I want to share with you everything I’ve learned to live a busy life as a free man.

For the last year, I’ve been running three YouTube channels, with one of them nearing 150k subscribers, alongside growing and managing my Skool community, Discipline-OS.

These five habits I’m gonna break down are what shifted me from chronically having no time to having enough time to live without looking at the clock, knowing I’ll be on time.

Habit 1: Turn decisions into automatic systems

You don’t want to think about starting because thinking ≠ starting.

Instead of thinking: plan ahead - then execute - then repeat.

Remember to dissociate thinking from working; your mind comes up with the most powerful ideas when it’s wandering rather than when it’s directed.

Take the discovery of gravity by Isaac Newton. When an apple fell on his head, he wasn’t thinking about physics.

Imagine if, instead of wandering through a park, he had been studying in his office or giving a lecture.

This is why you need systems that decide for you, so that you’re efficient, allowing you to buy “discovery time.”

Habit 2: Use time containers - Not task lists

Tasks pile up forever.

Whereas time is fixed and always a precise measure.

The way I work is by structuring these time blocks by “theme.”

e.g.

• Community work : 1h

• Lock in editing : 2-3h

• Technical stuff : 30 min

• Posting/creating : 2h

That’s a full day’s work.

I used to write down specific tasks I needed to finish each day, but later realized that some tasks could not be finished in a day, while every other task still needed to be done on that same day.

Now I allocate time to each respective task. Once I’ve gone over all my work blocks, if I really need to finish something, I’ll allow myself to do so before signing off for the day.

Habit 3: Kill context switching

The greatest way to be unproductive is to multitask and go from your email to your sales page, to your YouTube analytics, to your phone.

All these things can fill up your whole day without you actually doing anything.

Do one thing, finish it, and move on. Sounds simple, but you probably don’t do it...

This applies to reading too. If you read half a book or article and then zap onto the next one like a robot, you end up with nothing. You wasted half your time and didn’t really get the message or the value.

Habit 4: Build a personal “second brain”

NotebookLM is a very good example. You store information and then ask it questions based on all that information. You can also use a Google Doc, note-taking apps, etc.

Or you can go old-school and use a classic notebook. Make sure you have structure; don’t just write random stuff you never look at again.

Make organizing your notes a habit. This is not journaling. This is mind mapping.

Habit 5: Ruthlessly prioritize

Start first with what matters.

For me, it’s making videos and running my community. So I use most of my energy doing that; the rest is automated behaviour.

If you start the day by watching a movie, you set yourself up for an unproductive, dopamine-loaded day.

Pull out your task list right now, and make it a goal to remove at least 50% of your “tasks” for today.

If you only had six tasks for the entire day, would you write “respond to X and Y, check my email, and look at analytics” as one of those tasks?

Probably not...

I used to write down things to do even though I had no control over them.

The issue is that they stay on your board or planner and mess with your mind.

Find ways to automate random, time-consuming tasks. You can use workflows, agents, smart calendars, automations, etc.

If you’re not using them, you’re missing out on potential gains.

Now I’ve given you the habits that save me more hours a week than I can count.

The last point is not a habit, but to make all of this work, you’re going to need accountability.

Because the truth is, later today you’re going to fall back to your lower self and indulge in a great waste of time, which will cancel out every single productivity hack you’ve used to this point.

You can walk this path alone, but if you’ve tried that already and want to take the next step, I have something for you.

I want to see you stay consistent in the coming months.

That’s why I’ve opened a 7-day free trial to Discipline-OS.

https://www.skool.com/discipline-os/about

You’ll get direct accountability from 200+ members, systems to help you focus and terminate procrastination. This is the great leap, and we’ve all taken it.

Let’s strive toward stronger, more disciplined versions of ourselves.

Click above to join (or over here):

https://www.skool.com/discipline-os/about

Well, we’ve been training our whole life for it. That’s why it’s easy to be numb and sloppy.

2 years ago I decided to flip the script around. Instead of letting my brain be a dopamine seeking machine, I trained it to create.

What started as small insignificant habits, turned into massive changes in my day to day life.

Take this article as an opportunity to fully relax your brain and consume with intention.

I’m going to walk you through exactly how I trained my mind to create rather than consume and how it changes everything.

Part I : The Problem

You’ve been trained to consume (without knowing it).

School = memorize, repeat, don’t create

Social media = loads of inputs, zero outputs

These things are not chosen by us, they are embedded in our environment.

Consumption feels like progress (it isn’t).

Watching productivity videos ≠ being productive

Learning without applying = productive procrastination.

The numbness problem

Constant input suppresses your basic thought

No boredom = no creativity

Your brain never gets space to think, reflect, and connect your thoughts.

You start living other people’s lives

You follow the lives of influencers more than you follow your own.

Why? Because at times, your life feels boring and stale. Theirs feels vivid and real all the time. (side-note: it’s not)

Part 2 : The Training

I. Switch from Consumer → Creator

Small things make a big difference. Writing one paragraph, drawing a sketch, mapping out an idea, building a wooden model.

You’re putting yourself in the shoes of a creator. You are tapping into your creative mind. And you’re often setting the foundation for something greater, like a book, a canvas, a business, a sculpture.

I know it sounds insignificant but if you just follow this simple rule, you will start building the identity of: “I am someone who produces not just watches.”

And if you’ve followed me for some time, you know that I’m big on identity, it really does have one of the most massive impacts on my life.

Use platforms as tools, not entertainment

Use YouTube to post and learn with intent rather than to watch videos and shorts for your pleasure.

Use Instagram to understand styles, find ideas, learn from others instead of mindless, directionless scrolling.

Use Substack, better than YouTube and Instagram in so many ways, in my opinion at least. And if you’re reading this, you probably believe that too.

Reading is an essential skill. Have you ever tried writing though?

Get comfortable being “bad”

Allow your first videos, writing, and ideas to be terrible because that’s part of the process. You can’t expect perfection from the get-go. If you do, you’ll most often be disappointed. If you’re lucky, you’ll probably break through…

Part 3: A Living Piece of Art

There’s a phrase I heard that I loved. It goes like this.

You are the art, your life is the piece…

Start treating yourself like the piece you’re working on, get better, healthier, wiser. Every habit, action, or thought is like a stroke on your canvas, creating the painting that is your life.

It’s a form of self-respect. Respect yourself like you would a noble painting. You wouldn’t degrade or sabotage a beautiful painting but then why do you sabotage and degrade your life?

Why do we tolerate bad habits, junk input, low standards for ourselves?

Well humans are complex beings, not everything has an explanation. All I know is that we need to surround ourselves with other’s on the same path, working toward the same goals.

That’s one of the reasons why I created Discipline-OS. To unite like-minded souls.

It’s a private Skool community where 200 members connect, share and learn from each other to build unshakable discipline and identity.

If that feels like something you’d be interested in, there’s a link below:

https://discipline-os.com

Check it out.

See you in the next article, thank you for your time!

30 days…

Thirty days is all it takes to start making money online, rewire your thinking, build a strong relationship, get into great shape, and implement powerful habits.

