How to Boost Will Power: Crush It Mondays

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about will power.

What is willpower?  It's another word for self-control.  How many times have you blamed lack of willpower for failing to change a habit?  Don't worry, it's natural and all of us do it.  There's a reason why x% of New Year's Resolutions fail and why it's so hard to make habits stick.  We say "I won't do this thing anymore" or "I will do this other thing every day." We stick to it for a while, and then the wheels fall off.  It's not that our intention isn't there- we truly want to do those things.  So why can't we stick to it?

It turns out relying on willpower alone does not work.  The topic of willpower has been a focus of numerous scientific studies over the last several years.  Are there areas of the brain responsible for willpower?  Why do some people seem to have more willpower than others?  How do we have more self-control?

There are a few different schools of research that I wanted to share with you.  Addiction has been a driver of some of these studies to help people make lasting change.  There are a few books I want to recommend if you're interested in the science behind the topic of will power.  Pick up The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal PhD and also The Craving Mind by Jud Brewer.

Based on the findings from these books and other studies I read, what can you do to set yourself up for success?  According to a 2012 study by the American Psychological Association, the main habits people are always trying to improve upon are eating healthier, exercising regularly, lose weight, reduce stress, and get more sleep.

Interestingly enough, a few of those goals will intrinsically increase your willpower.

1. Stress and sleep deprivation decrease willpower. It's kind of a chicken or egg scenario since people would argue it takes willpower to go to bed earlier or to take action to reduce stress.  But if you can understand that reducing stress and sleeping more will give you more self-control, it might help you make it a priority.  Why do stress and sleep deprivation reduce willpower? Well, it turns out that will power mostly lives in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.  It controls some of our emotions, what we pay attention to, and the subject of our thoughts. The prefrontal cortex is broken up into three sections according to Dr McGonigal's book.  There's a section for "I won't", a section for "I will" and a section for "I want."  I won't eat the dessert.  I will get up early to do my workout.  I want keeps track of your goals. The prefrontal cortex is the first region of the brain that goes offline when we're stressed.  Guess what happens? You lose your willpower.  Sleep deprivation is another problem.  It reduces brain activity because it's actually harder for your brain to absorb glucose when it's sleep-deprived.  Yes, you actually are in a fog!  Aim to reduce stress and get more sleep and you might find that you have more willpower.
2. Suppressing thoughts weakens willpower.  So does guilt. You've heard of the experiment- don't think of a pink elephant... and then that's all you can think about.  Well, think about when you want that cookie. You tell yourself, "don't think of the cookie!" The more we resist temptation, the more it persists...and then your willpower goes out the window.  Basically, try not to suppress your thoughts and keep listening for what to do instead.  Guilt-tripping yourself has also been found to make your willpower issues worse.  It might sound counterintuitive to let you

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.