8 Ways To Become A More Diligent Person (Daily Diligence Challenge)
Lately, I have been focusing on trying to become a more diligent person and less sloth-like.
I’ve been living in London for about a year now and I noticed that I had slowly started to become the lazy and unhealthy version of myself.
When I lived in Manchester, I was disciplined, productive and healthy so noticing the shift made me feel a bit crap. How did I let this happen?
The truth is… it’s the small things—the daily habits and routines—that started to slip. Instead of reading a few pages in a book, solving a sudoku puzzle, or tidying up my desk, I found myself watching YouTube, binging Netflix, and snacking on cake.
The same day I decided to be better, I went to church and the pastor delivered the EXACT sermon I needed to hear that day.
The diligent person vs the sluggard (a proverbs story).
So I put the work in and changed my habits to become a more diligent person and now I’m going to teach you to do the same.
What does it mean to be a diligent person?
According to the Oxford Language Dictionary (via Google Search), diligent means ‘having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties’.
Other definitions cover the same theme. For example:
Cambridge Dictionary says diligent means ‘careful and using a lot of effort’ and Merriam Webster Dictionary describes it as ‘steady, earnest, and energetic effort’
As you can see, it’s not about being perfect or not making mistakes, instead, it’s about being consistent in your effort and trying your best. It’s all about being present, focused and committed to the tasks you are responsible for.
A diligent person has good habits, is self-aware and can be trusted to do what they say they are going to do in all areas of their lives (e.g. work, personal, relationships etc…).
Characteristics of a diligent person
- Self-discipline – staying focused on your tasks even when you don’t feel like it
- Resilience – having a growth mindset and learning from your mistakes
- Consistency – having steady effort over time
- Attention to detail – making sure the work you do is accurate and thorough without resorting to perfectionism
- Responsibility – taking ownership of your tasks and holding yourself accountable
- Patience – you don’t expect instant gratification and don’t rush the process
What being more diligent means to me
My main feelings around being diligent centre on integrity. Doing the right thing and staying true to myself. That means no more using excuses and claiming that I am ‘resting’ when I am just binge-watching YouTube videos or watching ‘Homicide Hunter’.
True rest should be recharging and refreshing instead of causing brain rot and energy drain. I know this but it’s hard sometimes. I KNOW that when I go for a walk, do restorative yoga, or even do a sudoku puzzle I feel 100 times more rested than when I spend 1 hour watching YouTube.
I need to ACTUALLY show care for myself and move the needle forward in my life by being diligent.
For me, showing care means:
- Having integrity: doing the right thing
- Taking breaks when I need to
- Doing my best – not half-arsing things
- Developing a mind-body connection
- Eating healthily and working out
- Expressing myself creatively
- Being honest with myself about how I spend my time
My 40-Day Daily Diligence Challenge
I created a 40-day challenge to force me to become more diligent, disciplined and healthier:
- Pray
- Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book
- Write 500 words
- 30 minutes of exercise
- 30 minutes of yoga
- Drink 2.5 litres
- Eat 3-5 fruit and veg a day
If I miss an activity, I start back at day 1. This task alone has increased my discipline and I feel so much better in my mind and body.
I chose these different activities because they either improve my physical and mental health or bring me closer to my life goals. For example, writing 500 words every day will help me grow my blogging business and creative skills.
The difference between being diligent and a perfectionist
Overworking yourself to the point of burnout is NOT being diligent. Where is the care for your mind and body in that?
Perfectionists often get diligence wrong because they are so focused on the outcome (approval, results, achievement) that they often push themselves too far and burn out or put so much pressure on themselves that they procrastinate on their tasks.
Neither of those behaviours is how a diligent person would behave.
A diligent person prioritises steady, consistent progress and learning from their mistakes. It’s about the journey and the effort they put into tasks rather than the result at the end. Diligence accepts imperfection whereas perfectionism rejects imperfection.