And I know what you might think: “That’s not true. If it were that simple, everyone would do it.”

The thing is, most people are lazy, inconsistent, distracted, and always find excuses.

Thirty days turns into three days of sprinting, followed by the same old “crash”.

I’ve been there, and I’ve found a way to make change stick. No burning out after just a week, just winning, again and again and again.

Part I : Flip The Switch

You’re special, you don’t think like everyone else, you don’t act like everyone else.

So why do you compare yourself to others, why do you normalize doing okay when you should be doing great?

It's time to turn the page and move on to the next chapter of your life.

It’s hard, it’s scary, but it’s necessary, think about it:

How long have you been in this headspace, in this environment?

Do something you’ve never done,

Be bold, go hard or go home,

Take a risk…

Change your beliefs, decide right now what kind of person you’re going to be moving forward. Go ahead decide right now.

E.g.(’I'm going to be bold, seize every opportunity, and live free from worry.")

Part II : Fundamentals

This is the simplest part, yet it is the most important, most people do it wrong or skip it entirely and then wonder why everything went to shit.

Simple habits = massive results

• Reading

  Because it makes you more knowledgeable, opens up your mind…

• Journaling

  Because that’s where you reflect, introspect and express yourself.

• Meditating

  Because that’s where you learn to detach from the outcome, let go, relax your subconscious and allow it to reap the fruits of your efforts.

• Working-out

  Because that’s when you get out of your mind and into your body.

• Fueling properly

  Paired with working out, crucial for proper brain function too.

• Dopamine fasting

  We’re all over-stimulated, this helps us regulate our dopamine levels to fully enjoy the grind…

Don’t do these all at once, work on one or two at a time until you do and enjoy doing all of these, then you’re ready for the next phase.

Part III : The Multiplier

After all this work and reflection, you'll find something that works well or that you enjoy more than the rest. Double down on that while keeping everything else the same.

E.g. I started a second YouTube channel because YouTube was my main source of fulfillment and income.

Implement systems in your own life:

Basically think:

Faster, better, more precise, smoother, less friction…

Find or make systems that make your life better.

One system that worked well for me was personal accountability.

When my friend and I moved in together last year, we started rewiring our beliefs, questioning what we thought we knew, and working on our self talk.

We held each other accountable, and any time we caught each other speaking negatively about a situation or having self-sabotaging beliefs, we called it out.

That’s why we created Discipline-OS.

Not everyone has a friend working full time with them who can keep them accountable all the time. But our Skool community does just that.

If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, then join us today!

I’ll explain everything in the link below:

https://discipline-os.com

I think it’s something you slowly build, usually by winning 1000 tiny battles that nobody even notices.

We love to imagine discipline as waking up at 5am, taking ice baths, or grinding for twelve hours straight. But if you read the Stoics, that’s not really how they saw discipline.

Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus were much more interested in a different question:

How do you become someone who actually follows through on what they know they should?

Confucius said, “Whatever you do, do with your whole heart.”

I’ve always liked that quote because it applies to almost everything.

If you’re working, work. If you’re with your friends, be with your friends. If you’re watching a movie, actually watch it instead of checking your phone every 5 minutes.

It sounds simple, but that ability to be fully present has become surprisingly rare.

I. The Battle Isn’t With The World

One idea that keeps showing up in Stoic philosophy is that your greatest opponent isn’t your circumstances.

It’s you, your impulses, your excuses and last but not least:

That little voice that says, “I’ll start for real tomorrow.”

Every significant upgrade in my life was a result of getting rid of something I thought wasn’t a “big deal”.

Maybe it was scrolling too much before bed.

Maybe it was procrastinating on work because I convinced myself I “wasn’t in the mood”, or that “my voice wasn’t good for filming day today.”

Maybe it was some other habit I’d had for so long that I didn’t even question it anymore.

What’s interesting is that fixing one of those small things almost always creates a chain reaction.

• You have more energy.

• You trust yourself a little more.

• Your standards start rising.

Marcus Aurelius wrote:

That’s one of the most concrete ideas the Stoics ever came up with.

You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how simple or hard you make doing the right thing.

• You can delete the app.

• Leave your phone in another room.

• Go to bed earlier.

You can’t control everything, but you can put more of the odds on your side.

And I think that’s what discipline really looks like.

Making the right choices feel a little easier than the wrong ones.

Marcus Aurelius also wrote:

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”

I love that quote because it’s very direct and personal.

Most people spend years researching productivity.

• Watching videos.

• Planning.

• Optimizing.

But at some point, you have to close the book and actually do the thing.

Most of the battle is: action versus hesitation.

II. Focus on What’s in Front of You

Another reason people struggle with discipline is because they think too far ahead.

They look at everything they need to do this month, this year, or over the next five years, and it often all feels impossible.

The Stoics had a much simpler approach:

That’s something I’ve started doing with my own work.

Instead of keeping a massive to-do list with twenty different things on it, I try to keep it tight and to the point.

Just the things I can actually move forward today.

“Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.”

This doesn’t mean: “work yourself to death.”

It’s more about attention and intention; the more present you become, the less discipline actually feels like discipline.

Epictetus put it another way:

“No man is free who is not master of himself.”

If every emotion changes your plans...

If every craving changes your habits...

If your every mood decides whether you work or not...

Then you’re not really making decisions anymore but rather acting out of impulse, you’re living like an animal.

III. Discipline Becomes Who You Are

One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is that you don’t have to feel disciplined before you act disciplined.

It’s usually the opposite; you act first.

Then, after repeating those actions for long enough, your identity starts to change.

A lot of habits felt unnatural when I first started:

• I had to force myself to sit down and work.

• I had to force myself to stay consistent.

It felt like I was pretending to be someone who had their life together but eventually that stopped feeling weird.

It just became normal/me.

Epictetus summed it up perfectly:

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”

That’s really all identity is.

The Thing The Stoics Never Forgot

The Stoics talked about discipline for one good reason:

They knew that time doesn’t wait.

“While we are postponing, life speeds by.”

Every day you wait to become more disciplined is another day you don’t get back.

The work you’re avoiding today doesn’t disappear.

It just becomes tomorrow’s problem.

What’s one thing you’ve been putting off that you know you should start?

Now if you want to learn more about how to manage your time, I’ve made a videos for that on YouTube, check it out:

Thank you for reading this week’s newsletter, and remember:

If you journal for just 15 minutes every single day, after one year that’s over 5,000 minutes.

More than 90 hours of your brain reflecting, learning, and rewiring itself.

Now, think about that for a second. Every thought you write, every emotion you explore, your brain treats it like a real experience. “The Mirror”.

Most people are afraid to sit in silence for more than a minute, while you’re going to do 90h of sitting with your thoughts in the next year.

Journaling gives you an unfair advantage over the rest of the world if you know how to implement it properly and turn just a few minutes a day into clarity, better decisions, and a deeper understanding of your own mind.

I’ve journaled every single day for the last 6 months (using the Mind Mirror Method), and I’ve never made this much progress or had this much clarity in my life.

