Another willpower booster
Yes. Exercise
Doesn’t exercise test our willpower the most ? Getting to do it, yes. Doing it no.
If you vault past the barriers of procrastination by creating exercise and rituals and by “just starting it”, you will be able to go past that particular willpower challenge.
Once you do, you will be in Willpower heaven.
As Kelly McGonigal Phd says in The Willpower effect, If you tell yourself that you are too tired or don’t have the time to exercise, start thinking of exercise as something that restores, not drains, your energy and willpower.”
So, its a literal willpower booster. Meditation, which we touched upon earlier is one of the best ways to build your willpower muscle. Add exercise to that regimen, and you are well on your way to The Willpower Olympia !
So, going by the recent posts on Willpower from Kelly McGonigal’s book, three strategies that one can put to work right now for willpower are :
- Meditate daily. Start with 5 minutes. gradually amp the time up as you create an “uncancellable” habit. Make the activity a literal no brainer. Maybe its 5 minutes right after lunch when everyone at work takes a break or a walk. Smart scheduling will help you make it actionable reality.
- Exercise regularly. If you can’t slot some dedicated gym time for yourself in the day, convert your regular activities into gym time. Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator. Ensure you climb them mindfully- try counting the steps so the brain treats it as exercise.
- Take “small willpower challenges”. Practice saying no to things which you don’t have too much of resistance towards. If the big resistance is towards the uncontrollable urge of constantly checking your Facebook feed, then start with a social media activity which doesn’t have as much of a hold-maybe twitter in your case. By working that muscle, you will find it easier to use it for the bigger challenges moving forward.
Where there is a will, there is power ! :)