Self-control is a vital strength and key aspect of success.
Ego-depletion affects how much we can control our willpower.
You have a finite amount of willpower that becomes depleted as you use it.
You use the same stock of willpower for all manner of tasks.
Focus on one task at a time.
Lack of glucose can affect your willpower.
Solutions:
- Eat foods that have a low-glycemic index (no enriched flour, sugar, etc) for longer boosts in willpower, for short-term boosts use sugar.
- Sleep /Rest
How to get to “zero” – use an effective To-Do List like the ones in GTD
Willpower can be fatigued and depleted by making many decisions without rebooting – avoid big decisions or spur of the moment decisions after certain actions.
Steps to self-control:
- Set a goal
- Monitor your behavior
Willpower can be strengthened through continued improvement over time.
To conquer self-control, pre-commit yourself to virtue that will make you stick to your plan and expose your sins. (www.stickk.com) ie. Lord Stanley, the famous British Captain, shaved every day while in the African wilderness to stay on task.
A page-a-day writer over the long-term is better than a short-burst binge writing.
Peer groups like Religion and AA help to strengthen self-control through continuous monitoring and peer pressure. Find values to stick to and see them through, ie Benjamin Franklin.
Self-esteem leads to 1. Initiative and 2. Good feelings about oneself. Asians exhibit a stronger degree of discipline and self-control and as a result, they occupy the notion that they are smarter, even though they typically are average in IQ. They just work more diligently and that’s the reason they make up a disproportionate amount of Ivy League schools.
More important than the severity, punishment needs to be quick and consistent.
The key to success in diets is not going on them, rather postponing your indulgences tends to work best over not indulging altogether.
- Know your limits
- Watch for symptoms
- Pick your battles
- Beware the planning fallacy
- Don’t forget the basics
- Positive procrastination
- The nothing alternative
- Monitor yourself
- Reward often
