I suggest not putting too much faith in these self-help posts.
The human mind is complicated. Advice that seems helpful could in reality be harmful.
Certainly, the distinction between discipline and motivation is meaningful. And sure, all else being equal, discipline is more useful than motivation towards leading a successful life. But maybe things are not equal.
Am pretty sure there were times in my life when I worked on increasing my discipline (i.e., on cultivating productive habits) when I would have been better served by focusing on increasing my motivation (particularly, by asking what sorts of things do humans typically find motivating, which of those things have I found motivating in the past, and how might I cultivate my ability to take pleasure in one or more of things).
It is fairly clear from Einstein's writing that it was mainly motivation (and in particular curiosity) rather than discipline that fueled his career. For example, he complained in writing about the design of his PhD program because it extinguished his natural love for (i.e., his motivation to do) physics. I tend to think that it would be very unlikely for a human being to be able to exert the degree of effort Einstein exerted on his physical research using just discipline (i.e., if the human being were not motivated or energized by the process of doing the research).
I mean, if you try to increase your discipline, and your attempt succeeds, then that is great. You should make more attempts to increase your discipline even further. But I have found that there is a limit to how much I can do that. And certain self-help authors have caused me to ignore evidence that my attempts at increasing my discipline are no longer having any positive effect.
Added. Also, I think the intense concentration and intense demands on working memory and "fluid intelligence" that programming makes on a person often makes the person less aware of alternatives to willpower, sustained concentration and discipline as ways of becoming a more capable and productive person.
The human mind is complicated. Advice that seems helpful could in reality be harmful.
Certainly, the distinction between discipline and motivation is meaningful. And sure, all else being equal, discipline is more useful than motivation towards leading a successful life. But maybe things are not equal.
Am pretty sure there were times in my life when I worked on increasing my discipline (i.e., on cultivating productive habits) when I would have been better served by focusing on increasing my motivation (particularly, by asking what sorts of things do humans typically find motivating, which of those things have I found motivating in the past, and how might I cultivate my ability to take pleasure in one or more of things).
It is fairly clear from Einstein's writing that it was mainly motivation (and in particular curiosity) rather than discipline that fueled his career. For example, he complained in writing about the design of his PhD program because it extinguished his natural love for (i.e., his motivation to do) physics. I tend to think that it would be very unlikely for a human being to be able to exert the degree of effort Einstein exerted on his physical research using just discipline (i.e., if the human being were not motivated or energized by the process of doing the research).
I mean, if you try to increase your discipline, and your attempt succeeds, then that is great. You should make more attempts to increase your discipline even further. But I have found that there is a limit to how much I can do that. And certain self-help authors have caused me to ignore evidence that my attempts at increasing my discipline are no longer having any positive effect.
Added. Also, I think the intense concentration and intense demands on working memory and "fluid intelligence" that programming makes on a person often makes the person less aware of alternatives to willpower, sustained concentration and discipline as ways of becoming a more capable and productive person.