Here’s how you can use this for yourself.

Part I : Dusting the Mirror

Picture yourself as a dusty mirror. You’re trying to see your reflection, but years of dust blur the image.

You can no longer see the detail, you start believing that blur is your reflection.

This creates a negative identity loop.

• Your brain isn’t designed to store everything.

It’s designed to process things. Journaling is like giving your mind an external hard drive.

• So, stop piling thoughts in your mind.

Pull out a journal, start with a date, a title and start working on the clean-up:

What’s been holding you back?

What are things you’re aware of but don’t act upon…

• This part can take as long as you need it to, you can also start part 2 all while working on part 1.

This step is crucial. It cleans your slate. You can’t build anything on bad foundations.

This part isn’t easy, because most people have a lot of ego, they don’t want to admit they could be wrong, have flaws, or that their mirror has been dusty for so long.

Once the dust is removed, journaling goes from being therapy to awareness.

Part II : Clean Slate

Now you can see clearly, therapy is done, you’re off to a clean slate.

This state you’re in now is the base state that anyone should be in. You deserve to be free from worry, guilt, fear and anxiety…

Now that your mirror is clean, you can start using the reflection to notice smaller cues about yourself and your life.

Use this concept:

Pause the Day:

When a thought pops up, stop what you’re doing, write it down, and start developing it.

I have so many great ideas during the day, but I never remember all of them.

Sometimes they resurface weeks later. If I had just written them down, even as a memo, I could have made so much more progress.

Use this concept to catch vices too:

If you wasted 3 hours scrolling, write down what you were avoiding, why you did it and what you were feeling at the time.

Part III : The mirror’s reflection

Your mirror is now shiny, you take care of your image and the beliefs that shape your identity.

You’re now building and reflecting.

• Reflect your emotions

Write down the strongest emotion you felt during the day.

• Reflect your actions

Write one important thing you did or a moment that stood out.

• Reflect the lesson

Write one lesson or realization from the day.

Hope you enjoyed this article!

Journaling is something we use a lot in our community, we recently started implementing short journaling exercises in the Sunday calls because it’s one of the fundamental and only essential habits.

If you’re interested in building more discipline, clarity, and self-awareness, check out our community.

Discipline-OS:

https://www.skool.com/discipline-os/about

The reason people don’t value your time is that you make yourself too available.

In this article, I’m going to walk you through how you change that entirely.

Before we get into the contents, I want to share something I made for you:

“The Discipline Protocol” ; a guide on the pillars of discipline. It will kickstart your transformation. More on that later in this article.

Step I : Detaching

Last week I had one negative event, that led to another, that led to my mind overthinking my entire life and business, even if only for a moment.

I started thinking negatively and counting the money in my bank account as if I didn’t have enough.

I almost forgot that none of this mattered because I love this game, what I’m doing, and that I have everything I need.

It took me a week to get out of this scarce state of mind, all caused by a single negative event.

I needed to detach.

The more you want something the less you will have it.

Wanting is important for the first steps (initial drive + commitment) but after that it just puts more space between you and the outcome you’re looking for.

You need to detach.

The more you try to force yourself to fall asleep, the more awake you become.

But the moment you stop trying, you drift off.

We care too much about what others think, what they want, what they say. Our actions are a reflection of that.

We need to disappear…

Step II : Disappearing

There was a time in my life while in Germany, when I

• Ate 1 meal per day.

• Talked to no one.

• Locked myself in my room and worked all day.

• Learnt everything there was to learn about cameras, editing, YouTube…

It was a lonely moment.

A lot of progress was made every time I focused inward, even if just for a while.

Social interactions burn cognitive energy. They can give a false sense of progress.

Being around others can hold you back from moving at your own pace.

I know my pace is much faster and energetic than most people, so, most people are not the kind of energy I need around me to be productive.

For example, I was comparing myself to how much other YouTubers post; and that was a bad comparison, I could post so much more, and I do now…

The world only sees the show, not the underground work. Give them more show!

Even if that means going underground…

Step III : The new you

Give yourself some time, think about what the next steps are for you.

Plan your next 90 days. Get away from the crowd, the expectations, the fakeness, be free and almost dramatically alone. Just for a while.

Growth requires boredom.

Because being bored is the only time when you’re not stuck in this fast-paced connected world; that is the only time you can actually think.

The new you knows no limits, you don’t care about the norm, about what’s average. You define your own baseline.

Just see yourself at a higher standard, be better, do better.

The new you does things he’s never done before, and takes new steps to better himself.

And to help with that, I’ve created a free, 3 pillar guide called:

“The Discipline Protocol”. This quick guide will give you a massive head start into the transformation you’re planning.

You can grab it here:

Best of luck on your journey. I’m rooting for you!

The Discipline Protocol

What if it was waking up at 55 years old realizing you played it safe.

Not that you tried and failed.
Or that you went all in and got rejected.

But that you never really tested how far you could go.

That you’ve always played it safe. Taken the best, most logical, and rational decision for your future.

The safest program.
The stable job.
The “realistic” dream.

All these decisions pulling you to “normal”

Decisions that feel like they’re the right ones to make.

But I think…
What we call “being realistic”, and not “going overboard” is just fear in disguise.

Average isn’t something you fall into,

And honestly, I’m writing this article because I’m sick and afraid of average, I just don’t understand it, I don’t want it, I don’t want to be around it, and if you’re here, you probably feel the same way.

We’re conditioned to fall into normality, but we shouldn’t. I say let’s do better, let’s be great, let’s thrive, succeed, live in abundance, let’s be more than average.

Part I : How Society Manufactures Average

Society’s Trap: The Rat Race

Everything is planned to the point where there’s no space for life to happen.

The course is set out, learn in school, listen, obey, sit down, don’t stand out too much, try to fit in.

Then go to university and work harder, enjoy your youth years…

Party in your free time.

Then get a good paying job, work up the ladder, be nice, respectful and hardworking. Don’t have an ego, don’t have too much personality, be that nice coworker.

This is how you were born, grow up and stay average.

…And as Math and Probability state: average is most people because it’s average.

Most people will only ever be average, plain and simple logic.

Part II : Fear Disguises Itself as Logic

Think about it:

This means hard things are avoided and called absurd, abnormal.

Why?

Because it hurts not to do so. It hurts to think you could’ve but didn’t.

It’s easier to label it as irresponsible, unachievable or impossible.

Others have conditioned you and you then conditioned yourself…

To believe that everything that you don’t have or haven’t done is out of your control, out of reach…

I say that’s wrong! It’s scary to do the thing, it’s hard to work hard, it’s weird being different from the masses, but it’s necessary.

And logic also says that after reading this article, chances are, you’ll go about your old ways, with your old mindset, but when are you actually going to make real change?

Now, let’s make a change, because nothing changes if nothing changes. And most people have heard that phrase 1000 times and still never take action.

