Strengthen Your Willpower

You have a set amount so let's make it last longer.

Willpower is like the energy bar in a video game. Once the bar is empty you are done. So you need to make sure you use your willpower on important things and don’t get caught up in trivial thoughts or actions - Ben Greene

A few of us in the family have started a 30-day challenge to curb some not-so-great behavior. For me, I have a terrible habit of snacking until I hit the pillow. Funny enough, eating and drinking late disrupts my sleep terribly so it’s a 30-year cycle that I’m eager to break away from. It’s a classic push/pull of willpower.

Willpower is our ability to control actions and the decisions we make. We all have willpower but it rises and falls throughout the day. For me, I’m strongest mentally at the start of each day which is when my willpower and decision-making are strongest.

One of the reasons why my willpower is strongest in the morning is because of the habits I’ve built up. These habits are like putting things on autopilot - allowing you to set the proper tone, cross off important things, and not rely on motivation and willpower to make them happen.

But what about late at night when all I want is that piece of chocolate or bowl of cereal? Why is it so much harder at night than during the day? I have a few theories and fixes.

We need to feed our brain

When you skip meals it's just bad for the brain and even harder to improve your willpower. The brain is a muscle - a decision-making muscle that provides us with the necessary willpower to make correct decisions. When you don’t feed it properly - it loses power and bad willpower decisions gain power. So feed it well during the day and reduce the need for willpower at night.

We need to avoid temptation

If you have lots of self-control you don’t need to exercise your willpower as often. How do you jeopardize that self-control? by putting temptation front and center and requiring willpower to fight it off. Remember, willpower is like a single bar during the day - you want to conserve it for when you need it. So if I don’t want to eat chocolate at night, the best solution would be to not have it in the house in the first place, right?

We need to take breaks

It is impossible to exercise perfect self-control all the time. At some point, we simply run out of willpower and end up making poor decisions. But we can lengthen this willpower with appropriate breaks. Take a nap, eat something healthy when hungry, have a catch with the dog, even zone out in front of the TV for a minute. All of these things will allow you to rest, keep fresh and have that willpower stronger later in the day when you need it most.

Choose A Reward

Here’s another one that can work. If I want chocolate, I can create a reward in advance. Our brain is hardwired to pursue positive rewards and this can help increase willpower. In my case, I will reward myself with a hunk of chocolate at the end of the week. Well, maybe not the whole thing.

You get the idea. Strengthen your willpower like a muscle. Your rewards won’t just come later in the day but throughout your life.

Every Friday, I share lessons to my kids that can apply to everyone else.

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