I’ll be writing about discipline as I grow, as this is an area I grapple with.
During my exams, I was thinking a lot about setting realistic goals by predicting your reactions to them – outsmarting your tendencies and urges in a sense. The following scenario is a recent example from my life.
Disclaimer: This method of applying the principle is NOT for everyone.
For my recent exam period, I had more than a week off before my first exam. I usually prefer reviewing/cramming close to the exam – I knew I wouldn’t study for the exam till the last minute. So I set apart 2.5 days to study for the first exam. I ended up studying the night before the exam – partly because I was lazy, but mostly because I kept telling myself “there’s still time left”. I got all the studying needed done, but slept late – I could have possibly outsmarted myself by planning for 1.5 days of study, which might have motivated me to study better during the time I scheduled for it.
Studying better by setting less time for it. Sounds kinda stupid. But it came into play for my next exam – I had 3 days off, but I set out 2 days to study, and it worked – I ended up studying satisfactorily, because I couldn’t be smart and say “there’s still time left”, because there was “just enough time left”. I set out just enough time to study, thereby outsmarting myself.
That was long… but if it helped explain the principle I was getting at, mission accomplished 
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