How Is Having Discipline Different from Perfect Practice?

Confusing discipline with perfect practice is an easy mistake to make.

Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash

Discipline is a word that goes tossed around a lot, in variable mediums.

People often talk about discipline when it comes to diet and exercise, building new habits, learning new skills, and lots of activities that people partake in along the way.

Creators frequently discuss discipline when it comes to finding and making the time to create. Since art tends to be derided as less important or unimportant in the grand scheme of things, the creative process requires discipline.

That’s not to say that there are times a little discipline is important. In a world of uncountable distractions, setting a goal and disciplining yourself to follow it can make the difference between thinking about doing — and doing — the work.

For example, I set out to write a minimum of 1500 words of fiction a day. Disciplining myself to make and/or find the time to do this has often been challenging. Between distractions, my other jobs, and other necessary things in my life, I don’t always make that goal.

But this is also where you can see the fine line between discipline and perfect practice. And it’s important to recognize and…