BigDeal by Codie Sanchez
This is a curated breakdown of a long‑form podcast conversation, designed to help you decide if it’s worth your time and what you’ll actually take away if you listen.
Who This Is For
- If you keep telling yourself you’ll “start tomorrow” and never quite do.
- If discipline feels like a personality trait you either have or don’t.
- If you want practical rules you can apply when motivation disappears.
Time Investment
- 10–15 minutes to grasp the core ideas (discipline as practice, panic rules, environment design).
- Full 2+ hours if you want the deeper Stoic thinking on pressure, procrastination, and long‑term focus.
Key Takeaways
- Discipline is not an identity; it’s a repeated action. You become disciplined by doing disciplined things.
- Vague goals fail. Clear, black‑and‑white rules reduce decision fatigue and excuses.
- The smallest pre‑emptive action often matters more than willpower in the moment.
- Constraints create freedom by eliminating chaos and constant self‑negotiation.
- Procrastination is a form of entitlement, it assumes there will always be a later.
Watch If…
- You want to understand discipline as a system, not a burst of motivation.
- You struggle with procrastination even though you know what to do.
- You want Stoic principles translated into modern, usable rules.
Skip If
- You already operate with clear personal rules and rarely renegotiate with yourself.
Related Content
- James Clear – Building Habits That Actually Stick
- Jessie Ilzler – Life Design
Our Analysis
What makes this conversation stand out is how firmly it rejects the idea that discipline is a personality trait.
Ryan Holiday frames discipline as a verb, not a noun. You don’t become disciplined by deciding who you are you become disciplined by repeatedly doing specific, sometimes uncomfortable actions. This removes the moral weight people attach to self‑control and replaces it with something more practical: behaviour you can practice.
One of the strongest themes is clarity. Holiday argues that vague intentions (“eat better,” “work harder,” “be more disciplined”) fail because they force you to negotiate with yourself all day. Clear rules go to bed at 10pm, don’t keep social apps on your phone, protect mornings for focused work, remove that negotiation entirely.
The conversation also reframes procrastination in an uncomfortable but useful way. To delay action is to assume you’ll have more discipline, time, or energy later and yet this is something no one can guarantee. Seen through that lens, procrastination isn’t laziness; it’s misplaced confidence about the future.
This isn’t a motivational episode. It won’t hype you up. What it offers instead is a set of principles for staying steady when motivation drops and pressure rises which is when discipline actually matters.
🎧 LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST EPISODE →
About the Creator
BigDeal is a business and investing media brand founded and hosted by Codie Sanchez, focused on buying, building, and operating cash-flowing businesses, decision-making under pressure, and long-term wealth through ownership.
Ryan Holiday is an author and modern Stoic thinker best known for translating ancient philosophy into practical strategies for work, creativity, and resilience.
This article is part of Creator Daily’s Personal Growth Desk, where we examine how creators explore meaning, discipline, and human behaviour.