How did you improve your discipline/self control

Question

I have good ideas for side projects and in general want to keep myself primed by solving algorithmic problems (I am an individual contributor with 15+ years exp and no plans to move to management roles).But I struggle with self control and discipline. I come home on a Friday evening and end up binge watching or do unproductive/unnecessary things online till like 3 or 4 AM and screw up the next day as well. With other kids/family activities I end up no time at all to improve my skills.I really want to improve my self control and discipline to avoid doing this, but it has been a struggle. If you have had similar problem and overcame it would really appreciate if you can share some tips.

loons2 · Accepted Answer

Your actions, dictated by your subconscious, are at odds with what your conscious mind thinks is best.
To bring the two into alignment, something needs to be reframed. You can either convince your subconscious that the current behavior is detrimental, or preferably, just how beneficial the alternate, desired behavior will be.
Hypnotherapy, self-hypnosis and NLP are probably the best ways to accomplish that.
When I quit a 2-pack-a-day habit 24 years ago, it wasn't through "self-control and discipline" but by reframing self-image from "smoker" to "non-smoker." The difference between "I will not smoke this cigarette right now" and "I am a non-smoker" maybe doesn't seem like a lot, but the difference between an action and a self-identification is significant.