The moment I questioned discipline things fell into place

How rhythm, limits, and routine make for a more fulfilling life

This is personal for me.

When I moved to Germany over a decade ago, one of the first things I noticed was how much the culture values structure.

Rules matter. Plans are made weeks in advance and days are organised. It’s a typical culture shock that everyone goes through when they first move here.

At first, it grated against my British reflex for ambiguity and improvisation, there were times when I found it rude, abrasive and offputting. But over the years, I learned to see structure as something that is not limiting but the very opposite - it’s freeing.

Having Structure makes discipline obsolete.

This applies to all areas of life but most importanly to creativity. The great writers and creatives all developed practices which essentially came down to one thing: Structure.

Stephen King - Writes every morning, 2,000 words a day, no exceptions. Describes writing as a “support system” for his life, not the other way around.

Virginia Woolf - Maintained writing blocks in the morning, walks in the afternoon. Often emphasized the importance of rhythm and solitude.

Franz Kafka - Worked in an insurance office during the day. Wrote at night, consistently, within the constraints of exhaustion and low light. He famously said: “A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.”

The common thread here is not discipline or force. I used to think I needed more time. More energy. More inspiration. But what I actually needed was a vessel to hold it all in.

If you’re juggling work, family, low energy, or all of the above, the busy life you see as a hurdle is actually the very thing you can use as fuel.

You don’t need perfect conditions. You need a container, a rhythm and a way of writing that fits into your life, not in opposition to it.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. Structure creates freedom.

Most productivity advice assumes your problem is laziness. That if you just "did more" or "got disciplined," you’d unlock your potential.

When I gave up on discipline things started to work.

Most people I know aren’t lazy, they’re overwhelmed. They’re flooded with options, tasks, tabs, and goals. They lack the deep focus that is becoming somewhat of a rarity these days.

The thing with this is that once you’ve engrained structure in your life it becomes natural. There’s a learning and an implementation phase which might feel like “discipline” but once you’ve got that dialled things start to flow naturally.

I found learning German incredably difficult. I spent a lot of time on the grammar, word order and sentence structure. I went through a period where I felt like my brain was breaking, because, in a way, it kind of was. My brain was having to rewire itself and that is an extremly uncomfortable process, especially as an adult.

Now I’m fluent. I’ve learned the rules and structure of the language and everything flows naturally.

This is not just restricted to productivity or learning skills, it applies to every fazit of life. But it doesn’t come instantly. It took me 5 years of living in the country before I felt really comfortable with the language.

You have to start small. The first step is to develop a frequency of writing and posting that you can keep up for years to come. Make a commitment but set the bar low and work your way up. Try to avoid starting out strong and then having to scale back. This sets up false expectations for yourself and your readers.

If you need help with this I’ve debveloped the 2Hour starting point exactly for this.

2. Structure isn’t a productivity hack

This is where nuance comes into play. Structure just like chaos can become pathalogical if overdone. If I’m honest, I have a natural tendency towards this end of the spectrum which is why I rail so much against productivity and optimisation.

We’ve been told to optimise everything. Track it. Measure it. Post it. And no doubt this is driven in part by those on the other end of the spectrum. Those who tend towards chaos and entropy.

For me creating structure in my life isn’t about trying to do more in less time. It’s about creating space for something meaningful to emerge. It is through a clear structure and repetion that something greater is born.

If you are someone who struggles with this my advicice is to simplify everything. If you are easily distracted then start by eliminating these. Write with pen and paper if you have to, or a word or pages doc with your device on flight mode.

3. Your job isn’t the enemy make it a part of your system.

The biggest myth in creator culture is that you need to quit your job to get serious. The wage slaves, the low agency NPCs, the salary addicts. I’m sure you’ve heard these narratives before. It’s an easy story to sell because it feeds on underlying dissatisfaction and fear, and well, most people who paint this narrative stand to gain something from it. But it’s very easy to see where this runs up against a wall.

Notice how this message starts to sound hollow when you find out that these “solopreneurs” and “one person business gurus” actually work with a lot of freelancers and contractors and if they actually “make it” and start having to hire people that becomes a problem.

The deeper question here is: Why do you hate your job? What series of decisions led you to choose it? Nobody forced you to take it. What makes you think that if you quit your job the next series of decisions you take will lead you to a better place?

You need to get clear on what it is that you want and why you are here.

This is why I advocate integration and leverage, not one or the other. And let’s face it. If you have a family, a mortgage, parents who need care. Just quitting your job is not an option anyway so why not use it as fuel? If you can’t make it work part time, why do you think you will make it work full time?

Your job gives your life shape. It gives you urgency. It forces you to focus. When you only have 2hours a week to write, you don’t waste them. You go in sharper. You go in knowing you have to make it count.

Don’t try to escape your job. Integrate it. Let it pressure-cook your creativity into something tighter, leaner and stronger.

4. Creativity lives in repetition and iteration.

Repetition builds rhythm. But iteration builds progress.

It’s not just about showing up. It’s about trying things. Tuning your systems. Learning how your creative rhythm actually works.

You don’t need one perfect routine. You need a feedback loop. A way to test and adjust until it clicks.

The best writing rhythm is the one you build by paying attention to what works and letting go of what doesn’t. And by “what works” I mean what gives you energy and what resonates with others.

I would love to tell you that you need to write for one hour a day, everyday for a year but I have no idea what your schedule and life looks like. This is something which everyone needs to develop themselves.

5. If you’re relying on discipline, something’s off.

I have a theory which goes something like this. When you fly the nest discipline is everything. By your mid 30’s it starts to be detrimental.

Discipline is like the rocket thrusters. It’s necessary to get you out of the gravitational pull of comfort but once you get into a new atmosphere that energy, the rocket thrusters, they actually slow you down. It’s that old adage of:

What got you here won’t take you there…

Just like learning German there were times where I did need to apply a little force to get myself to study. Setting up my systems, building my writing habit required a little discipline at the beginning but now it runs automatically.

If writing always feels like a battle, it’s not a sign that you’re weak. It’s a sign that your setup is broken. You are approaching it from the wrong angle.

Discipline is what you use when everything else is misaligned. But when you design your environment, your schedule, and your expectations well, discipline just becomes irrelevant.

The goal isn’t to force yourself to achieve an outcome. The goal is to want to return to the work. The goal is to develop a practice that actually infuses you with energy and excitement.

Make it inviting. Make it repeatable. Make it make sense in the life you’re already living, not in some imagined futures where you don’t have a job, you have all the time in the world and no responsibilities, because that’s not reality that’s fantasy.

What You Can Do Now:

1. Define your constraints and use them.

• Time - How many hours a week can you realistically write?

• Schedule - What time of day consistently feels possible?

• Investment - How much energy, money & attention are you willing to invest?

That’s your rhythm. Honour it.

2. Build one repeatable system. Not a routine. A system.

Routines break. Systems adapt.

Start simple:

• Use writing frameworks to make the blank page less intimidating.

• Build a note-taking system so you never run out of ideas.

• Create a weekly flow you can see, not just remember.

Let the work become a place you return to, not a mountain you climb.

3. Design for energy, not discipline.

• Where do you write best and when?

• What drains you before you even begin?

• What would make your writing practice feel like something you want to return to?

Structure isn’t what’s slowing you down. It’s the reason you haven’t quit. It’s what makes keeping going possible and it’s the container your creativity has been waiting for.

Try these out and see what resonates. I hope this was helpful. If so please consider sharing it with someone who might benefit.

Take care and all the best.

Benjamin.