1. Track your volitional decisions
Start by tracking your behavior. Try celebrating the decisions of your willpower throughout the day. For example, do you go to the gym? Have you brought a sports uniform with you so that you do not have to return home after work, and only then go to the gym? Have you been distracted by a phone call at the risk of missing a workout?
Analyze the decisions you make throughout the day. Find out which actions were consistent with your goals and which were contrary to them.
2. Breathe yourself into self-control
Slow down your breathing to 4-6 breaths per minute. It's much slower than usual, but just practice a few times and you should succeed.
By slowing down your breathing, you activate your prefrontal cortex, which will help shift your brain and body from stress to self-control.
Within a few minutes you will calm down, master yourself and be able to make informed decisions.
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3. Five-Minute Ecological Willpower Refueling
If you want to quickly refuel with willpower, then go outside. Go to the nearest park or go for a walk with your dog. Call a friend and invite them for a walk or go for a run.
If you have a desire and a free minute, you can connect physical exercises to your walk. You don't have to exhaust yourself, a short jog or brisk walk will be enough.
4. Forgive yourself when you're wrong
Everyone makes mistakes and blunders. And often our perception of failure is more important than the mistake itself. Therefore, you should not be angry and blame yourself if something did not work out for you. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What do you feel? What emotions are you experiencing? How difficult is it for you now?
- Have the people you look up to have experienced something similar? If this has happened to someone before, it will help soften the voice of self-criticism.
- What would you say to a friend? If your buddy had a similar situation, how would you cheer him up? Help yourself get back on track.
5. Get enough sleep
Numerous studies show that sleep deprivation can be restored. Of course, this is not the best practice and it will be more useful to distribute sleep evenly, but in some cases an exception can be made.
Also, never forget about naps. Literally 20-40 minutes of sleep after lunch will bring you back to life and restore your strength and will.
6. Look to the future
Make sure that every decision and action you take is aligned with your life purpose.
In other words, instead of asking yourself, "Should I have a cheeseburger and fries snack tonight?" - ask yourself: "Do I want to face the consequences of eating fast food every day?" Do not think only about today and momentary pleasure!
7. Take a break for 10 minutes
10 minutes. It is this period that can change our views on pleasure. When the brain compares a delicious dessert, which has to wait 10 minutes, with a more distant reward, like weight loss, then the close pleasure does not attract it so much.
If after 10 minutes you still want it - please, but before they expire, think about how your life will change if you give up the temptation.
8. The power of pride
Benefit from the basic human need for approval: Imagine how you soar when you win a test of will. To do this, when making an important decision, share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and in person. Recharge with other people's support!
9. Monitor the contribution, not the result
We need to stop worrying about results that we cannot control, and concentrate on our contribution, which we can control. We can hope that we will get a positive result after spending time on something, but we cannot expect it with certainty.
Thinking about the result, we begin to procrastinate and put off important things for later. Focusing on your actions will help you be in the moment and in control.
10. Take a fresh look at your character
What we tell ourselves is vital. When a person tells himself that he is not in control of himself, his capacity for self-control is really reduced. Instead of blaming your failure as some kind of flaw, you need to empathize with yourself and talk to yourself kindly.
The concept of willpower is only one facet of a person's character. Recent research has revealed a close relationship between a person's judgment about the properties of his character and his ability to see things through.