Where should someone start if they want to become more disciplined?

Start with small, clear, and concrete actions relevant to your current situation, like taking a walk, cleaning your desk, or waking up at a consistent time. The goal is to build discipline as a muscle and an identity through these straightforward practices.

Is physical discipline the best starting point?

Yes, physical discipline is often the most accessible entryway because its actions and results are clear. Mastering these straightforward aspects helps build momentum and transfer that discipline to other areas of life.

How does discipline relate to identity?

Discipline is not just an adjective to apply to a task, but an identity to cultivate. By consistently acting in a disciplined way, you become a disciplined person, which enables you to tackle further challenges more effectively.

What is the difference between exploration and exploitation in building a career?

Exploration involves trying different ideas and finding what works, while exploitation is committing to and rigorously pursuing a successful avenue. It's crucial to balance both, leveraging networks and platforms that emerge from successful exploration to exploit opportunities.

Why is it important for writers to build an online platform?

While writing remains the core, online platforms like YouTube and podcasts help writers reach audiences and sell books in a changing media landscape. However, it's crucial to manage these platforms so they support, rather than detract from, the core writing craft.

How can high achievers facing burnout apply discipline?

For those doing too much, discipline might mean 'doing less' by identifying and prioritizing the 'main thing,' setting boundaries, and saying no to non-essential commitments. This ensures focus on high-impact activities rather than spreading oneself too thin.

What is the role of a physical workspace like Ryan Holiday's bookstore?

Having a dedicated physical space for work, like an office or bookstore, helps create separation between professional and personal life. This separation is crucial for maintaining focus, setting boundaries, and fostering a healthy work-life balance.

What are the benefits of activities like cold plunges or saunas?

While research is ongoing, benefits likely include stress response management and feeling good chemicals. Crucially, engaging in uncomfortable activities like cold plunges builds mental toughness and resilience, which are aspects of self-discipline.

How important is building a network when starting out?

Building a network of supportive colleagues, mentors, and patrons is as vital as developing skills. Being a reliable, integrous, and likable person who delivers on commitments makes people want to be on your team.

Is owning a bookstore a profitable endeavor for a writer?

While not primarily a profit-generating venture, a bookstore can serve as a physical hub for a writer's activities, offset costs, and provide a motivating environment. The love for bookstores and community can be a significant non-financial benefit.

What is the 'persist and resist' principle?

This principle, attributed to Epictetus, suggests that life advice can be summarized by two actions: persisting and pushing through challenges ('persist') and abstaining from negative or unnecessary actions ('resist').

Key Moments

Ep. 215: Interview With Ryan Holiday | Discipline Is Destiny

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

People & Blogs6 min read89 min video

Sep 26, 2022|27,331 views|747|37

Cal Newport Deep Work Deep Life Deep Questions TimblockPlanner Deep Questions Podcast ryan holiday ryan holiday interview ryan holiday daily stoic ryan holiday stoic deep life quotes time block planner review

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TL;DR

Ryan Holiday discusses discipline as self-mastery, its application in physical and mental realms, and its role in career development.

Key Insights

Discipline, rooted in Stoic 'Temperance' or *sophrosyne*, is best understood as self-mastery and self-control.

The book 'Discipline Is Destiny' is structured into physical, mental/emotional, and integrated aspects of discipline.

Physical discipline, such as waking early or eating well, serves as a foundational entry point for building a disciplined identity.

Online communities focused on extreme physical discipline, like those popularized by David Goggins, act as gateways to broader self-improvement.

Discipline can be applied to 'doing less' by focusing on the 'main thing' to avoid burnout and maintain effectiveness amidst many pursuits.

Developing a network and platform is crucial alongside skill development; the 'Daily Stoic' gained traction by leveraging an existing audience.

REDISCOVERING TEMPERANCE AS SELF-MASTERY

Ryan Holiday introduces his book 'Discipline Is Destiny,' the second in a series on Stoic virtues. He clarifies that 'Temperance,' often misunderstood due to historical temperance movements, is better translated as *sophrosyne*, meaning self-mastery or self-control. This virtue is crucial for knowing and adhering to the right amount of action or restraint, distinguishing it from simply finding a middle ground, which he argues falls more under wisdom. Holiday emphasizes that self-discipline is a more practical and urgent concept for contemporary readers.

THE STRUCTURE OF DISCIPLINE IN PRACTICE

Holiday structures his book on discipline into three parts: physical, temperamental/mental, and integrated. Physical discipline covers aspects like diet, exercise, and environment. The second part addresses emotional and mental control, including focus and temper management. The final section bridges these by exploring transcendent levels of self-discipline in real-world, challenging situations. This layered approach allows for a progressive understanding and application of discipline, moving from concrete actions to more complex internal states.

