The Science of Willpower

I have in recent weeks listened several times, to the following podcast:



It was a most interesting debate about willpower, habits, behavior change, self control, achieving set goals and more. In addition to listening above, you can download the audio (MP3, 24MB) here.

Following are some of the highlights in The Science of Willpower podcast:

12 Ways to Improve Your Willpower and Achieve Your Goals

• Reflect on What's Important to You
• Focus on One Resolution at a Time
• Start Your Day Thinking About Your Big Picture Goals
• Move From Habit to Conscious Action
• Embrace Rewards, Eschew Punishment
• Practice Your Willpower Muscle
• Stop the Negative Self Talk
• Lose the Time Expectations
• Try Meditating
• Take Your Whole Self, Cravings and All, Along for the Ride
• Delay Gratification, If Only for 15 Minutes
• Believe That Change is Possible

Read the above highlights in detail and check out comments on the program's web page on the KQED site.

As January 2014 comes to a close in just over a week's time, I hope the above will help in enhancing your self control, dispensing with entrenched habits and ultimately, achieving your goals.

Determination = Strong WILL + Stronger WON'T

On Tuesday this week, SavvyKenya [one of my favorite bloggers], shared some 17 Tips to boost one's productivity. Reading through the tips, I found the following tip quite interesting:

15. Keep a “Stop Doing List”.

Most of these lists usually contain things that one has to start doing, so I take notice the few times I come across something that one has to stop doing.
The aforementioned tip reminds me of Jim Collins's article about Resolutions. In this article, Jim Collins asserts that we no longer live disciplined lives, ours have instead become busy lives.
In such a situation, there is no time to pause and ask if whatever we are doing is indeed the right thing.

He therefore proposes that one come up with a stop doing list and make this the cornerstone of his/her New Year resolutions, be it for company, family or self.

For one to be able to stop doing something however, self control and restraint are paramount.
It all boils down to delaying gratification, with a view of doing the right thing, and thereby cultivating one's moral intelligence. We highlighted the same in an earlier post.



This is what Joachim de Posada was talking about in his famous 'Don't Eat the Marshmallow Yet' TED Talk above.

All in all, determination to me is more of a stronger WON'T than a strong WILL. It is harder to stop doing something one is already accustomed to than to embark on new things.
As I get ready to do a searching and fearless inventory of my life as I do every end month, I'll be keen to set aside those things I need to stop doing. I already have a list as we speak, only that a discussion of my personal life is beyond the scope of this blog and I cannot therefore share my list ;)
What about you? Anything you need to stop doing from now on?