I always see the best way to develop will power towards doing something is to try and take the smallest step possible in doing it. I've had tremendous success with it. Can't stay awake till 3 AM in the morning to code? Try doing it till 22:00, then try pushing until 22:15, then till 22:30. In short your objective should be not giving up for the next 15 minutes, and when that is over; the next 15, and when that is ove…
How to Build Willpower for the Weak
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Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#22I always see the best way to develop will power towards doing something is to try and take the smallest step possible in doing it. I've had tremendous success with it. Can't stay awake till 3 AM in the morning to code? Try doing it till 22:00, then try pushing until 22:15, then till 22:30. In short your objective should be not giving up for the next 15 minutes, and when that is over; the next 15, and when that is ove…
Yeah -- if willpower is a muscle, then you've got to keep running to exhaustion. People used to call that 'character building.'
Will power is basically getting yourself to do something which you can't because of reasons outside your interest, passion etc. Stuff like working under pressure, duress, extreme tiredness and in faces of adversity.
If you are lazy, dispassionate or just bored about something. Will power won't help your there.
Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#23I do the same. I don't eat chocolate or any other sugar sh*t when I have mangoes, apples, oranges or any other delicious fruit. In Spain we have a selection of fantastic food, like "jamon" or cheese or fish or nuts(don't eat Californias's ones, they don't taste at all, the best nuts are the ugliest and dirty in the outside ones) so I prepare mini dishes in the refrigerator so five times a day I open it and there is s…
Will power is what counts when your absolute physical limits are challenged.
Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#24That is true, but also you can't avoid this situations because if "willpower behave somehow like a muscle" you have to train it. It is hard to find a mix between training your willpower and not spending too much willpower on training and having nothing left.
I recommend everyone to read more about this topic, there are great books out there which explain how willpower works in your brain and body.
One little trick helps me a lot.. If you look at your stuffed garage say to yourself: what a beautiful pile of willpower training.
Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah -- if willpower is a muscle, then you've got to keep running to exhaustion. People used to call that 'character building.'
You've got to keep doing things until exhaustion(which it self is a moving target, and you won't reach exhaustion easily or quickly if you practice it enough number of times). Will power is basically getting yourself to do something which you can't because of reasons outside your interest, passion etc. Stuff like working under pressure, duress, extreme tiredness and in faces of adversity. If you are lazy, dispassiona…
Maybe I am being overly nit-picky here but I feel the last paragraph completely contradicts the rest of your comment.
At first you claim that will power can overcome a lack of passion but then you say that will power can't help you if you are dispassionate/bored.
Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#26Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#27"If we use up our willpower resisting one temptation we will have less in reserve to resist the next. That’s a big deal because you don’t want to use up all of your willpower resisting a cupcake.." That is true, but also you can't avoid this situations because if "willpower behave somehow like a muscle" you have to train it. It is hard to find a mix between training your willpower and not spending too much willpower…
There are plenty of people who are very healthy and fit, but can't push for a minute extra beyond their threshold of tolerance.
If you look at it that way, Will power almost has mystical effect surrounding your ability to do certain things when they seem impossible to people outside. Which is why not every one eating and living healthy is swimming the English channel, or writing the next operating system, or playing the football world cup finals, or some one in dire poverty rising their way by hard work.
These things can't be gained eating something or living a particular lifestyle.
Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
You've got to keep doing things until exhaustion(which it self is a moving target, and you won't reach exhaustion easily or quickly if you practice it enough number of times). Will power is basically getting yourself to do something which you can't because of reasons outside your interest, passion etc. Stuff like working under pressure, duress, extreme tiredness and in faces of adversity. If you are lazy, dispassiona…
> If you are lazy, dispassionate or just bored about something. Will power won't help your there. Maybe I am being overly nit-picky here but I feel the last paragraph completely contradicts the rest of your comment. At first you claim that will power can overcome a lack of passion but then you say that will power can't help you if you are dispassionate/bored.
There is a massive difference between 'Pain' and 'Disinterest'.
Lets say you are super passionate about making the next big programming language. The task is huge, its monstrous. But you go about it eventually, meanwhile you stretching beyond means. You stay up awake whole nights, you are working weekends, you've stopped seeing your friends. All that 18 hr/day work is causing you immense tiredness, there is reasonable amount of failure you are seeing every day. All that failure and way things are going is humbling you down. Now despite there is pain here, you are still carrying on. Because you go on and on, despite situation and find ways to just keep doing it; Until you eventually win. This is what is will power.
There is a second scenario. You come to office 9 AM every day sharp. There is build failure you need to look into, which is some trivial ftp call timing out. You have nothing serious or challenging. All your innovations and extra efforts are treated by your immediate superiors as threat-to-their-positions and crushed ASAP. In fact all you do is fix builds, fix trivial bugs and add an occasional feature. Your time goes in hearing dis interesting stories of what totally irrelevant issues your colleagues are upon during stand ups, your afternoons are full of filling up boring time sheets and agile management software. You are doing this only because you want a health insurance, some assurance no one will fire you ASAP and some comfort pillow. You are just seasoned to do this routine, because of some fear of failure.
While the first situation has tremendous pain associated with it, you are putting up effort in situations where others can't.
The second one is clearly the craving for safety, fear of failure and total non willingness to change unless forced to. This is some what opposite of Will power, because if you had it- you would be doing something else.
Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#29"If we use up our willpower resisting one temptation we will have less in reserve to resist the next. That’s a big deal because you don’t want to use up all of your willpower resisting a cupcake.." That is true, but also you can't avoid this situations because if "willpower behave somehow like a muscle" you have to train it. It is hard to find a mix between training your willpower and not spending too much willpower…
I think a wrong concept is being circulated around. Will power is not energy, and there isn't a 'bank' you are depleting. And there isn't a 'spending' will power. If you are hungry, just go eat something and get back to work. Working while running short on energy is one of the things where will power helps, and not the only thing. There are plenty of people who are very healthy and fit, but can't push for a minute ex…
That is what we call willpower. And almost everything you do needs willpower. Willpower doesn't only come in if you wan't to push further.
Re: How to Build Willpower for the Weak
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think a wrong concept is being circulated around. Will power is not energy, and there isn't a 'bank' you are depleting. And there isn't a 'spending' will power. If you are hungry, just go eat something and get back to work. Working while running short on energy is one of the things where will power helps, and not the only thing. There are plenty of people who are very healthy and fit, but can't push for a minute ex…
The prefrontal cortex regulates the three challenges "I will not", "I will" and "I want". These three challenges cost energy everytime we make it. That is what we call willpower. And almost everything you do needs willpower. Willpower doesn't only come in if you wan't to push further.
But that isn't all there is to, is it?