96 - Boredom and Willpower with Drs. Wanja Wolff and James Danckert

What this episode covers

Endurance Innovation is now on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/enduranceinnovation]! Have a peek at our page and show us some love. * 1:45 meet Dr. Wanja Wolff * 2:15 meet Prof. James Danckert * 5:00 the clinical definition of self control - aka willpower  * 7:00 the clinical definition of boredom  * 9:00 how prior self control exertion affects a subsequent endurance task. * 12:30 how boredom may be a confound in above experiments * 14:30 the very real struggle of boring easy workouts * 18:00 boredom can occur in both under and over-aroused situations * 22:00 the flow state: the opposite of boredom * 25:00 the role of time in boredom  * 26:30 boredom and mind wonder * 27:45 boredom is relative in short vs long intervals  * 31:15 the importance of meaning / your personal 'why' * The advantage of even virtual competition * 36:30 possible interventions to address boredom in training * Find your own meaning and create your own agency * Try social and/or competitive forms of the sport even if they are virtual * First step is recognition that you ARE bored * Don't ignore it, rather try to understand why you are bored. * Deliberate mind wandering practice * Music, audiobooks, and podcasts