior: The Old Heater
When you think on a rigid approach to discipline, imagine it as an old-fashioned heater that only has an on/off switch. When the temperature drops, it comes on and blows heat as high as it can, and then when the target is reached it turns off. It doesn’t work like that, it doesn’t adapt to fluctuations and it doesn’t work to regulate itself. This kind of system results in extremes — either burning up or freezing down — with no in between to modulate.
This is how rigid discipline works. It is based on willpower only, the traditional approach, which proceeds without regard to circumstances. This leads to burn out, frustration and the inability to maintain long term progress.
Adaptive Behavior: The Smart Thermostat
The adaptable approach is therefore shown to be like a smart thermostat. It does not overact; it works systematically to monitor the environment and make gradual changes to keep the temperature constant. When an external factor, for example, an open window, or a cold front, throws the system off balance, it does not panic or shut down. It recalibrates and finds a new equilibrium without ever losing sight of the overall objective of comfort.
Adaptable discipline lets us change our behaviors and plans and keep our end goal in mind at the same time. We only change the goal if the goals we are setting are not beneficial to us. We don’t abandon the goal when conditions change, we find new ways to achieve the goal.
If we are to be more flexible in our approach to discipline, we must first learn to be adaptable. Flexibility is not a lack of structure; it is the ability to keep the acceleration even when the track is changed. Thus, we can train ourselves to think adaptively and develop a more sustainable and more resilient discipline approach that will always enable us to move forward towards our goals despite what life brings our way.
How Can We Flex Our Adaptability Muscle?
Just as we can work on our flexibility or any other muscle, we can also work on our adaptability. When we learn to manage change without compromising on our goals, we make discipline sustainable and efficient. Three strategies for someone starting out with Adaptable Discipline were found to be both successful and quite simple.
1. The Two-Day Rule (Preventing the Domino Effect)
The idea was inspired by James Clear's "Atomic Habits" and research on habit formation by Wendy Wood.
The moment you start on the path of developing a new habit, it is easy to get caught up in the all or nothing approach. People think that they have failed and hence decide to quit trying completely. This is where the Two-Day Rule comes in handy. This way, we are still allowed to mess up sometimes without necessarily jeopardizing the chances of being consistent in the long run.
When we follow the Two-Day Rule, we never skip a habit two days in a row. This simple rule helps prevent small slips from turning into a complete derailment. If you feel guilty and want to quit your workout because you have not worked out today, then try to do something active the next day, it may be a stretch or a short walk. The idea is to keep the forward momentum even if we are not able to do it to the best of our abilities. In the long run, this approach helps one to develop resistance and not get off track easily.
I know what you are going to say: but you said that this was not only about willpower?!
And I sustain it! This method allows to replenish your willpower battery while keeping you flexible to get off-track with boundaries. Think of it as a pit-stop to recharge before going back to the path.
But remember, never skip a habit two days in a row.
2. Reframing Challenges as Opportunities
Based on Carol Dweck's research on Growth Mindset and the principles outlined in "The Obstacle Is the Way" by Ryan Holiday
The most significant challenge here is the way we view failures and challenges in our life. Most people view them as failures, and this makes them to become frustrated and demoralized in their efforts. But it is possible to change the perception of the challenges, so that they become a source of learning and positive thinking rather than a reason to feel defeated.
Instead of thinking, “Why me?”, reframe it to, “What can I get from this?” or “How can I tackle this issue?”. If a plan doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean you should throw away the entire plan; it means you have a chance to come up with a better one.
For instance, if you had planned to read in the morning but were absorbed with work, you should not think that the day is over, you should have tried to read at another time of the day. Perhaps a lunch break or bedtime could be just as effective. This way, you are still able to achieve the goal while permitting for variations in the real world.
If we approach every failure as yet another chance to improve our strategy, we foster a growth mindset that makes adaptability a way of life.
3. Modular Planning
Based on David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” approach.
The conventional discipline often provides for the rigidity of schedules and strict routines that can become very annoying when life happens. Modular planning offers an alternative: a flexible yet structured way to organize habits and tasks.
In modular planning, instead of assigning habits at specific times, blocks of time can be used over and over again and can be moved around as needed. This makes it easy to make changes without having to quit the habit altogether. For instance, if you are used to working out in the morning and there is a change of event, you can exercise in the afternoon or evening. In the same way, if a meeting interrupts your planned focused work time, you can reschedule it for a later time instead of not doing it at all.
This way of thinking does not have the all or nothing approach which is likely to result in failure. It also enhances the reliability of the schedule because it provides for the frequency of the habit throughout the day rather than only once. Thus, the concept of modular planning helps to maintain order while allowing for the necessary changes that happen in a day.
These three methods — The Two-Day Rule, Reframing Challenges as Opportunities, and Modular Planning — can be combined to develop adaptability without jeopardizing discipline in the workplace. This synergy actually does all the opposite; it strengthens discipline. However, these methods transform the culture from one of rigidity to one of flexibility, which is useful for beginners who want to quit their bad habits — or acquire better ones — without feeling like they are failing.
These strategies allow you to develop the habit of course-correcting as opposed to quitting, which is the core of Adaptable Discipline. Over time, these small yet effective changes help people to manage their challenges and carry on with their life despite the many challenges that they encounter in their daily lives.
Takeaways
The main thing I believe you should learn from this article is that in order to stay on the path that leads to your goals, you have to make Adaptable Discipline a part of your mental model toolbox.
Discipline shouldn’t be a rigid force that punishes you for failing. It should be a way to get you back to your path, no matter how many times you get off track.
To make this mindset a reality, we must develop adaptability. To be adaptable is to be able to change without having to change our goals. We do this by using methods like:
The Two-Day Rule: to ensure consistency without perfection.
Reframing Challenges as Opportunities: Using these to build stepping stones.
Modular Planning: Creating flexible structures to facilitate change.
Just like the thermostat analogy, discipline is not about being an on/off switch, sticking blindly to a plan no matter the obstacles. Rather, be like a smart thermostat, constantly tweaking while always working towards your ultimate goal.
I would like to leave you with one more challenge before we part. See if you can spot one place you could use Adaptable Discipline today. It might be at the gym, at the office, or even in your quest for personal development. Begin small, be flexible, and believe in the process.
And remember
Discipline isn’t about rigidity; it’s about realignment.
Have a wonderful week!
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