Willpower. Such an important quality to have—it is what’s getting me through writing this blog post (I mean, I love the Chronicle, but…), it is what’s going to get us all through finals week and often, it is what gets us through life.
But, saying no to Facebook right now, saying no to going out during reading period or
saying no to spending money on fun vacations in the future when you’re trying to pay back loans—it takes a lot of willpower, and it’s tiring.
Research psychology Roy F. Baumeister and New York Times science columnist John Tierney recently published their book Willpower, and here are the basic takeaways:
1. We all suffer from a lack of self-control. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
2. Our willpower comes from a single source that we use for all things, not just those related to one another. In other words, saying no to late night eating will make it all that harder to get started on work (i.e. I am stuffing my face with chocolate right now so I can resist doing other things aside from writing this. Is it working? Questionable.)
3. Stick with one New Year’s Resolution. Spreading yourself out too thin only takes away from the willpower you can dedicate to each one.
4. We fuel our willpower at the most basic level with glucose, hence the cravings for chocolate and that awesome pumpkin bread from the Perk.
5. Forget diets. When our world suffers from things like the “Oprah Paradox,” as the authors term it, where a strong-willed person such as Oprah can’t even stick to a diet, what hope do us little people have? Dieting requires willpower, willpower requires eating. Make gradual changes in your habits so that they eventually become second nature, requiring no willpower.
As my people say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Fighting unproductive urges is hard, but next time you’re struggling to write a paper, here’s a first step you can take:
Get a picture of a cute puppy or kitty (take your pick) with each 100 words you write! Genius.
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