Life is short, so we try to make it as productive and interesting as possible. However, the path to achieving goals is littered with many temptations and obstacles. We overcome some of them without much difficulty, but sometimes we simply lack willpower. For example: some of us find it hard to give up bad habits or products, despite their harm; force yourself to work overtime to achieve success; visit the gym without passes; refuse people who try to use us. If such examples – part of your daily life, it's time to start thinking seriously about developing willpower.
Development of willpower – 5 steps to get what you want
Psychologist Roy F. Baumeister believes that willpower is like a muscle. Willpower can also be "built up" through constant training. However, do not forget that willpower also has a certain limit. Therefore, the development of willpower and understanding of its real capabilities – the key to getting what you want. What helps in the development of willpower?
- Morning – time to solve the most difficult problems
Productivity researchers believe that the most effective way to get rid of unpleasant and difficult tasks is to tackle them in the morning. All successful people know about the existence of a limit of energy spent on making decisions. Therefore, they manage to solve the most important issues soon after waking up, while the energy is not wasted on making less important decisions (what to wear, which route to get to work, what to take for lunch, etc.). That is why many successful people do not bother with the wardrobe, but simply buy a lot of the same items of clothing and, without fooling their heads in the morning, put them on. Minimize the number of decisions made – means to make room and energy for the most important of them.
- Glucose should be under control
It would seem, how can snacking help in the development of willpower? However, the brain needs sugar for energy, including decision making. Baumeister, along with other researchers at the University of Florida, found that the ability to self-control depends in part on blood glucose levels. So, in the case of a lack of glucose, people cope worse with tasks that require the use of willpower. The best choice for a snack – foods containing proteins and complex carbohydrates.
- Talk to yourself – not only normal, but also useful
Often, when trying to find a way out of a difficult situation, we consult with a person we can trust. Speaking to yourself in the second person (that is, referring to yourself as "you") will make it easier to perform important tasks. That is why encouraging yourself with the phrases “you can”, “you will succeed”, “I believe in you” useful for developing willpower.
- Calm, only calm
Unfortunately, few people calm down after the words “Calm down! Pull yourself together! However, if you want to "activate" willpower, you have to calm down. The fact is that during stress, our body goes into fight-or-flight mode. In this mode, we are biologically predisposed to more instinctive and less logical actions, and willpower and the ability to make decisions are suppressed. To regain these "superpowers", you need to protect yourself from stress. To achieve this effect, for example, meditation or deep breathing will help. Deep breathing has been proven to soothe both mind and body through biofeedback.
- Sleep is indispensable
Numerous studies show that when we don't get enough sleep, the prefrontal cortex loses control over the parts of the brain that push us to impulsive actions and trigger the stress response. That is why it is important for the development of willpower to get enough sleep, because lack of sleep leads to:
- uncontrolled overeating;
- irritability;
- inability to concentrate;
- difficulty making decisions;
- inattention;
- and many other malfunctions in the brain and body as a whole.
As you can see, the development of willpower – it's pretty simple. You just need to tune in the right way, cheer yourself up, learn to relax, free your mind from the flow of thoughts, protect yourself from stress, give yourself sleep and nourish your brain with useful products.
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