That’s average…

Part III : Building an Unreasonable Life

Say no to reason:

• Make the unpopular decisions, don’t be afraid of being judged

• Smile when others frown, smile in the face of adversity

• Do more than everyone else, if you do average, you’ll be just that

• Dream bigger, longer, and harder dreams and ambition is free

  ---

  If you’ve read this far, you already know where you stand.

  Most people will agree, and go right back to their old patterns, calling comfort “logic” and their excuses “reality.”

  Few will realize that better isn’t something you “feel ready for”…

  It’s something you choose.

  That’s exactly what we help build.

  We don’t sell motivation or quick dopamine. We don’t sell hype. We work on structure, discipline, and the identity behind real change.

  If you’re serious about becoming someone who follows through, does what they say, and builds an unreasonable life, then the next step is simple:

  Book a call with my team.

  We’ll talk, understand where you’re at, and see if this program is actually the right fit for you.

  Remember:

  Nothing changes…if nothing changes.

  https://calendly.com/maxpapagnohts/30min

But you’re tired, so you push it to tomorrow… And tomorrow turns into the weekend, where you feel like you deserve to rest even more.

But what if you could still be productive even on your lowest-energy days, without relying on motivation or willpower?

I’m going to share the exact systems that take you from tired and procrastinating after work… to dialed in, focused, and in control of your time.

Part I : The 5-9 Advantage

“Your 9-5 pays your bills. Your 5-9 builds your future.”

You have your base survival line (9-5 income), now what do you want to make with the rest of your life.

How badly do you want change?

“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.”

The competition is very low in the after hours, most people are chilling watching Netflix, and for now, chances are, you’re one of them.

“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

I used to go to university, do the bare minimum but still listen in class so that I didn’t have to study too much, then I’d go home, pump out videos working on my 5-9 income.

Part II : Controlling Your State (The Setup)

This is the hardest part, but also the most important, to open up your system’s and execution part.

First:

You’re not going to like this, but before you get to anything else, before you lay on the couch out of exhaustion.

You need to do the mini chores in your horse

Do the dishes, clean your room, vacuum, make your bed if you haven't.

You know what they say:

Second:

You need a reset from your day. Not a dopamine indulgence, not yet…

This means a quick nap (20-30 min max!!) if you like that, shower, read a book, meditate, anything that isn’t scrolling or video games or YouTube.

This will rest your motor functions and make a clear separation between the day and the rest of the day.

Third:

Set the mood, grab your favorite drink, a healthy snack if you like snacking, and start planning what your session is going to look like:

E.g. : I’m going to respond to my skool community, then film and start editing the video. And once that’s done, I will write a substack email. This is the main big tasks, which is all that actually matters, not “I’m going to check my emails”

Fourth:

Reward yourself after work. You did 2-6 hours of focused work, now go watch a movie, go enjoy the night with your friends, have a great meal, reward yourself.

Allow yourself to feel good for being great!

Repeat and reuse. Every single day, you cannot lose!

Part III : Crafting a Working Framework

Now you need work-related systems that keep you on track, make you faster, and allow you to execute at the highest level.

But first you need the mindset:

• Believe that you can do in 2 hours what others take a day to do.

• Believe that you are fast, learn fast, and get things done well.

• That you are a relentless action-taker. These beliefs over time will transform you into a machine.

• I enjoy working on this, I love it. This is the only way to make it in the long run. To enjoy the work.

Now let’s talk about systems to be productive and make up for your lost 9-5 time.

AI:

Yes, I can imagine you frowning right now but hear me out…

We are in that age, you need to use them, manychat, wisprflow, gemini, editing AI tools… Do some research, see what fits you and abuse AI!

Tracking + Planning:

Use Google keep+google tasks.

Use Calendly to book calls.

Use a whiteboard to write down small or medium size projects.

Track wins & losses in a notebook, have reminders on your devices to keep your mind free.

An example of planning I use is for scripting, I script a videos in main points so that I don’t go off theme, I have a skeleton and reuse the same skeleton each time.

This is a system, a structure that saves me time, energy, and effort.

Now that’s all for the 5-9, best of luck on your journey, use this Free Guide to level up your Discipline in order to maximize the use of the systems you just learned:

https://danzakaria.gumroad.com/l/disciplineprotocol

Download it here. Be part of the 1% that actually work through the guide and see real change in their life. Don’t be a part of the 99% that just download it and forget about it.

1% better every day in mathematical terms:

This is the Atomic Habits by James Clear key concept.

And I applied this to my life and saw great results from it, but I’m not here to tell you how to get 1% better every single day.

I’m here to show you how I doubled that to 2% better every day.

Now stay with me until the end because I’m gonna share with you exactly how I was able to start living my dream life at 21 years old, and how most of it actually came from that second percent.

Part I: The Self-Improvement Trap

From 16 to 21 years old I was deep into self-improvement.

This was a great period of my life, but I never focused on the financial part of discipline.

It was always just personal discipline.

It’s only recently that I decided to start investing, taking the next steps, handling bigger risks, working on my business and my systems.

Self-improvement is great. It gets you moving; it gets you in the rhythm.

It’s the secret to a better life.

But it’s easy to get caught up and get complacent, feel wonderful about yourself, and stop being hungry for what is really going to give you that life of freedom.

And I’m talking about the advanced stuff, the next step, making more money, starting that business, etc…

If you’re reading this, this year is going to be the year that changes everything for you because you know you’re ready for the next steps, and I’m going to share with you exactly how I did it.

Part II : The Foundations (The 1%)

First you need to dial the foundations. This is not the most fun part but if you’ve been here for a while, this should be pretty logical and straightforward to you.

This isn’t the step you skip; this is the step that actually matters.

Because anything built on terrible foundations ends up being terrible too.

Small things you know you should be doing but aren’t:

• Journaling, but you haven’t started.

• Meditating, but you haven’t started.

• Training in the gym with real intention.

And fix them, not with some cheap filling but by replacing the entire floor piece.

Part III : A Different Kind of Discipline (The 2%)

6 months ago (months 1-2) - my friend and I decided to lock ourselves in a room. Start a business and work until we start seeing results and making money.

4 months ago (months 2-4) - we got out of that room and started to live a little. We had seen initial results and decided that we deserved some out-time.

2 months ago (months 4-6) - we started living our dream life, going out when we wanted to, hitting the gym every single day, treating ourselves to nice meals, spending time in nice hotels by the beach…

This is peak life, and it took us six months of dedication.

Throughout these six months we’ve invested in ourselves, in others, in systems to hold us in place.

• Looking back this was one of the best things we’ve ever done for ourselves.

The Steps:

We started working on our personal deep discipline for productivity and procrastination.

E.g.:

• Working with systems like task and project managers, advanced habit trackers, visual cues and triggers.

• Using flow state for any lock-in period (90 min)

• Tracking progress religiously (failures too)

• Focusing on deep identity loops (things that were slowing us down)

• Visualization & manifestation (played a huge role in self-confidence)

Working on these really wasn’t the same as the previously built discipline, but still translated quite well.

Any foundation helps.

But still, that’s why you often see guys who are huge and muscular, but are still broke.

