Willpower Workouts

I'm currently reading The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal. It's a practical psychology book that talks about the science of self control. Why do we have it? Why is it more important today than ever before? How does it work? Most importantly, it offers practical advice based on the research that helps you gain more self control to improve your life.

One exercise that Kelly suggests is a willpower workout. Studies show that willpower is like a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets. In this model of self control, you can create a workout routine that increases your willpower.

There are three components to will power. Since we're using the muscle analogy here, you can think them as three muscle groups.

"I Want" power

This is the power of knowing what you want. Not what you want right this moment (which may be chocolate or ice cream) but what you want in the future. It's the power of goal setting and remembering what your goals are. When you make a new years resolution, you're exercising this power.

"I Will" & "I Won't" power

Knowing what you want in the future is what forces you to use your "I will" or "I won't" power to navigate moment to moment. The "I Will" power allows you to do the more difficult task when you really feel like doing the easier one because it will bring you closer to your goal. The "I Wont" power allows you to avoid doing something you really feel like doing that takes you away from your goal. On a daily basis, we're either using one or both to get closer to our goals.

You can say that the sum of these powers is the total amount of willpower you have. Just like a physical exercise program, a willpower exercise program should be well rounded. It's easy to give in to your temptations if your goals are unsexy. Or maybe you have a very clear and compelling vision of what you want to achieve but you have trouble sticking to your plan.

What exercises can we do to get more willpower?

To strengthen your "I will" power, Kelly says you should commit yourself to doing something everyday. It could be anything that you're not already doing every day. This will allow you to practice and strengthen your "I will" power every day and make you more familiar with how this particular muscle works.

To strengthen your "I won't" power, just do the opposite! Commit to not doing something everyday that you're currently doing. For me, that's not eating snacks at work during the late afternoon.

To strengthen your "I wan't" power, learn the art of create motivating goals. How do you make a mundane goal sexy or a sexy goal even sexier? This is an important skill because the more compelling your reasons for a goal and the better you understand those reasons the less you have to exert your "I will" and "I won't" powers to stay on course. Often times we feel like we really want something but the reasons are not always crystal clear. You can try to clarify it by doing these exercises

1. Think about all the ways you benefit form succeeding at this challenge or meeting this goal.
2. Think about who else would benefit from your success. Does anyone depend on your success? Who else will be influenced by this goal? How will this help them?
3. Imagine that this challenge will get easier for you over time if you are willing to do what is difficult now. How will your life change as you progress? How does that make you feel about the discomfort you might face in your journey?