Exerting self-control depletes mental energy used for subsequent self-control exertions.
When the tank runs dry, you become much more prone to making decisions that distance you from your goals. But once you understand how willpower works, you can become the master of it and learn how to minimise its destructive potential and then strengthen, conserve, and harness the energy for your own purposes.
Recent studies show that daily activities such as exercising and keeping track of your finances or what you are eating – or even just remembering to sit up straight every time you think of it – can strengthen your capacity for self-control.
Recognise your limits
If you are serious about resisting temptation, make peace with the fact that your willpower is limited. If you’ve spent all your self-control handling stresses at work, you will not have much left at the end of the day for sticking to your resolutions.
One thing at a time
Don’t try to pursue two goals at once that each require a lot of self-control. Studies show that people who try to quit smoking while dieting are more likely to fail at both than people who tackle them one at a time.
Practice makes perfect
Recent studies show that daily activities such as exercising and keeping track of your finances or what you are eating – or even just remembering to sit up straight every time you think of it – can strengthen your capacity for self-control.
It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier over time if you hang in there, because your capacity for self-control will grow.