Switching from a perfectionist mindset to a diligent one will lead to healthier work habits, less burnout and more fulfilment in general.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Aristotle
How to be diligent and disciplined
If you want to become more diligent and disciplined, you need to create simple routines and become more mindful of how you spend your time. Here are some things I recommend you do:
1. Keep track of how you spend your time: figure out how much time you spend on your phone, laptop and other time-wasting activities. You can use inbuilt features such as Apple’s screen time function, and Android’s digital wellbeing function or you can download specific tracking apps. Or you can do it the good old-fashioned way with pen and paper.
2. Decide you want to change: before you actually start your challenge, you need to reach a point where you WANT to change. You want to do better for yourself. You want to see what is possible if you’re the best version of yourself because you KNOW continuing down your current path is going to keep you stuck.
3. Understand what it means to be diligent: Diligence is about trying your best and that includes taking breaks and practising self-care. It is NOT about going through cycles of go-go-go and burnout or participating in hustle culture. You have to let your perfectionism go and take things one day at a time, always doing your best. Sometimes your best is 100%, sometimes it’s 30%. It’s okay either way.
4. Create your own challenge: what habits do you want to do every single day that will bring you closer to your personal goals? For example, I included reading 10 pages of a non-fiction book and doing 30 minutes of yoga. I am going to add ‘1 drawing a day’ once I get to the 40-day mark. Set values-driven goals and then think backwards from there to think about the habits you need to get there.
5. Start small: don’t try to include an activity that is too difficult or time-consuming to do every day. It’s not worth it because you will keep failing and lose motivation. For example, one of my activities is to write 500 words a day. For some people 500 words is a crazy amount, for me that is nothing – it takes me 10/15 minutes to do. Other writers do 1000 words a day but I decided to start smaller. You might want to start with 100 words.
6. Track your progress: on bad days, it’s easy to forget how much you’ve accomplished. Keep track of your progress in whatever way works for you. It could be a spreadsheet, bullet journal, one-sentence-a-day log, or even notion.
7. FORGIVE YOURSELF: don’t let your perfectionism win. This challenge isn’t about being perfect and not making mistakes. It’s about learning what makes you feel good. What energises your body? What do you want to do more of or less of? How much rest do you need to be productive? Whenever you miss an activity start again and learn from it.
8. Plan your day: I highly recommend you learn how to time block and task batch when it comes to scheduling the activities in your daily diligence challenge. I used to underestimate how much time I had in the day which resulted in me completely running out of time to complete my activities. Don’t be like me. Sit down and plan when you’re going to fit in each task. E.g in the morning you’re going to do 30 minutes of exercise and yoga so that it is out of the way.
Journal Prompts for diligence
- What are three small daily habits that would make the biggest positive impact on your life?
- How do you feel after completing one day of your personal challenge? What changes do you notice?
- What usually causes you to slip from your routines? How can you prevent it in the future?
- What does diligence mean to you, and how can you show more care in your daily life?
- What areas of your life feel undisciplined right now? How can you start building better habits there?
Diligence affirmations
- I take care of my mind and body
- I try my best every time, even when my best is only 30%
- I forgive myself for my mistakes
- Every day is a new day to try again
- I love myself enough to do my best
- I honour my wellbeing
- I trust the process and enjoy the journey
Christian diligence affirmations
- I work diligently as though for the Lord, not for man (Inspired by Colossians 3:23)
- God strengthens me to persevere in all things
- I commit my work to God and trust Him to guide my steps
- With faith, I give my best effort and leave the rest to God’s will
- I honour God with my hard work and faithful service
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Related Posts:
- 13 Subtle Signs You’re A Perfectionist And Don’t Even Know It
- The Ultimate 30 Day Self-Love Challenge (FREE Printable)
- 9 Realistic Ways To Have A Guilt-Free Self-Care Day
- 7 easy ways for perfectionists to increase their self-awareness
- What Is Mindful Productivity? The Cure For Hustle Culture
- 7 Growth Mindset Myths That Keep You Stuck
- 123 Affirmations For Growth Mindset and Success