Or aren’t rich.

They weren’t able to translate that discipline to making real money.

But once you do, all the investments you’ve made will pay off.

When a rich man decides he’s going to start crafting his body, he often does it in a very prompt and efficient way.

This is the power of “The 2% Discipline”.

Now for those of you who are ready for the second percent…executing at a high level…

Where you’re actually using discipline, systems, and identity rewiring to make more money.

Then listen up →

You’re making money, but you know you’re not operating at your full level,
you’re inconsistent, procrastinating, and leaving a lot on the table…

I’ll help you build the discipline, systems, and identity to actually scale your income.

If you’re ready to stop wasting time to make more money →

Click the link below and book a call.

You’ll speak with us directly, and if you’re a good fit…

I’ll show you exactly how we can get started.

Limited spots available, only for the most ambitious →

https://click.discipline-os.com/apply

You start some work, and within minutes, you get distracted. You open a new tab, now you have 17 open tabs and still no progress made… You do everything except the task in front of you.

Scrolling, refreshing, checking your phone that didn’t even buzz.

And it’s so sickening to you, you expect better from yourself… But it’s not really your fault. All of this happens because you are dopamine depleted, and the solution is to rewire your reward system.

I’m going to teach you the exact 3-step framework that saved me from the dopamine trap.

Step I : Audit the Artificial Rewards

Your Brain Is Overpaid

You’re getting rewarded without doing anything.

Effort used to be required for that dopamine hit. But now it’s automatic, you pay yourself with "money" you didn’t earn...You’ve Inflated Your Baseline. If your daily stimulation is high, real life feels flat.

Focus and work feel hard because of contrast:

• Movie > Work

• Games > Study

• Porn > Lock in

And on top of that, you’ve got it all mixed up →

It’s not the 3-hour binge that kills focus.

It’s the 20–30 micro-hits all through the day.

That’s the main problem.

Now how do you fix that?

Stop layering stimulation.

The other day I was at the gym and saw this guy stretching.

He had one phone connected to his headphones, and another in his hand watching TikTok.

So he’s “working out”, listening to music, and scrolling at the same time.

Imagine that level of stimulation. If that’s what it looks like in public, imagine at home…

The idea here is to do one thing at a time, do it well, and train your mind to be there, even if that’s watching a movie. Train your mind to be only watching a movie. But don’t stack all these rewards at the same time.

Don’t overstimulate yourself.

Just a heads up, if you want more, here’s what I offer:

Discipline-OS:

If you are tired of the endless dopamine trap and are looking for real accountability, then join us and connect with 180+ members using systems and teamwork to build unshakable discipline, see you inside:

https://go.discipline-os.com/substack

(Use code SUBSTACK at checkout for 20% off)

Step II : Detach Dopamine From Emotion

Dopamine became your regulator:

Read that again.

You don’t use dopamine for pleasure anymore (on a subconscious level).

You use it to regulate your emotions:

Stress = scroll.
Bored = scroll.
Overwhelmed = scroll.
Lonely = scroll.

Separate feeling rather than fixing.

When you feel discomfort, don’t solve or stop it immediately.
Feel the emotion, understand it and sit with it for a moment.

Train yourself to embrace the suck. Feel some pain, enjoy it.

Appreciate that your thoughts are not always clear, that you don’t always feel confident or happy. Just sit, with boredom, and your imperfect self.

This is the key to regaining control over your own mind.

Just let go!

Step III : Rewire the Association

Associations :

Change from scroll = reward

to:

Scroll = messing up my brain

And…

Junk food = feel good

To:

Junk food = messing up my skin, confidence, mood…

Stop Rewarding Avoidance:

It’s cowardly, that’s all.

Get your task over with, feel proud of yourself and move on to the next one.

Or to your well deserved break, go watch a nice movie!

Make Progress Addictive:

• Track streaks.

• Track inputs vs outputs.

• Celebrate consistency, rather than intensity.

• Keep wins small but frequent.

Hope you enjoyed this article; see you in the next one!

And remember:

Discipline isn’t built in comfort. It’s built when you choose better for yourself.

You got this.

• Dan : )

Twenty minutes of reading per day. One million words a year.

Think about that for a second…

Every story you read, every idea you absorb, your brain treats it like real experience.

The emotions, the struggles, the decisions, they all leave an imprint on your mind.

Reading doesn’t just give you information.
It changes the way your brain works.

You can learn, in a week, the entire condensed wisdom/experience of the greatest minds that ever walked the earth.

Isn’t that some kind of superpower?

And no, this is different from a YouTube summary, or an audiobook recap, you get to embody what the author thought, what he lived, and what he felt.

All of that, there on paper, in between your hands.

In this article, I’ll show you how reading literally rewires your mind,

and why you need to either get started, or read a ton more. Trust me, it’s worth it!

Part I : Reading Is Not Information

Reading isn’t about learning facts. It’s about becoming someone else for a moment.

I am a part of every book I’ve ever read.

I don’t remember every page of every book, but I embody part of the message, (if I enjoyed it).

Fight club is a good example; I associate to Tyler’s detachment, his freedom, his directness. I live my life as a free man.

Your brain activates the same regions for experience when reading as when living, use this to your advantage.

You can learn from other people’s mistakes, you can copy the success or character of anyone.

Do it until you become it.

If you fake bravery, you are brave!

Reading isn’t input. It’s experience without consequences

Sounds illegal, but it’s totally legit.

Just a heads up, whenever you want more here’s what I offer:

Discipline-OS:

If you are tired of not sticking to habits and are looking for real accountability, then join us and connect with 180+ members using systems and teamwork to build unshakable discipline, see you inside:

https://go.discipline-os.com/substack

(Use code SUBSTACK at checkout for 20% off)

Part II : Reading Physically Rewires Your Brain (Science)

Reading changes your brains structure.

What reading does to your brain:

• Builds neural connections tied to memory and comprehension

• Increases empathy by forcing you into other perspectives

• Strengthens focus in a dopamine-fragmented world

• Helps develop deeper, slower thinking

Part III: The Future You

The past me would be shocked at all the books I read and have read, but I’m even more thankful that my past self picked up that first book…

Because if he didn’t, I know that I wouldn’t be writing this article today, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be living my dream life either.

Now remember:

• 20 minutes a day = 1M words a year = 24 books per year

• 20 pages a day = 7300 pages a year = 24 books

• Each book shapes how you think, decide, and judge

• You don’t notice it daily, but months later, you think differently

• Reading is not just a good habit to have, it shapes your “mind architecture”

So pick up that book, get reading, and read some more…

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this short article, I’ll see you in the next one, take care!

You got this

• Dan :)

You have to do it and keep doing it when you don’t know what’s up next.

You have to do it now; anything other than now is just an excuse.

Part I : Now or Never

Let me tell you a story, five months ago, my life changed. I took a leap of faith.

My best friend and I were down to our last buck, had to make something work and we did.

We decided to go all in, move in together, we scaled YouTube, and our private community, and made more money than we had made in years…

If we hadn’t; where would we be right now?

