November 2018

Conscious Discipline teaser image
I first heard the words “conscious discipline” at College Hills Elementary School where my daughters attend school. At a parent night, we learned that though we wanted to do good we might end up acting out the good and ugly sides of our parents because we were used to their behavior. Conscious discipline entails taking the reins in our hands and choosing our actions despite what mood we are in. Their website https://consciousdiscipline.com/ is a place to grow in behavioral patterns.
Many parents are guilty of recurring repentance when it comes to discipline, choosing to remain aloof again and again. Conscious discipline helps us nip the source of patterns of behavior which we abhor. It also helps us emphasize on positive actions that yield positive results. In our academic life, keeping to time and showing up at events according to our schedules can be a herculean task. Positive words like Nike’s “Just do it!” and a friend’s “Get it done” are inspirational but sometimes fall short in motivating one as the tasks are hard to keep up with. Sometimes the following suggestions help

1. Pace yourself
We are capable of much when there is sufficient timing between our activities, we can take a breath, reflect-on-action; turning our experiences into learning, learning more for improvement and finding creative ways to go about our next challenges.

2. Divide goals from bits to action statements
In suggestions for ways to achieve a goal we are advised to breakdown goals into smaller goals, sometimes we break them down and leave them alone. Making action statements in our planners and speaking to ourselves regularly can give us the required boost to act. This action also keeps issues at the forefront of our minds so that we can recall them for action.
 
3. Set reminders
Sometimes I set three reminders within an hour. This helps to jog my memory, tell me it is time for a new activity and basically warns me that I am running out of time. It feels like a rush sometimes and that could happen because advice number one was flaunted. Pacing one’s self includes the times allotted to activities and remembering to give time to others to maintain a good life balance.

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Patricia Kio
Patricia is a Ph.D. student in the College of Architecture

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