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3 Straightforward Ways to Increase Your Willpower Right Now
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Eliminate as Many Choices as Possible
The more decisions you make (small or big) the less mental energy you have. Eventually, you'll lose your focus and you'll end up susceptible to bad habits.
If you limit the amount of decisions you need to make throughout the day, you can save some of that energy to make smarter choices.
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Do the Hardest Thing First
For most of us, our mental energy is at its highest in the morning.
As the day goes on, you'll feel more fatigued and so you are more likely to make bad decisions. Do the hardest thing on your list in the morning, and you will be less likely to crack under pressure later on.
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Refuel Frequently
Having regular healthy nutritional meals and snacks gives your brain little boosts of energy it needs to power forward.
Without the proper fuel, your brain is more likely to focus on immediate indulgences and forget about those long-term goals.
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Describing mental fatigue
It is the feeling that your brain just won't function properly. People will describe it as brain fog. You can't concentrate, and simple tasks take too long. You find th...
Causes of mental fatigue
Contributing factors to mental fatigue are poor nutrition, lack of sleep, hormonal imbalances, or cognitive overload. Cognitive overload can take the following forms:
- When you focus on a single task for an extended period of time.
- When you spread your attention across too many things.
- Worrying about tasks. It is as mentally taxing as doing the task.
Give your brain high-quality fuel
Your brain is fuelled with the same food as your muscles. What you eat has an enormous impact on your cognitive functioning.
- Cut down on refined sugars as it decreases alertness. Aim for sustained energy levels throughout the day.
- Plan your meals in advance. If you wait until you're hungry, you're already low on energy and willpower and will reach for a quick energy boost in the form of sugar.
- Don't skip breakfast. Without it, you may likely crash in the middle of the morning. Eat more eggs, yogurt, and oatmeal to sustain your energy levels until lunch.
- Snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon to give your body consistent fuel.
- Stay hydrated with water. Mild hydration can negatively impact cognitive performance.
- Listen to your body to figure out what makes you feel best. The same nutrition advice won't work for everyone.
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Master Self-Discipline
- Know your weaknesses. You can’t overcome them until you know them.
- Remove temptations. “Out of sight, out of mind.”
- Set clear goals and have an execution ...
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Ego Depletion
Ego depletion happens when people use up their available willpower on one task.
We all have natural urges, desires, and tendencies that demand attention. When we curb those ...
Self Control
People having a high level of self-control experience better relationships and have higher achievement levels. Lack of self-control is associated with social conflict and low-grade academic performance.
Example: While following a diet regime, a person spends a lot of willpower the whole day trying to avoid junk food, but by the end of the day, all his mental energy has been exhausted, and there is no self-control left, resulting in snacking on unhealthy food.
Causes of Ego Depletion
Many emotional and physical factors contribute to ego depletion, like:
- Emotional distress
- Struggling to learn something new
- Mental fatigue due to anxiety
- Low levels of blood sugar
- Too much choice
- Conflicting beliefs and actions (cognitive dissonance)
- Heart Rate
- Hormonal imbalance
- Being young and immature.