Probably both working a job we hate to buy shit we don’t need.

Now why am I telling you this?

Because this is your sign to do the thing you’ve always wanted to do, start something, start your project.

Change your life around!

“Do not be afraid.”

By the way, whenever you’re ready, here’s what I offer:

Discipline-OS:

If you are tired of falling back to your old ways and want to connect with 180+ people using systems to build unshakable discipline, join us here:

https://go.discipline-os.com/substack

Part II : Knees deep in the mud

This is the initial lock in, you decided to take the leap, to start that business, that program to change your life around.

It’s not the most pleasurable period in time, but it’s the great start, you figure things out fast, you make a lot of progress, you meet a lot of obstacles.

A saying that helped me in this phase was:

This is a time when people doubted me, they almost secretly wished I’d fail so that they’d be right. Because god forbid you would achieve something that they couldn’t.

Learning:

All I focused on at the time was learning.

Mostly through trial and error…

The ability to learn skills rapidly is a skill. Your ability to adapt in today’s world is so important, and a big part of the reason for my success.

Now you might ask how do you train learning to learn?

You learn more, you train more, you practice more, you try new things all the time.

There is no secret.

Part III : Momentum in Motion

Now, this is the most important part. This is the part where most people get complacent and stop pushing for more.

This is your time to double down, triple down, execute faster, better, with everything.

It’s not the time to chill and sip Mai Tais on the beach. I’m not saying you shouldn’t live. I’m saying you should work very hard, and also play very hard.

The switch:

The biggest lever mover for me was eliminating 99% of the tasks I did (or thought I did) and focused on that 1% task, and that’s all I did.

I started thinking more, to turn ideas into money rather than just time into money.

And I know you can do all of this too!

Hope you enjoyed this article, see you soon.

And remember:

Build new habits.

Do the work you’ve been avoiding,

Go for the run,

Eat a good meal,

Train your body,

Read a book,

Put your thoughts on paper,

Lock in with your friends.

Build new habits.

Habit I : Keep your promises

It starts with this quote:

That’s the first step to anything. You want change? Change, make a change. Build something meaningful, study your craft, join that group, start that sport.

Make yourself proud.

It does not mean:

• Setting huge goals

• Being perfect

• Grinding 24/7

It means:

If you say you’re going to do something, you do it, even when no one is watching, even if you’re tired. Show up for yourself.

Everything you do, is voting either for or against the person you want to become.

Every choice has consequences.

By the way, whenever you want, here’s what I offer:

Discipline-OS:

If you are tired of procrastinating and want to connect with 180+ people using systems to build unshakable discipline, join us here:

https://discipline-os.com

Habit 2: Track Your Energy - Energy Journal

Most people ignore how they feel during the day. The top performers notice patterns and optimize their energy, not just their time.

Notice when you feel sharp, when you feel drained, and plan your work around it.

When you start paying attention, you’ll see exactly where you can get the most done in the least time possible.

• I used to work a lot at night because I was trying to squeeze the work that I had avoided during the day.

• While journaling on the topic, I realized that my work quality was poor at night. Now I work only during the day….

Habit 3: Work relentlessly (effort stacking)

Imagine planting seeds in a field. Every day, you water them a little.

Some days, nothing seems to happen.

But after months of consistent care, the field comes to life. Flowers and fruits.

That’s exactly what hard work does: it stacks invisibly until one day the world calls it “luck”.

Work harder than others, work more hours, work for longer, work smarter…

The competition is yourself. The limit is yourself…

If you like this style of articles, drop a like and comment!

Habit 4: Intentional Morning Movement

Something I started doing recently are lymphatic hops in the morning, it gets your dormant tissue active, blood flowing, toxins out.

Then I follow up with reading and meditating. Doesn’t have to be long, just done.

Exercise in the morning, especially if you have work all day on your chair.

Intention is the important part.

I used to feel so stiff when I started working in the morning until I started moving first, then getting to work afterward.

Habit 5: Breathing/Breath work

You can do this anytime during the day or before sleep.

It calms your nervous system, resets your mind, it’s a form of meditation and used in meditation too.

To implement it you can use “Wim-Hof guided breathing” or check out “Box Breathing”. They’re both simple and effective.

Habit 6: Track Progress & Celebrate Wins

Journal and celebrate wins, with friends, or on your own…

Reward yourself like you would a dog, good vs bad actions, don’t be afraid of rewarding yourself generously.

Track with precision and log your data.

Habit 7: Surround Yourself with Winners

Ambitious people who pull you up,

People who are hungry,

People who are not afraid and give you courage.

People who are fed up with being average, people who just aren’t like the rest…

To the point where I decided to make a video and write an article last night and was able to post both today…

I’m going to breakdown things that make you so productive that you’ll feel like you’re cheating the system.

Now this first part will surprise you, but you’ll understand what I mean…

Part I : Make work brainless

Separate thinking from executing.

• Always think first and then execute mechanically.

• Don't mix them up all the time, they’re different systems.

  
  Like planning an essay and then just writing it.

  You have your plan, then you write.

  No plan = big mess

Then, train specificity.

Think of playing a sport, you don’t always play the full game, you do drills to focus on certain aspects e.g.

Improving ball control without having to think about the entire game-plan, who to pass to, where you are on the field etc…

So when it’s game time, you read the game while your mechanics (ball control in this case) feel almost automatic.

Next, the effortless Grease the groove.

This is something I use all the time for both work and even for training.

• You have your minimum viable input, and you do that throughout the day.

  Editing, managing our Skool, pull-ups and pushups.

  These don’t tire me out and allow me time and energy to do:

  Projects (like webinars), and daily intentional workouts.

  ---

By the way whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:

Discipline-OS:

If you are tired of procrastinating and want to connect with 160+ people using systems to build unshakable discipline, join us here:

https://discipline-os.com

Part II : Build momentum traps

Make stopping feel wrong. Once you start, it’s easier to keep going than to quit.

• Leave tasks intentionally unfinished so your brain craves completion.

• Take a break before you're done with a piece of work, rather than after being done with it. This will make you want to come back and finish it.
  

  As you finish it, you will be fresh from that break and ready to take on a new start, a new task.

• Use open loops: I use this all the time.

  For example, I get an idea, I just write it down, and in my mind, I want to develop on that idea, but I don't do so. I stay focused on my initial task.
  
  This way, I want to finish my current task so that I can finally get developing my new idea. (works like a carrot).

• Start each day with the next logical task already lined up

  This is a no-brainer, very simple, straight-forward.
  
  Have an agenda, follow your agenda.

  It's easier than following your emotions

  Helps you avoid moments like: “Today I'm not in the mood”.

  

Part III : The cognitive sprinter

Do intense mini-sprints with impossible deadlines.

This makes anything that isn't an impossible deadline feel super easy and super quick to attain.

It also trains you to execute very fast, start up very fast, to do everything very fast and get in the work flow.

I set deadlines my brain thinks it can’t hit.

And somehow, I hit them.

