Willpower and Hope

What is willpower and how can it affect your daily choices? Changing parts of your routine will eliminate choices and help set you up for success.

What is "willpower" to you? What emotions, thoughts, or experiences come to you when you hear that word? Write those down or think about them for a moment; then continue reading.

TO CHOOSE OR NOT TO CHOOSE, THAT IS THE PROBLEM!

How many food-related decisions do you make in a day? One such study found, on average, that people are making over 220 food-related decisions daily. “Food choice decisions often focus on what is eaten, while food consumption decisions…focused specifically on volume decisions.” So, you’re not only making decisions on what you eat but also the amount. Now factor in environmental influences like celebrations, office candy jars, social events, and you are making some food-related decisions subconsciously with very little control or monitoring involved.

Willpower is the control exerted to do something or restrain impulses. In 1996, a study was performed using chocolate and radishes to help determine if willpower was something you could measure (PDF). Simply put, the study required 3 test groups to either partake of chocolate cookies, or radishes, or nothing (determined by the instruction of the experimenter) and then after the initial food experiment, they were given an impossible math problem (unbeknownst to the participants) and time was recorded to see how long they worked on the problem before giving up. They were also tempted with sweets in various ways via aroma, and visual stimulation to further tax the senses of the participants. The results showed that those who not only resisted temptation but also made more choices gave up quicker. Those that didn’t feel stressed and made less decisions were able to work on the impossible math problem longer before giving in.

The conclusion was that willpower is like a battery and has limited range. So, the more choices you have to make, either in the form of resistance or submission, drains the ability for positive self-regulation. Hence, why you are better at resisting temptation early in the day and the week.

To improve willpower, routines and habits need to be created for the elimination of choices. Gretchen Rubin, author and blogger, notes “we can use decision-making to choose the habits we want to form, use willpower to get the habit started, then – and this is the best part – we can allow the extraordinary power of habit to take over. At that point, we’re free from the need to decide and the need to use willpower. We take our hands off the wheel of decision, and our foot off the gas of willpower, and rely on the cruise-control of habits. Mindfully, then mindlessly.” Something as simple as laying your clothes out the night before or meal prepping your snacks could help increase your daily willpower. Take time to modify your routine(s) using the questions below to help reduce unnecessary choices and boost willpower.

“Relying on willpower alone will probably backfire on you,

but if you turn what once required willpower into a habit,

that's where the magic happens."

– Leigh Weingus

WILLPOWER SELF-CHECK

1. What parts of your day do you feel alert, ready, and aware? How do you feel about your decisions

during this time?

2. What parts of your day do you feel worn out? How are your decisions during this time?

3. When are you strongest in your decision making?

4. Looking back at your week, when can you say you were the most stressed? How did that impact your

decision making?

Your turn to make changes....

*What routines do you have currently?

*What can you add/remove to the routine in order to help your future self be successful?

*What does your new routine look like?

You have all the answers you need to get started on a more efficient routine and let go of willpower.

Chat later my friends!