How to Lose All Your Willpower and Still Be Productive

The moment I sat down at my favorite restaurant, the waiter placed a big basked of bread in front of me. I had been trying to eliminate processed carbohydrates from my diet because I feel like crap after I eat them…but they taste oh-so-good. It took every ounce of my willpower to avoid eating them for even a minute. But with that warm bread directly in front of my vision and within inches of my reach, my willpower failed me.

Willpower is the weakest link in my system. When put to the test, time after time, it lets me down.

Most people try to strengthen their willpower through various practices and mindsets. Yet, even the strongest willpower is permeable to our deepest desires for pleasure.

Sure, some people have impeccable willpower and can depend on it to maintain productivity. A Navy Seal could probably stare at a donut all day long without taking a bite. But most of us aren’t Navy Seals. Expecting to have the willpower of a Navy Seal, and not planning for mishaps, is not a sustainable system.

We’d all like to think everything in our lives can be perfect 100% of the time, but it’s just not the case. A football coach wouldn’t train his punter to become his starting Quarterback, as he would only be setting his team up to fail.