By Leo Babauta

One of the biggest changes people want to make is some form of having more discipline — sticking to habits, doing the tasks you’ve been procrastinating on, being more focused when you work, tackling all of those things you’ve been avoiding.

But how do we get more discipline? Is there a magical Discipline Fairy, or is it just what we’re born with, or can we actually increase it?

I’ve found that we can increase our discipline with training — and here I’m defining “discipline” as the capacity to face the things we’re avoiding. With training, you can face these things more easily, longer, more often, and with harder and harder tasks.

I think of this also as “courage training,” because what we’re really training is our willingness to face the things that we’re resisting or that we’re afraid of in some way.

If we can train our discipline and courage, so much changes in our lives: we get better at tackling high-impact tasks that require focus; we start making our way through the more difficult tasks on our todo lists and emails in our inbox; we move important projects forward; we stick to habits better.

In short, what many of us have been craving in our lives.

So how does this discipline and courage training work? Let me share what I’ve been finding in my experiments with dozens and dozens of people.

Set Up Structure

I recommend committing to at least a month of training — more than a month is better, but a month is a great start where you’ll see some strong progress.

I also recommend Courage Sessions of just 15 minutes a day. It will feel like too little, but I find better success by starting with a very strong commitment to 15 minutes than by having a weaker commitment to an hour of training.

Block it off on your calendar each day. Make it unmissable. Pick something you’re avoiding to tackle, before the Courage Session starts. Then take it on, with as much courage as you can muster!

Find the Appropriate Level, Regularly

Two important factors in this discipline and courage training are volume and intensity. Volume is how long you do the sessions (and how often you do it — i.e. 3 times a day vs. once a week).

Intensity is how difficult the task is, for you in this moment. So, for example, if a task is super easy, you might rate it a 2 out of 10 in intensity. But if you’ve been avoiding your taxes for months, it might be more of a 9 out of 10. And on different days, the same task might be more or less intense — maybe last week it was easy, but today it’s freaking you out.

It’s important to find the tasks that are a challenge but that won’t shut you down. So if you’re really not able to face a task, it might be too intense for you right now. Pick something a bit easier. Shoot for something in the 4–7 out of 10 range, on most days, unless you’re feeling super courageous that day.

Find an Empowered Approach

Finally, we’re not looking to just force yourself to do stuff you hate — that’s not likely to be something you’re excited about for very long. We want something that you feel inspired to do, even if it’s not fun.

So think of an approach that lights you up. Maybe you are tackling tough tasks because they’re meaningful, or they’ll help other people. Or because there’s something fun about it, or it might feel like play, or an adventure. Or because it’s a learning experience, something to bring curiosity about, or to bring your gifts to bear on.

Get creative! What would make you feel inspired to take on this hard task? With an empowered approach, you’re more likely to grow your capacity to take on hard, scary things with openness.

Btw, in February, I’m launching my new Courage Through Action training system within my Fearless Living Academy membership program. I’ve been testing it out for months, and seeing really great results. Join us by signing up for my Fearless Living Academy today!