Willpower is Limited
Notes
If you are fighting yourself, there is only one possible outcome - you will lose. Sure, there are situations in which we can just "power through", and force our way into acting the way we want to, but science has proven time and again that there is a limit to that. Willpower has a limited storage, so we should use it with care. Additionally, once we run out of willpower, all hell breaks loose, and we can't be sure which Temptations we might fall into Emotional hijacking.
Therefore, we should use our willpower sparingly, in critical situations or decisions that will have a Ripple effect, meaning a positive lasting effect on our life and not just arbitrary decisions. Also, Timing is key. We need to make those key decisions when we are in our prime, when our energy and willpower is high, so that we could avoid temptations in the most critical moments.
So what could be a better solution than relying on willpower?
- Shape your environment - create an Environment which produces the optimal outcome naturally, meaning that we have to make fewer decisions
- Habituations - Once we turn good actions into habits, they will no longer require willpower to activate
- Remove the choice - using Commitment Devices or having Rigid rules makes it easier to "follow through" because we don't even have the option of choosing otherwise, it has been "chosen" for us (by us) Decision points
- Make it fun - Use Temptation Bundling in your favor. if you can't learn to love the right thing, attach it to something that you do like. We have to learn to love doing the right things.
Visual
Overview
🔼Topic:: Will Power (MOC) ◀Origin:: 🔗Link::