Always!
But here’s the funny thing about willpower.
Most of the things that work for improving your “willpower” have nothing to do with “willpower” the way you might expect.
You see, willpower isn’t like the other “muscles”. The best way to improve it is actually to use it less.
The more you have to rely on willpower, the harder it will be to actually have it when you need it.
Your
willpower isn’t like a muscle at all. It’s more like a bank account.
The more you withdrawal from it, the less you’ll have when you actually
need it.
If you spend your entire morning
making hard decisions and grinding through hours of work, you’ll have
less willpower to use later in the day.
So the best way to improve your willpower is to make sure that you rarely have to use it.
Here are a few things I’ve been trying that have worked exceptionally well.
1. Reduce Decision Fatigue with Systems and Planning
I eat, more or less, the same things every day.
I wear the same clothes.
I plan my days the night before and I know exactly what I need to get done and by when each day.
I have systems in place that make the execution of my goals pretty easy.
This is the first and best way to improve your willpower.
Instead
of spending your finite willpower resources early in the morning
thinking about what you need to do, what you should wear, or what to
have for breakfast, have plans and systems in place that make it
automatic.
- Plan your day every night and know what you’ll be doing each hour (even if it’s watching a new show on Netflix… write it out, specify when you’ll do it, and what show you’ll watch).
- Pick out the outfit you’ll wear the night before
- If you’re going to the gym, have your workout planned, your pre and post workout meals prepared, and your gym clothes set out
- Skip breakfast entirely or opt for the exact same meal every morning
Do little things that will help you eliminate decision fatigue and get straight into action.
2. Physically Build Willpower By Protecting Your Brain
Studies have found that your willpower is actually dependent on your physical state.
This
means if you are hungry, tired, or pissed off, you’ll be less likely to
ignore impulses and more likely to give into temptations.
To improve your willpower on a physical neuro-chemical level, you must…
- Sleep at least 8 hours a night (10 is not too much if you are an athlete)
- Eat a diet that is high in fatty acids and predominantly whole foods (sugar increases brain inflammation and reduces willpower)
- Supplement intelligently (caffeine, l-theanine, creatine - it’s good for your brain and your muscles- magnesium, zinc, and a greens mix are all you really need)
- Take regular breaks throughout the day to recharge your batteries and give your brain a break.
- Drink plenty of water… 1+ gallon should be good for most people.
Most
people don’t realize that willpower isn’t just mental, it’s physical
(and according to what we know, these are one in the same).
3. Create Physical Reminders of Important Tasks
Something
that can help you add deposits into your willpower account is to create
physical reminders or anchors to help you follow through on your goals.
For
example, Jerry Seinfeld, arguably one of the greatest comedians of all
time (certainly the richest), would put a huge calendar in his office
and, everyday, he would write a new joke.
When he’d written the joke, he would put a big red “X” through that date making a chain of x’s after the days and weeks passed.
After explaining his success to another comedian he said, “If you want to be successful, just don’t break the chain.”
Whether
you use a calendar, post it notes, or some other sort of physical
reminder you need to set up your environment so that you’re constantly
reminded of the goals you’ve set and the ambitions you’re chasing.
4. Use the “Just One” Mental Trick in Your Favor
You know how you’ll trick yourself into eating an entire carton of ice cream by saying, “I’ll just have one bite”.
Well, you can flip that mental game on its head and use it in your favor.
Anytime
you feel like quitting and giving up on an important task, say to
yourself, “You can quit, but before you do, just do one more”.
Write
one more sentence in that article. Make one more sales call. Do one
more set. Make one more design tweak. Publish one more social promotion.
Just
take the tiniest next step you can take towards completing your goal
and you’ll find that, more often than not, you won’t stop with one.
5. Reserve Your Hardest Tasks for your “Magic Time”
We all have a time of day where we work at our best and seem to be able to automatically get into flow no matter what.
Figure out what that time is for you and then protect it with your life.
Use that time only for your most high value tasks.
Refuse to allow busywork or other people’s priorities to steal away your magic time.
Your magic time is for YOUR most important task.
No one else’s.
Do this, and you’ll be well on your way to willpower “budget” mastery.
Hope this helps.