THE FOUNDATIONAL ROLE OF PHYSICAL DISCIPLINE

The conversation highlights the importance of starting with physical discipline as an accessible entry point. This could involve simple actions like waking up early, regular exercise, or mindful eating. Holiday likens discipline to a muscle that grows stronger with use, suggesting that consistent application in straightforward areas builds transferable capacity for more complex challenges. This foundational approach helps establish discipline as an identity rather than just a temporary effort.

DISCIPLINE AS IDENTITY AND CUMULATIVE PRACTICE

Cal Newport posits that discipline is more of an identity than an adjective, meaning individuals are disciplined people who then do things with discipline. Both Newport and Holiday agree that discipline is cumulative and habitual. It's not a state achieved but a practice engaged in daily. Ryan's advice of 'persist and resist' encapsulates this: some actions require pushing through, while others demand restraint. This ongoing practice, repeated over time, builds the foundational identity of a disciplined person.

ENTRY POINTS TO DISCIPLINE AND THE 'MANHOOD' PHENOMENON

The discussion touches on the popularity of online communities emphasizing extreme physical discipline. Holiday suggests this appeals because such feats are more cinematic and easily trackable than other forms of discipline, like monasticism. He notes that while these activities (hunting, running, lifting) might seem like fads, they often serve as entry points to broader self-improvement, leading individuals to reduce addictions, improve family relationships, and develop greater resilience through challenging themselves.

TARGETING DISCIPLINED ENERGY AND MANAGING PRODUCTIVITY

For individuals lacking direction, Holiday suggests identifying and redirecting wasted time towards constructive activities, framing discipline not as a lack of effort but as a need for a target. For highly productive individuals, discipline involves knowing when to 'keep the main thing the main thing'—focusing on core activities like writing while building systems to manage or delegate secondary tasks. This prevents burnout and ensures that the most impactful work remains protected, even amidst numerous opportunities and demands.

THE INTERPLAY OF WRITING, MEDIA, AND AUDIENCE BUILDING

Newport and Holiday explore the tension for writers between focusing on craft and leveraging digital platforms for audience reach. They acknowledge that while writing is the core, online media (podcasts, YouTube) are crucial for book discoverability in the current landscape. Holiday emphasizes that while platforms can be useful, the creator must not let the 'mask eat the face'—the secondary platforms shouldn't detract from the primary skill of writing. He advocates for building systems that leverage these tools without sacrificing creative focus.

EXPLORATION VERSUS EXPLOITATION IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Holiday explains his career trajectory using the 'search, exploration, exploitation' model. He identifies strengths (marketing, ideas) and initially explores different avenues to gain leverage. When 'The Obstacle Is The Way' and later 'The Daily Stoic' gained traction, he exploited these successes by building platforms and an audience around them. This strategic approach, leveraging an existing audience to launch new ventures, is crucial for sustainable growth, demonstrating how disciplined development of both skills and network is vital.

THE STRATEGIC POWER OF NETWORKS AND AUDIENCES

Holiday stresses that new ventures shouldn't begin at zero. Building a network of colleagues, patrons, and an engaged audience is as important as developing competence. He shares how his 'Daily Stoic' newsletter benefited immensely from an existing audience from his 'Reading List' newsletter. This highlights the importance of cultivating relationships and a platform that can support future endeavors, enabling a jump-start for new projects rather than starting from scratch.

MAKING REPS: THE VALUE OF CONSISTENT PRACTICE

Both Newport and Holiday emphasize the concept of 'reps' – the practice and iteration necessary for mastery. The structured output of platforms like the 'Daily Stoic' provides consistent practice, improving the creator's skills over time. This constant creation in front of an audience provides valuable feedback, forcing adaptation and improvement. This relentless repetition, whether in writing, podcasting, or video, is essential for genuine skill development, especially in creative fields.

THE BOOKSTORE AS A PHYSICAL ANCHOR AND HQ

Holiday describes his experience owning a physical bookstore in a small town as a highly positive, albeit challenging, investment. Beyond its business profitability, the bookstore serves as a physical anchor, an HQ for his various ventures (writing, office space, podcasting). This tangible space helps create separation between work and home, fostering better boundaries and focus. The intention behind the space is to facilitate multiple aspects of his professional life, acting as a grounded operational hub.

