Why You Shouldn't Be Disciplined On Everything
Learn why too much of a good thing can backfire.
We all want to improve.
That’s why I write.
That’s why you are reading this.
We set goals for our health, career, relationships, and personal growth, believing that if we just apply enough discipline, we can master it all. But what happens when we try to do too much at once?
Take David Goggins, one of the toughest endurance athletes in the world. He built his reputation on relentless training, pushing himself beyond what most people think is humanly possible. But even he had limits. Years of extreme workouts and nonstop self-improvement came at a cost: his body started breaking down. He suffered from stress fractures, shin splints, and other injuries that forced him to step back1. It wasn’t that he lacked discipline; it was that he had to learn how to apply it wisely. Eventually, he adapted his approach, incorporating smarter training and recovery strategies.
The lesson? Discipline isn’t just about pushing harder; it’s about knowing where to push and when to pull back. Too much at once doesn’t make you stronger; it wears you down.
We fall into the same trap. We think that if a little discipline is good, then maxing it out in every area — fitness, career, diet, relationships, hobbies — must be even better. But trying to juggle too much at once doesn’t lead to mastery; it leads to burnout and failure.
So, let’s talk about why trying to be disciplined in everything doesn’t work and what actually does.
Why Trying to Be Disciplined in Everything Backfires
Everywhere you look, someone is preaching the gospel of relentless self-improvement. Wake up at 5 AM. Hit the gym daily. Track every calorie. Hustle harder at work. Read more books. Optimize every second of your life.
Sounds good in theory. In reality? It doesn’t work. I have fallen for it multiple times. We all want to be as efficient in every aspect of our lives as we can, but it’s simply not possible.
Research and real-world experience show that spreading discipline too thin leads to:
Burnout
Exhausted willpower
Diminishing returns on discipline
A foggy, sleep-deprived brain
Here’s why.
Burnout: When Your Drive Works Against You
Discipline takes energy. The more things you try to control at once, the faster you drain that energy. Eventually, you crash.
Take Lydia O’Donnell, a top-tier marathon runner. She didn’t just train hard; she went all in. Strict diet, intense workouts, personal goal-setting, and a coaching career on the side. For a while, it worked. Then her body started breaking down. Workouts felt forced. Motivation disappeared. She struck a wall. Hard.
Burnout isn’t just for high achievers. The World Health Organization classified it as a real syndrome caused by chronic stress2. If you try to be disciplined in everything, you’ll eventually push yourself past the limit.
Willpower Isn’t Unlimited (And You’re Using It Up)
Think of willpower like a battery. Every decision you make — resisting junk food, staying focused at work, choosing a book over Netflix — drains that battery.
Now imagine trying to stick to a strict diet, an intense workout plan, a deep work schedule, and a perfect morning routine all at once.
That’s like running ten apps on your phone at the same time. Eventually, the battery dies.
This concept, known as ego depletion, is backed by research3. The more you flex your willpower muscle, the weaker it gets. That’s why strict dieters often binge after weeks of restraint; their mental reserves run out.
More Discipline Doesn’t Mean Better Results
People think discipline is like a light switch: you either have it or you don’t. In reality, it’s more like a flashlight. Shine it on one thing, and it’s bright. Try to light up ten things at once, and it’s dim everywhere.
A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when people focused on one habit — like fitness or studying — they performed significantly better than those trying to improve multiple areas at once4.
It makes sense. You can wake up at 5 AM, but if you’re exhausted, your work and workouts suffer. You can force yourself to read more, but if your brain is fried, you won’t remember much.
More isn’t always better.
Too Much Discipline Mimics Sleep Deprivation
Here’s the kicker: trying to be disciplined in everything actually messes with your brain.
A 2022 neuroscience study found that when people overexert their self-control in multiple areas, their brain starts showing sleep-like activity while they’re awake5. This means:
Your decision-making slows down.
You get more impulsive and reactive.
Focus becomes harder.
You start making irrational choices, just like someone running on no sleep.
Your brain isn’t built to juggle constant self-restraint. Eventually, it starts shutting down.
The Right Way to Build Discipline (Without Burning Out)
If trying to be disciplined in everything leads to failure, what’s the alternative?
Simple: focus on one discipline at a time and let success build on itself.
Think of it like lighting a fire. If you spread your matches too thin, nothing ignites. But if you concentrate on one flame, it grows strong, and you can use it to start others.
This isn’t just good advice. It’s backed by science. Studies show that habit formation, willpower, and performance all improve when focus is applied to one change at a time rather than multiple6.
How to Do It Right
Pick One Focus Area: Instead of fixing everything at once, commit to one habit and nail it before moving on to the next.
Use Keystone Habits: Some habits create a ripple effect. Exercise, for example, tends to improve diet, sleep, and productivity without extra effort.
Start Small and Build Momentum: The British Cycling Team made tiny 1% improvements in different areas — sleep, training, nutrition — and ended up dominating the Tour de France. I speak about this in my very first article!
Takeaways
Most people fail at discipline because they try to fix everything at once. The truth is, real success comes from:
Focusing on one thing first: Pick a keystone habit that improves other areas naturally.
Starting small: Tiny improvements compound into big results.
Accepting trade-offs: You can’t do it all at once, and that’s okay.
Tracking progress, not perfection: Consistency beats perfection every time.
By following this approach, discipline becomes something sustainable, not something that burns you out.
So, what’s the one habit you’re going to focus on first?
Have a wonderful week!
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At Self-Disciplined, we believe in transparency and honesty. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on one of them and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help support the work put into this site and keep it running. Rest assured, I only recommend products or services that I genuinely believe in and that I think would bring value to my readers.
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Men’s Health: David Goggins Just Shared How a Brutal Leg Injury Only Made Him Stronger. https://www.menshealth.com/health/a38133320/david-goggins-leg-injury-instagram-video/
World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., & Tice, D. M. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252-1265. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252
Milyavskaya, M., & Inzlicht, M. (2016). Attentional and motivational mechanisms of self-control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110(3), 465-478. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000053
Ordali, E., et al. (2024). Prolonged exertion of self-control causes increased sleep-like activity in the brain and impairs subsequent self-control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(45), e2404213121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2404213121
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (paid link). Avery Publishing.