The Self-Discipline Blueprint: A Simple Guide to Beat Procrastination, Achieve Your Goals, and Get the Life You Want Kindle Edition

I absolutely loved the idea of basics. There is no sense in teaching you self-discipline, if you sleep 4 hours a day. In fact, there is no sense in teaching you anything when you are constantly sleep deprived.
What's the use of teaching you about self-discipline, if you are so obese that each trip to the fridge is a challenge for you or if you screw your body biochemistry by regular shots of sugar or energy drinks?
Take care of basics only then you can up your game. If you have troubles with self-discipline (and you have them, why else would you reach for that book?), pay an utmost attention to this part of the book. There is very little sense in applying advanced techniques if you neglect the basics.

But, as usual with my reviews, some cons first:

CONS
1. Self-Help Vocabulary.
Patrik's tendency to use self-help vocabulary is unfortunate.
"But why do you want to keep 'Mo' happy?"
For people who don't study personal development, the above is a kind of blabber. For folks familiar with "The Compound Effect," it's a great reference. Go figure.

2. Language.
Especially at one point, I was taken aback. The question: "Do you have what it takes?" bombed from nowhere. This is supposed to be a self-discipline blueprint for people who don't have self-discipline yet. So readers, discouraged by their history, can answer a resounding "No!" and stop reading.
The point of this book is to teach you so you have what it takes. Not to ask you if you already have it or point fingers at you.
For all discouraged out there: Apply this book's advice, and you will gain self-discipline.

3. Not Very Personal.
There is no sense in avoiding gatekeepers, if you cannot smuggle something they wouldn't include. This book, and it's NOT a praise from my tongue, could be as well published by Harper Collins or another Big5. Meh, I know Patrik could do better. From this book, it's clear enough that he mastered self-discipline in an iterative manner, so he should have plenty of personal stories to share.

PROS
"The Self-Discipline Blueprint" has too many advantages to enumerate them all.

1. Mindfulness Is a Fundament.
I so agree with that.
“Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves–their strengths, their values, and how they best perform.” — Peter F. Drucker
And this self-knowledge comes from mindfulness in the first place. If you don't know yourself, it's impossible to be self-disciplined. You cannot improve your life on autopilot. You must put a lot of reflection to what you do on a daily basis.

2. Body and Health.
And your health is a pillar. Look around you; how many people do you see who take proper care of themselves?
In my work, about 40% of my workmates are fit. And half of them are fit only because they are young, they have fast metabolism and they don't do anything extreme (like eating two donuts a day).
Out of those remaining 20%, I doubt if there are 3 individuals out of 30 who cover all the bases when it comes to healthy living. I wholeheartedly agree with the author: if you feel smashed because you are often sick, always sleep deprived or significantly overweight, there is little sense in trying to improve your self-discipline, if you don't apply it to your health first. When your body is your enemy, everything is more difficult.

3. Self-Kindness.
I've heard that I should be kind to myself many times, but I always disregarded it. I'm my harshest critic. No one speaks to me as tough as I do to myself.
While reading "The Self-Discipline Blueprint," this advice really penetrated my thick skull for the first time. Maybe, just maybe, I will become a tiny bit easier on myself as a result.

4. 15 Strategies.
They are all sound. They are all illustrated with captivating stories. They are not just dry facts. As I read, I found myself nodding in agreement many times.

5. A Sound Textbook.
At the end of each chapter, there is a summary and an action plan, so you won't be overwhelmed.
Use "The Self-Discipline Blueprint" as a textbook. Read it once and then study it. Pick one strategy, apply it, and then implement another one. The book's structure allows for doing that. In fact, it is purposefully structured, so you can do exactly that.

6. A Quick Read.
I abhor thick volumes that cover sound advice with hundreds of pages of blabber. This is a common publisher's sin, so they can justify their inflated prices by the number of pages.
Another common sin (this time of self-publishers) is to turn a book into a sales pitch. Authors stuff their books with "free resources" and adverts of their "advanced programs" every other page.
You won't find any of it in this book. It's not only the right size, it's also very well structured.
While under 150-page, it covers all the angles. While some aspects are not covered in depth, and I felt a bit of dissatisfaction because I already knew more than that, this is a blueprint, not an encyclopedia. Even if you implement 50% of the tactics mentioned in "The Self-Discipline Blueprint," you will find your hands full.

This book is a solid job. I give it 4 stars, but you should read them as 4-stars reads on Goodreads: "I liked it a lot."
"The Self-Discipline Blueprint" has some minor drawbacks, but it is really what it says it is: a blueprint for developing self-discipline.

I have read a lot of self help books, blogs and articles that focus on "how to" develop good habits that stick. While most of what I have read provides a few nuggets or good ideas that I can use for myself or share with others who I help as part of my job, none have impressed me enough to adopt the whole system. However, after reading The Self-Discipline Blueprint I feel that I have found that one system to help me to develop and sustain the habits I desire. I found Patrick's concise writing style as well as the incorporation of considerable research references very appealing. I followed the instructions and read the book first before using the workbook and I am glad I did. I know if I had tried to do the workbook along with reading the book I would have been distracted and likely would have missed too much valuable information to help me establish my blueprint for the habits I want to build on. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the Self Discpline Blueprint- yes it is simplistic but that is because Patrick did the heavy lifting of researching, synthesizing and organizing the principles into small building blocks for self discipline. I like the iterative processes and most especially the summaries at the end of each chapter. For me this book is a keeper.

This book is well worth your time. Some of the things Patrik mentions could, without a doubt, help you transform your life. What he writes about are not just "nice ideas" or even based on his own experience or the experiences of his clients. His ideas are based on scientific studies, which he explains in a way that we all can understand.

I'm tired of reading books that discuss "nice ideas" that don't really change my life, aren't you? Patrik gives you strategies that you can apply to increase your self-discipline and personal growth. That's important because self-discipline is something a lot of us have failed with in the past. Patrik shows us why this happened and give us new approaches to self-discipline that will help us succeed in the future. As we learn in the book, these approaches will work for you IF you commit to some of them and practice them.

Again, this book is well worth your time and attention.

I feel like I have been taking in by a scam. This extremely light book basically lists 4 main principles including: sleep, nutrition, exercise, meditate - and lists a bunch of tips and scientific "did you knows" about each topic. That is it! There is nothing more. This book feels like some kind of Ryan Holliday style attempt to hack amazons algorithms. Although... while Ryan's books are decent... this is a sham. I literally isn't what it says on the tin. You just read a bunch of stuff you know... and a few things you didn't... about sleep, nutrition, exercise and meditation. The power of habit - this ain't.

I discovered Patrik on a coaching app and have since been following him via his website. I look forward to his emails as they always inspire me to try something new. His coaching helped me turn around a bad habit. What I really appreciate about his methods is that he breaks things down to fundamentals and strategies that make it easier to take on change. He also encourages incremental changes which make it harder to fail. This book follows that same approach; it is a fast read and I especially like how he gives a quick summary at the end of each chapter along with action steps. I really like the book includes strategies about being kind to yourself and how to keep momentum going. Highly recommend!