Are You Trying to Use Willpower to Fix Your Life? Not Working? Try This Instead.
You walked past the open cookies 3 times, on the third time you couldn’t help it, you ate the lot.
That work out you said you’d do, you just couldn’t muster up the energy.
The walk you promised yourself today, on top of everything else, it was too much.
You said you were going to eat a healthy nourishing meal, but you don’t have anything in so you ate crisps.
That big argument with your partner turned into mindlessly eating cereal out the box.
It’s important to avoid relying on willpower because of decision fatigue.
DECISION FATIGUE is a psychological concept that says the quality of our decision making abilities starts to diminish throughout the day. Quite simply reducing the number of decisions you have to make in a day frees up your mental energy for more important decision making, like walking past the cookies, prepping meals in advance, having energy left over for a work out.
Set Up Systems Build routines and good habits instead of relying on will power. Understand willpower is not infinite. It can be small things like knowing what you will wear the next day so you don’t have to waste precious will power on that unnecessary thing. Get your workout gear ready, set up your station for your morning routine, grind your coffee, fill the kettle, plan your breakfast.
Plan ahead for that stressful moment because it is coming, and in that moment you’ll need all of your willpower to not eat away your emotions, and instead stay true to your highest vision. Save will power for that moment.
