Willpower can be a tricky thing, and it’s often used as the scapegoat for our poor decision-making. Think of how many times you’ve heard someone say “I just have NO willpower”, is it ever not in regards to them making a decision that they know is not serving their goals? Most human beings struggle with willpower in at least one aspect of their lives, and some struggle with willpower in seemingly every area. But willpower is generally misunderstood, it’s not a thing you have or lose, but a muscle you can strengthen with daily decisions and fatigued if not checked. In this blog, we’ll define willpower decision-making and explore how it can be strengthened.
What is Willpower?
Willpower is your ability to make decisions that are in line with your long-term goals. It’s part of three necessary areas you need to make a change and reach your intended goal. To achieve your goal you first need to consider what motivates you and why you want to make this change. Then you need to alter your behavior to meet that goal while monitoring your successes and failures. The last piece of the puzzle is willpower. Willpower is the commitment to following through on this attempt. It refers to your ability to resists short-term urges or desires to reach your long-term goals. Self-discipline and self-control are in essence other words for willpower. Many believe that a lack of willpower is the tallest barrier to change, but when you think of it as self-discipline it becomes a trait that can be worked on and enhanced. Many believe that the amount of extra time one has would enhance their willpower, but this isn’t the case, you can practice overriding impulses and work towards having stronger willpower every day, regardless of circumstance.
How To Enhance Your Willpower In Five Steps
- Plan Your Day
Before your go to bed at night, plan the day that follows. These choices are often the ones that give us decision fatigue which is when our decisions deteriorate after a period where we’re forced to make a lot of them.
Example: Plan your outfit for work, pack your gym bag and make the decision to go to the dry cleaners the next morning.
- Your Most Important Decision Should Be Done 1st
The decision surrounding your most important goal should be done first thing in the morning when you have the most energy and focus. Starting your day by going after the goal that’s most important to your life sets you up to feel successful and full of willpower.
Example: If you’re trying to lose weight, packing your lunch should be the first thing on your list, this gives you the best chance of making the right decision on what to eat.
- Decide What You are Going To Do, Then Commit To It
Through scheduling, we can commit to the tasks that most feed our goals. It’s not enough to decide X Y or Z, we have to implement scheduled activities that lead us to it.
Example: You decide you want to start working out, make the commitment of joining a gym, or scheduling a session with a trainer, or signing up for a workout class. There’s a reason that so many people spend what they do on scheduled gym classes because it’s a financial commitment that will tie them to the action.
- Eat or Drink Something When A Decisions Comes Up Later In The Day
With life, even when we try to plan ahead, decisions come up throughout the day. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or fatigued, it’s probably because you need to eat. Human beings are quite simple when it comes down to it, they need food, rest, water, and sunlight. If you’re feeling bad and like you want to forgo your plans and make a bad decision, it’s probably because you’re lacking in one of the aforementioned areas.
Example: It’s the end of the day, you planned to go home and start working on your passion project and a coworker invites you out for a happy hour. Eat a banana and drink a glass of water before you say yes, you may realize that your goals are more important than margaritas.
- Eliminate Excess Stressor Wherever Possible
Willpower must work on a daily, hourly basis, and this can be draining. Many complain that the constant state of rejecting impulses gets old fast. A way to combat this is by eliminating the things that no longer serve your goals.
Example: You have a friend that pressures you to make bad decisions, perhaps that friend is no longer helping you to live your best and happiest life.