Weekly Wednesday #5: What Is Willpower, and How Do We Get More of It?

Happy Wednesday,

Today, let's talk about something many of us seem to struggle with daily: willpower.

What exactly is willpower? Although it's challenging to define precisely, we generally recognize it as our ability to overcome temptations and manage our actions for better long-term outcomes.

Want to lose weight? Then don't eat the cookie.

Want to save money? Then stop buying useless shit you don't need.

Want to keep your job? Don't tell your boss he's a fucking dumbass.

When we think of willpower, it's usually a matter of what we DON'T want to do, which can be tricky because, well, we all like to do shit we know we shouldn't.

I like cookies. I like buying crap online. I like telling people off (although I am yet to call my boss a dumbass - it could happen one day).

Because of this, most of us consider increasing willpower to be becoming better at resisting temptation. You don't have to eat the cookie; leave it be. Do that enough times, and you'll lose weight.

Yeah, wish it was that easy.

Here's the thing: If we want to increase our willpower, training ourselves not to eat the cookie doesn't really work.

Not eating the cookie eats away at us. We think about it; we imagine eating it and having that tasty crunch in our mouths.

Basically, we become flooded with dopamine, making it nearly impossible to resist the cookie. I will tell you this right now: if I'm on a strict diet, and there's a cookie right in front of me all night, at some point, I'm eating the cookie.

So, if resisting isn't the answer, what is?

Change Your Environment

Instead of resisting temptation, it is way more effective to avoid it. The key is to be proactive and preventative, making sure we don't put ourselves in front of temptation in the first place.

Here are a few strategies to adjust your home to avoid temptation easier.

1. Shop mindfully: Accept that you will eat what you buy at the grocery store and prevent buying foods you don't want to be forced to resist.
2. Strategic placement: Store less healthy foods in less accessible places, like high shelves or at the back of the cupboard, and keep nutritious foods front and center. When I put my fruit in the drawer at the bottom of the fridge, it doesn't get eaten.
3. Portion Control: Instead of buying in bulk, purchase smaller quantities of tempting foods, so if you indulge, it's limited.
4. Healthy Alternatives: Stock up on satisfying, healthy alternatives you enjoy, making it easier to resist less healthy options.
5. Buy a timed lockbox: This might sound silly and extreme, but it is cheap and will stop you from resisting if you know you can't get to it.

So, if you want to increase your willpower, don't just sit there all day with a cookie in front of you and suffer; put the cookie in the cabinet behind a couple of healthier or lower-calorie options.

You instantly make resisting easier by making yourself work for it and making bad habits harder.

And if you want the cookie, eat the damn cookie.

You may want to think twice about calling your boss a dumbass, though.

Until next week,

Andrew