Every time this happens, it reinforces the idea that everything you say can be done. (to your subconscious mind)

Bend the rules

If science says you can't focus for more than 30 minutes in a row, say

"screw science" - I can.

If people say:

“Don’t work 10-hour days, you won’t be productive”.

Work 10 hours per day and be productive!

See yourself as someone who can do and who does work for the entire day at his maximum potential.

Even if that's not scientifically true, at least believe it to be true to maximize how much work you can put out.

Hope you enjoyed this email, see you in the next one!

Discipline-OS: If you are tired of procrastinating and want to connect with 160+ people using systems to build unshakable discipline, join us here:

https://discipline-os.com

(Use code SUBSTACK for $10 off)

Now, let’s get into it with Part I…

Part I - Discipline Makes You Disciplined

The way I see discipline is as follows:

You can do the hard thing once or have light but painful regret forever.

Doing things that you call disciplined literally make you disciplined, just the same way that faked bravery is an act of bravery.

You don’t become disciplined, then act.

You act, and that’s what makes you a disciplined person.

Part II - Small Things Matter (a lot more than you think)

This is something we focus on deeply inside Discipline-OS.

Because the biggest changes in character and lifestyle don’t come from extremes.

They come from small, meaningful actions that fix the root, not just the symptoms. An example would be:

Identity shifting towards becoming a fit person

vs.

Following a program to become fit

That’s what most people get wrong.

Chasing speed while ignoring the fracture, mistaking motion for progress.

In the end, chasing just speed will still end up hindering your speed over time.

You need to work as a unit

People think you need to do a lot and live like a monk. (and they try that)

Overlooking the simple, small things, done right (e.g. make your bed, vacuum your room, air the house, uplifting self talk…)

Chasing extremes because basics don’t look impressive.

Sometimes you have to take a step back and focus on what really matters to you, rather than what appears to matter in our society.

Discipline Mastery

• You must earn intensity.

Don’t start at level 100 when you’re a level 1. Take your time and enjoy the process.

• Intensity over time

Short sprints are impressive, repeated exposure changes your life.

Mastery is about showing up under load again and again.

“And doing so with a smile”

All of that. I still have time to: meditate, read, journal, do good habits, spend time the way I want, hit the beach, go out with friends, do calisthenics and work out every single day.

The point is you can make time for everything.

Staying productive, time management, planning tips, I’m going to break it all down for you.

Part 1: The False Shortage of Time

• You have more time than you think, and I’m not talking about the obvious stuff like:

- Scroll less

- Watch less movies

- Don’t snooze your alarm

You’re wasting time while trying to be productive.

For example:

- Your working out takes 3 hours instead of 45 minutes because you don’t count rest between your sets.

- You scroll on your phone while working out.

- You chat with your buddies.

It’s not a bad thing, but it’s a very obvious way of you spending time.

• The waiter:

You just wait, There’s something you need to do. You know you need to do it, but you’ve been waiting for everything to line up perfectly, just as an excuse to push it off.

This is a disease that most people have.

Part 2: The Calendar Lie

The calendar lie is basically the idea that your calendar is full, but your end of day report feels empty. You did a lot of things, but your progress bar hasn’t moved.

I’m talking about doing things that people say or that you think are productive but are not.

For example, being in meetings for hours every single day is useless unless you are being paid to be there, or you are gathering information that will get you paid at some point.

I’m not saying it’s not good to catch up with your colleagues or friends.

But a lot of people just have their days booked with calls that lead almost nowhere.

The problem is, they feel good at the end of each call. They feel like they’ve been productive. They feel positively when they shouldn’t.

Also, interesting things are always best kept scarce, leaving you wanting more.

That’s something we realized early on in the early days of our community, the calls we have bi-weekly used to stretch out for multiple hours, and sometimes the hype would even die down.

But the moment we decided to make it one hour and then end the call no matter what, people started showing up more because they left the last call with that bit of hunger.

Part 3: Reclaiming Your Time

Let’s get into some strategies on exactly how you can reclaim your time.

I hand-picked these as they are the most effective for me and have allowed me to do more in a day than some people do in a week.

• Hidden Leverage Window:

  Small actions = Big gain

  Think deeply about what brings most of the results in the smallest amount of time. Then execute.

• Plan and Reuse:

  Automation + Templates

  Have workflows of the things you do on repeat every day, make these as efficient as possible.

  Have templates for things that follow the same structure, but are different each time (building structure = time spent).

• Focus extends time:

  Lock in Rapidly

  Practice getting in the flow state fast. Train yourself as you would a dog.

  Set and prepare your environment for work so that you quickly get working.

  ---

Bottom line is you have time for everything and more, we’ve learned that inside Discipline-OS; which is a private community for people who want to be more than average, people who want more out of themselves, out of life.

People who are done making excuses, not having enough time, procrastinating forever and wasting whatever time they have.

A place for people who want change and are willing to make a change.

And together, starting off with project 30, a structured timeframe, we change our lives around.

If that sounds like something for you, join us today. Link is below.

https://go.discipline-os.com/substack

You stay busy.
You make plans.
Yet your days end with the same thought:

It feels hard to get into the zone.
Harder to enjoy the process.
And honestly, it’s not fully your fault.

You’re living inside a dopamine paradox,
a world where reward is instant, and disconnected from effort.

The Failing Exchange

Your brain doesn’t hate hard things.
It hates uncertain rewards.

Pleasure loses its power when it’s unearned.

A cold drink hits harder after a hard workout.
Satisfaction feels different when you built something.

When was the last time you finished something
you were actually proud of?

Reclaiming Control

The solution isn’t willpower.
It’s design.

You don’t need to fix your life.
You need one protected work block per day.

30–90 minutes of pure creation.

No multitasking, no constant reward, just effort.
Delaying the reward is the important part.

Final Thought

Modern life trains us for comfort.

But capability is what gives you clarity and confidence.

Reclaiming your life doesn’t start with motivation.
It starts with structure.

I’ve built something just for this,

Structure, accountability, and systems that force growth.

So join 170+ members today, let’s build a life you don’t want to run away from.

Here’s the link to my site, everything is explained there. See you inside.

https://go.discipline-os.com/substack

You’ve probably seen this equation before.

• The James Clear - Atomic Habits.

If you get 1% better every day, you are 37 times better by the end of the year.

The math is perfect. But the application is usually a disaster.

If everyone knows the math, why is everyone in the exact same place they were last year?

People fail because they treat self-improvement as a momentary feeling rather than a structured operation.

We need to operationalize this.

I’m going to show you how to turn that 1% theory into a hard structure.

Part 1: The Permanence of Wins

When you build a habit, you’re not just building a routine. You’re building proof that you’re someone who can show up.

Progress isn’t linear, it just feels that way at first. Most of the time, nothing seems to be happening, until suddenly it is.

Over time, small things compound, and that’s when the curve bends upward.

Now think about this:

Even if you fall off for a month, nothing is really lost.

You don’t forget how to train. You don’t forget what discipline feels like. That time still counts.

