Willpower - Going On Offence Flashcards
What is the First Principle for going on the offensive?
Lesson One: Know Your Limits.
No matter what you want to achieve, playing offence begins by recognizing two basic lessons:
(a) supply of willpower is limited, and
(b) you use the same resource for many different things.
How is willpower depleted?
- Making yourself do things/ resisting temptation
- By making decisions.
“Choosing what to have for dinner, where to go on vacation, whom to hire, how much to spend—these all take willpower. Even hypothetical decisions deplete energy. After making some tough decisions, remember that your self-control is going to be weakened.”
What are the signs of willpower depletion?
You need to watch yourself for subtle, easily misinterpreted signs.
- Do things seem to bother you more than they should?
- Has the volume somehow been turned up on your life so that things are felt more strongly than usual? Is it suddenly hard to make up your mind about even simple things?-
- Are you more than usually reluctant to make a decision or exert yourself mentally or physically?
If you notice such feelings, then reflect on the last few hours and see if it seems likely that you have depleted your willpower. If so, try to conserve what’s left while anticipating the effects on your behavior.
What happens when your willpower is depleted?
While you’re depleted, frustrations will bother you more than usual.
You’ll be more prone to say something you’ll regret. Impulses to eat, drink, spend, or do other things will be harder than usual to resist.
As we said earlier, the best way to reduce stress in your life is to stop screwing up, but when you’re depleted you’re liable to make mistakes that will leave you with more bills to pay, more relationship damage to repair, more pounds to lose.
What should you beware of when your willpower is depleted/ energy down?
Beware of making binding decisions when your energy is down, because you’ll tend to favor options with short-term gains and delayed costs.
How can you compensate for depleted willpower/ energy when making decisions?
- Try to compensate by assigning extra weight to the long-range consequences of the decision.
- To avoid succumbing to irrational biases and lazy shortcuts, articulate your reasons for your decision and consider whether they make sense.
