Self-discipline, the first aspect of conscientiousness in the Big Five model, refers to a person's ability to undertake and complete tasks despite boredom, difficulties, or failures.
People with a lot of self-discipline generally succeed in school and in administrative and leadership positions (especially if they are intelligent). They live primarily to work and must always be doing something useful. They dislike being idle. They rarely procrastinate and don't make a mess. They finish what they start and do so on time. They are always thinking about how to accomplish more in less time with fewer resources. They have remarkable focus. Highly disciplined individuals are very likely to harshly judge laziness or incompetence and want to exclude them. They are very likely to believe that people fail because they don't apply themselves or work hard enough. They feel guilty quickly if they don't fulfill their duties. However, because they generally stay ahead of schedule and take responsibility, they rarely experience real guilt. They cope poorly with forced leisure or unemployment. The rest of the time, they usually know how to motivate themselves to get things done.
People with low scores in self-discipline tend to procrastinate on tasks they find difficult, tedious, and burdensome, and can become easily discouraged and want to give up. Lack of self-discipline is often confused with impulsivity. Both traits are indeed signs of low self-control, but they are distinct. Highly impulsive people cannot stop themselves from doing what they don't want to do, whereas those lacking self-discipline cannot force themselves to do what they want to do. The former need emotional stability, while the latter need a level of motivation that they lack.
A student who follows a strict revision schedule for exams and commits to completing all academic tasks on time demonstrates a high degree of Self-discipline.
An individual who constantly procrastinates on important work tasks and becomes quickly discouraged and frustrated demonstrates a low level of Self-discipline.
An entrepreneur who rigorously plans their daily activities to maximize productivity is an example of Self-discipline.
A person who always finds excuses not to accomplish important tasks and is often discouraged by obstacles demonstrates a low level of Self-discipline.
Those who are liberal and those who are conservative seem to have just as much self-discipline. Men have slightly more self-discipline than women. The average percentile for men in the general population (women and men) is 51.5. For women, it is 49.5.