The work you put in stays with you, mentally and physically.

Muscle memory alone means your body knows the way back.

This is what makes “falling off” less scary.

You’re never starting over from nothing. You’re starting from experience.

Part 2: Project 365

Project 365 is not a challenge; it is a contract you make with yourself; to work on your craft for 365 days.

Most people live their lives vaguely. “I want to get better.” Your brain doesn’t understand that phrase. It needs specificity.

Treat the next year as a specific “Project.” A Project has a start date, an end date, and deliverables. (this is your own lab experiment) you’re creating a machine.

You stop being a “trying to improve” person and become a “Project Manager” of your own character.

Or, even better, the owner of the entire company.

• Day 1 of Project 365: You are a guy writing a plan.

• Day 30: You are a guy who has followed a plan for a month.

• Day 100: You are a disciplined person.

Part 3: (Subtraction > Addition) every time.

This is something the 1% realize:

• 1% better usually means removing 1% of the friction or stupidity.

• It means thinking just 1% harder so that you don’t have to work 15% longer.

  E.g. Don’t try to read 1% more pages. Instead, remove the phone from the room. And every time you feel bored, pick up your book instead of your phone.

• Improvement via negative (improvement by removal). If you remove one bad micro-habit a day, the good habits automatically take up that space.

  And I know some of you are thinking something like: “Oh okay, but I mean isn’t there a limit to what I can optimize and is this really the way to go?”

  Well, before you optimize anything, just remove all the clutter.

  Once you’ve done that, you can optimize a bit. And once you’ve done that, you’ll probably be in places you could not imagine.

  From there, you can start doing more.

  ---

Now, your first step to jumping into “Project 365 ”, Is understanding how to structure it.

That’s why I made this video for you talking about the one system for structure and tracking for your “project 365”

Check out my last video where I explain the one system you need.

Watch it here

Don’t rely on motivation → Remove the decision.

Don’t struggle to get out of bed → Just set the alarm across the room.

Don’t try to eat clean → Don’t buy the junk.

Don’t try to focus → Sit in a room with nothing else to do.

Make the right action automatic.
Make the wrong one inconvenient.

Systems don’t care how you feel.
They work on good days and bad days.

Motivation fades.
Systems stay.

Every single time.

Part 1: Identity-Based Systems

First: list 5 written rules you never negotiate.

• E.g. I never speak lowly about myself.

• I never push off work to later.

Next: have one morning identity anchor

(one daily action that proves “who you are”)

• E.g. I spend the first hour of each day working on myself before working on anything else.

• I do at least one workout every day.

Finally, use binary identity tracking.

Think in terms of: win / lose only (no partial credit)

• This allows 0 coping, 0 half-assing things. Just execution.

Identity is so very important, it is closely linked with your discipline too. I packed a free file for you: The discipline protocol, which is discipline that I systemized for you.

Part 2: Environmental modeling

The Two-Environments only rule:

One environment = production only

One environment = consumption only.

Never mix them. The brain associates locations faster than habits.

Time-Gated Tools:

Certain tools should only exist at certain hours.

E.g. (phone locked away until task your task is done).
Tools become rewards, not defaults.

Environmental Inconvenience Scaling:

Now, this is a very underrated strategy that I use a lot.
The worse the habit, the farther away the trigger lives (different room, locked box, different floor).

I use this strategy for my phone, my coffee, my bed.

In the opposite way, I keep my good habits close to me, journal on desk, pen and notebook, water, book…

Big brother strategy (if you know, you know):

You work harder and more honestly when something is watching, even if it’s not human.

Place a static observer in your work environment:

An old camera (not recording)

A mirror angled at your workspace

Or just imagine it in your mind:

Part 3: Consistency Loops (short systems)

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

• System Autopsy
  When you miss a day, write why the system failed, not why you failed.
  Fix the machine, not your character. This is also a form of self talk.
  

• Weekly Constraint Tightening
  Each week, remove one convenience (later wake time, background noise, access to snacks).
  Increase Discipline by subtracting.
  

• Visible Failure Archive
  Keep a page of crossed-out streaks. Never erase.
  Failure becomes a warning signal instead of shame.

Introducing:

It goes hand in hand with everything I said here, it’s free, hope you enjoy!

But I’m warning you, you might just become unrecognizable in 2026 if you read it too carefully…

You got this :)

• Dan

https://danzakaria.gumroad.com/l/disciplineprotocol

I wanted:

To grow my YouTube Chanel past 70k subscribers.

Reach 150 members in my Skool community.

Reach my first $10k/month.

But not everything went as I expected, I’ll explain why later…

The physical goals feel almost meaningless compared to the things that I’ve learned along the way, the real changes were to my:

• Beliefs.

• Work-relationship.

• Ego.

• Identity.

Let’s get into how you can achieve your own transformation in the first half of this year. (I’ll break down what worked for me) →

Part I - The Decision That Changed Everything

A few months back, my best friend and I went all in, moved in together and locked ourselves in a room to focus on discipline, business, and goals for almost 2 months straight.

That was the turning point…

But it was also something that we had been postponing forever, (like most people making plans to make it with their friends).

Little did we know, that leap of faith, would become the greatest decision we’ve ever made.

Things were slow at first, but we were long past the first stage.

And then all of a sudden, before things really picked up, there was a dead silence…

Part II - The Slowing Down Phase

Momentum was slowing down, but we actually decided to speed up instead, this is a crucial phase and probably the hardest.

That’s where most people think the logical thing to do is to work more, and that often results in them cramming out.

Work less and do more…

Weird, but if you have the right support and systems, this starts to make sense. We go over these systems every week inside Discipline OS. (my Skool community)

Slow down, but don’t do more.

Think more, don’t rush, don’t doubt. Invest in the right places, spend time with the right people.

The reason we didn’t slow down in this rough period is because we had systems in place to catch us.

Part III - The Systems That Made My Transformation Possible

1. The Weekly Non-Negotiable Review

Every Sunday, you review:

• What you said you would do

• What you actually did

• What gets fixed next week

No emotions. No judgment. Raw journaling style.

This:

• Builds self-accountability

• Turns vague effort into measurable progress

• Makes you ready for a group, as you learn to respect yourself

  ---

2. The “Proof of Work” Rule

You are not allowed to consume content unless you’ve produced something first.

• Train → then scroll

• Work → then podcasts

• Execute → then learn

• Work for 15 minutes → then work with music

This:

• Kills passive self-improvement

• Forces action during low-motivation phases

• Creates momentum without hype

“Once I started producing more than consuming, I needed to find people who were building too.”

3. The Strategical Surround

The last but most important part (at least it was for me) →

Become a part of a group, a mastermind, lock in with friends, have real & lasting direct accountability.

• Masterminds exist for builders

• Friends who execute, not just talk

• Shared progress instead of shared excuses

I know that people like these are hard to find, so I created my own community, now 150 members strong, full of ambitious individuals.

If that’s you, and you want to surround yourself with more people just like you, then click the link below to join our community

See you inside :)

https://discipline-os.com/