Be Your Own Butler

“How can I change my discipline?” The human behavior expert Chase Hughes opens with this question in a short interview clip. Before giving a solution, he gives the following definition: “I define discipline as your ability to prioritize the needs of your future self ahead of your current self.”  

With this definition in mind, Chase shares a trick to grow in discipline. He suggests that we become our own butler. He gives a few examples from his own life: 

• Setting up the Keurig and coffee mug so in the morning he just slaps down the lid of the machine and presses the button. 

• Laying out the next morning’s clothes the night before. 

• Writing a to-do list for the next day and setting it on his desk. 

By doing these types of things, “past-tense-me becomes the source of dopamine for present-tense-me.” We start to look backward with gratitude and this leads us to look forward with care and concern. We are less likely to give in to immediate gratification and more likely to choose disciplined action.   

This week I invite you to ask: 

If outside observers were able to watch a tape of how I spend my days, how well would they rate my discipline? How am I at prioritizing my future-self above my present-self? In what areas do I do this well? In what areas could I use improvement? What are three things I would do differently if I acted as my own butler? 

God bless,
Dan