Nine Tips for Developing the Discipline Needed to Become an Entrepreneur

Becoming your own boss, setting your own schedule, and finally being able to run the business of your dreams are all welcome perks of becoming an entrepreneur. However, entrepreneurship is a goal that takes a lot of determination and a lot of self-discipline to achieve, and not everyone is cut out to be a business owner.

But if you think entrepreneurship is the right path for you, there are steps you can take to develop your self-discipline and prepare for the difficult journey ahead. Below, nine members of the Young Entrepreneur Council each share their top tip for developing self-discipline and why it's so essential to succeeding as a future business leader.

1. Be patient and resilient

Life will test you with many setbacks and failures; however, you must move on to the next challenge regardless of the results behind you. Focus on your end goal, and eventually you'll develop a routine and strategy to help you stay motivated. I start my morning with a routine and incorporate timeboxing into my project management system to stay focused and maximize my time. - Julian Hamood, Trusted Technical Team

2. Determine what distracts you

To me, discipline means staying on task even when there are distractions around me. If you want to develop self-discipline, you need to be aware of the things that derail you and make changes to avoid similar situations in the future. For example, I've learned that turning off my phone is essential when I need to achieve peak concentration and productivity. - John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC

3. Focus on the important rather than the urgent

For me, self-discipline is about taking time each day to focus on the important rather than the urgent. Urgent things crop up in our professional and personal lives all day, every day. However, if I have dedicated, scheduled time to focus on what's important to me and my business, I can get much further, faster. - Jessica Fialkovich, Exit Factor

4. Resolve any procrastination

If lack of discipline means procrastination, tap into why it happens. Procrastination is neither a time management nor a self-control problem; it's a matter of emotional regulation. Most likely, you keep postponing some tasks, so try to find a pattern. Are you afraid of failure or bored by something in particular? Once you know what's wrong, you can address it directly. - Solomon Timothy