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How Self-Control Works, and How to Boost Your Willpower by Better Understanding It
Boost your willpower
- The simplest way to get better at anything is to practice. As a weekly exercise, pick something you do in excess and stop for a week. After you've practiced for several weeks, try for longer.
- Find Adequate Distractions as a method of self-control.
- Take Care of Yourself so that you do not deplete your reserves.
- Make it harder to make the wrong choice.
- Introduce Fear. It's easier to adjust your diet or kick a habit if you truly believe it's going to kill you or cause immediate harm.
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Key Ideas
Self-Control
Our logic is paired with emotion, and sometimes our emotions motivate us to make poor decisions. That's where self-control comes in.
Self-Control is difficult to produce
The main reason is that indulgence is much easier than the alternative.
Self-control requires work. It's easier to focus on work that provides temporary satisfaction.
Boost your willpower
- The simplest way to get better at anything is to practice. As a weekly exercise, pick something you do in excess and stop for a week. After you've practiced for several weeks, try for longer.
- Find Adequate Distractions as a method of self-control.
- Take Care of Yourself so that you do not deplete your reserves.
- Make it harder to make the wrong choice.
- Introduce Fear. It's easier to adjust your diet or kick a habit if you truly believe it's going to kill you or cause immediate harm.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
Self-Control
... is the ability to regulate and alter responses in order to avoid undesirable behaviors, increase desirable ones, and achieve long-term goals.
Research on Self-Control
- A 2011 survey found that 27 % of respondents identified a lack of willpower as the primary factor keeping them from reaching their goals.
- One study found that students who exhibited greater self-discipline had better grades, higher test scores, and were more likely to be admitted to a competitive academic program.
- The study also found that when it came to academic success, self-control was a more important factor than IQ scores.
- A health study found that people who were rated as having high levels of self-control during childhood continued to have high levels of physical and mental health in adulthood.
- Research has found that self-control is a limited resource. In the long-term, exercising self-control tends to strengthen it.
Motivation and Monitoring
A lack of willpower is not the only factor that affects goal attainment.
- There needs to be a clear goal and the motivation to change. Having an unclear or overly general goal and insufficient motivation can lead to failure.
- You need to monitor your actions daily towards the achievement of the goal.
- You need to have willpower.
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Key Ideas
Self-control
It’s your ability to resolve conflicts between your short-term desires and your long-term goals.
For example, successful self-control means sacrificing immediate pleasure (cookies a...
Why self-control matters
People who have high self-control aren’t missing out on enjoyment. Not being able to resist temptation and enjoying life are not the same things.
They tend to eat in a healthily way, exercise more, sleep better, drink less alcohol, smoke fewer cigarettes, achieve higher grades at university, have more peaceful relationships, and are more financially secure.
Biological limits to self-control
Research showed that self-control is ultimately limited by our biology. We can’t exercise effortful self-control indefinitely – the brain has to do regular maintenance to remain functional.
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Key Ideas
Self-control
We all possess the ability to develop self-control.
Instead of immediately responding to impulses, we can plan and evaluate our actions beforehand.
Master Self-control
- Eat. Our brains need fuel to run properly, and when that fuel runs low, the brain has difficulty regulating our emotions. Eat high protein foods.
- Meditate. Devote a few minutes a day to simply focusing on your breath and your senses. You will be calmer and your decision making will be sounder.
- Sleep. Your brain’s ability to absorb glucose is significantly diminished without rest. Stay consistent with your sleep every night.
- Exercise.
- Force Yourself until a new habit is formed.
- Get Others Involved. Find a support system.
- Do Your Research. Whatever your struggle, make it your priority to be the master of it.