BOUNDARIES, SPACE, AND THE DISCIPLINE OF WORK STRUCTURE

The success of the bookstore has introduced a new challenge: managing boundaries with people who visit. This necessitates discipline in protecting personal and workspace, even from well-intentioned admirers. Holiday links this to the broader concept of separating different activities and the spaces they occupy, similar to the idea of not having your desk in your bedroom. Having a distinct workspace clarifies the purpose of different locations, reducing work-life confusion.

THE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE OF NON-FICTION PATHWAYS

Comparing non-fiction and fiction, Holiday argues that non-fiction authors have more agency in building their careers. While fiction success often relies heavily on gatekeepers and luck, non-fiction allows creators to build an audience and message through multiple channels, like books and videos, that directly support each other. This offers more control for individuals willing to develop their skills and strategically navigate the pathways available in the publishing industry.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Products

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●Organizations

●Books

●People Referenced

Discipline Toolkit: Dos and Don'ts

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Start with small, clear goals (e.g., wake up early, clean your desk).

Treat discipline as an identity you build through consistent habits.

Identify your 'main thing' and protect its time and focus.

Leverage platforms and systems to support your core work, but don't let them overwhelm it.

Build your network by being a reliable, integrous, and likable person.

When something works, commit to it fully (exploitation phase).

Establish physical spaces for different types of work to create separation.

Use the 'persist and resist' framework for life advice.

Avoid This

Don't try to achieve extreme discipline overnight (e.g., go from zero to David Goggins).

Don't let secondary activities or platforms consume your primary focus.

Don't neglect the 'day-to-dayness' of hard work, especially writing.

Don't get lost on draining social media platforms like Twitter.

Don't confuse the idea of discipline with the actual practice of it.

Don't wait for opportunities to reveal themselves; actively seek and direct your energy.

Don't let temporary imbalances become the norm in your life.

Common Questions

The book reinterprets the Stoic virtue of Temperance, focusing on self-discipline rather than just moderation. It explores how to apply discipline physically, mentally, and emotionally, distinguishing between resisting negative impulses and persisting through challenges.

Topics

Mindset & Self-Improvement Business & Entrepreneurship Publishing Industry Founder Mindset Productivity Career Development

Mentioned in this video

People

Cal Newport

Host of the Deep Questions podcast, author, and speaker on productivity and deep work.

David Goggins

Ultra-marathon runner and motivational speaker known for extreme physical discipline.

Tom Brady

Legendary NFL quarterback discussed in the context of discipline and lifestyle balance.

Steve Magnus

Author and coach who discussed the data and psychological aspects of cold plunges.

Rory McIlroy

Professional golfer and fan of digital minimalism, discussed in athlete context.

Ryan Holiday

Author of 'Discipline Is Destiny' and other books on stoicism and self-improvement.

Marcus Aurelius

Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, known for his practice of wrestling metaphorically and literally.

Laird Hamilton

Big-wave surfer known for popularizing cold water immersion and its benefits.

Cam Haines

Influencer discussed in the context of discipline and physical challenges.

Rich Roll

An ultra-endurance athlete and wellness advocate whose early work focused on discipline.

Andrew Huberman

Neuroscientist and podcaster mentioned regarding cold plunges and stress response.

Companies

Henson Shaving

A company specializing in precision parts for the aerospace industry, now making razors.

Ren

A startup focused on helping individuals calculate and offset their carbon footprint.

Instagram

Social media platform mentioned as a place where Ryan Holiday has a large following.

My Body Tutor

A service providing online coaching and accountability for fitness and health goals.

Twitter

Social media platform discussed for its potential to be draining and how Ryan Holiday uses it minimally.

Penguin

Publishing house where Cal Newport and Ryan Holiday's books are published under the Portfolio imprint.

YouTube

Platform where Ryan Holiday shares videos, serving as a significant discovery channel for his work.

Portfolio

An imprint at Penguin under which Cal Newport and Ryan Holiday publish books.

Books

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday's brand for daily stoicism content including newsletters, podcasts, and videos.

Discipline is Destiny

Ryan Holiday's new book, the second in a series on the four stoic virtues, focusing on self-discipline.

Organizations

The Rams

NFL team whose GM shared the principle of 'keeping the main thing the main thing'.

Locations

The Painted Porch bookstore

Ryan Holiday's owned bookstore, serving as a central hub for his work and operations.

Software & Apps

Notion

An all-in-one workspace tool for note-taking, project management, and team collaboration.

Products

Minto Mori coins

A type of coin mentioned humorously as an example of a low-priority item in Ryan Holiday's empire.

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