19- Will yourself to do the things
Using commitment devices to build self-discipline
When it comes to building better habits, one very vital ingredient is willpower. Power of will. We can also refer to willpower as self discipline, and I shall be using both interchangeably.
To better understand willpower, here are some definitions, according to this article.
The ability to delay gratification, resisting short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals
The capacity to override an unwanted thought, feeling, or impulse
The ability to employ a “cool” cognitive system of behaviour rather than a “hot” emotional system
Conscious, effortful regulation of the self by the self
A limited resource capable of being depleted
I really like the first definition: The ability to delay gratification, resisting short term temptations in order to meet long term goals, because this is the driver of many of our desired habits.
We skip the gratification of fast food in order to achieve the long term goal of good health; skip the gratification of impulse buying to achieve our savings goal for that big holiday and so on.
On reading more about willpower, I found that it can be affected by many different factors ranging from time of day to financial status. Many studies have shown a strong correlation between high levels of willpower and success. While some studies have shown that willpower is a skill that can be taught, some others have shown that when faced with certain conditions, people with great willpower are likely to falter. One theory is that individuals only have so much willpower and the more a person dips into their willpower reserve, the less willpower they have.
For example, after a long day of using your willpower to deal with the many frustrations of your typical workday, you’re less likely to summon the willpower required to either turn down that invite to after work drinks, or leave the bar after one drink like you usually would.
Another theory is that willpower is like a muscle, which can be trained. And just like your biceps, the more you train your willpower, the more your willpower grows. I read somewhere that by forcing ourselves to do things differently, we are literally changing the way we think. Brain scans of people with good self control show increased activity in different parts of the brain than those of people with poor self control. Studies have shown that self-discipline may be more important than IQ as a measurement of future success. This I found fascinating.
It appears that the process of constantly showing up to do something either less than pleasant or requiring great effort, literally remodels our brains. This is likely why most high ranked educational institutions always ask about sporting achievements and participation in societies. Their selection process already weeds out the people who have not proven that they can show up when they do not have to, and the ones who do get selected have shown by their non-compulsory, non-academic pursuits, that they can show up even when they do not have to because they have built self-regulatory strength.
Given the fact that willpower can be affected by multiple factors, it can not always be relied upon. It is therefore helpful in some cases to improve our chances of success by either eliminating or reducing the options available to us.
This brings to mind an inversion of the 3rd Law of Behavior Change (according to the gospel of James Clear): make it difficult.
Make bad habits more difficult by employing a commitment device. A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that controls your actions in the future.
For instance, in our earlier example about depleted willpower after a long workday, if you already had a commitment device in place to specifically curb such events like say leaving your cards at home and not carrying cash on you, it becomes much easier to turn down that invitation to the bar. In fact it becomes less of a decision, you simply can’t do it because you have no way of paying, and so you don’t.
Similarly, if you’re trying to cut down on your volume of food consumption, you might consider choosing to always eat out of a smaller plate. Yea sure you can always return for seconds but you might also find yourself full after your first plate and once your brain gets the message that eating only one plate will not result in spontaneous combustion in the middle of the night, you might find yourself quite full everyday after eating out of your one small plate.
If you find yourself spending more than you should on take out, you might consider deleting all the food delivery apps on your phone and that way, when the urge to order something arrives, the additional step of having to redownload an app might help you change your mind.
Every time something similar happens, your brain records the fact that you did not die because you refused to do that thing you like to do, whatever it is. And so the next time you’re faced with the same situation your brain is like, “we didn’t die when we did that before, so we won’t die today”.
Because we use willpower in all areas of our lives, practicing self-discipline in one domain tends to spillover into other life domains. For example, say you start to run for 30 minutes everyday, everyday your brain receives a message that a 30 minute run is doable and by extension, so might be quitting smoking, or waking up early or using condoms religiously.
Another useful tool in the exercise of reducing our options is making use of implementation intention which I’d previously discussed in this post. Having a detailed plan for how to respond when presented with a particular cue, allows you to make decisions without drawing on your willpower reserve.
Employing commitment devices not only reduces the decisions we have to make, it also helps us train our willpower muscle and improve willpower strength. Doing this repeatedly leads to a strong self discipline habit and once that habit is ingrained, you may not even need willpower, just rely on your well established habit and you’re good.
Start training.
This week I read
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE. I always say I’m a non-fiction girl but I'm starting to fall in love with memoirs/auto-biographies. Phil Knight had me invested in the story of Nike and now I smile a little whenever I see a swoosh.
I’m still in search of the two bed flat of my dreams, and in order to keep myself from choosing an unsatisfactory place, I have secured hospital accommodation to tide me over while I continue to search. I’m not looking forward to the logistics of having to move twice, but better to have a plan than fail to plan and end up crying.
Here’s wishing you a week of well laid out plans that hopefully come to fruition.
Chioma.
References
https://www.apa.org/topics/personality/willpower