Willpower
Very curious scientists actively studied the idea of willpower in the early 1980’s. They found that we actually have an infinite amount of willpower within ourselves. Although, this drive does get very fatigued if used continuously over time. Think of willpower as a muscle, every time we make any decision, its like doing a bicep curl for our brains. We can actively tire out this willpower “muscle” if used too much for too long.
Lets be real, this fatigue affects almost everyone on a day-to-day basis. Whether it be a student studying full time or working a full 10-hour day at the office, we all get drained. When we end the day, we may WANT to do our home exercise programs, train heavy or work on that “one day” side side hustle we’ve always talked about, but our brain is telling us hell no! Here are some ways to help get through that unwanted feeling.
1. Less decisions in the morning
Lay it all out! So the night before, pick out what you want to wear, what you’ll be having to eat/drink for breakfast, having the leash ready to go to take the dog out on a walk and so on.
2. Get the most important thing in your life done first
What it is that you want to achieve in life? What are your priorities? Everyone has a different sets of priorities. Personally, health is the number one priority in my life so I make sure to treat that as my number one priority first thing in the morning.
3. No more talking, start “committing” to something
Don’t decide whether or not to do something. Write it down and make an oath to yourself that it happens. Schedule a sure time to get that objective done.
4. Eat REAL food
The brain needs fuel in order to gain true clarity. Not jack in the box or Carls Jr, but foods like walnuts, blueberries or avocado’s in particular for maximal brain health.
5. Make it simple
Find out what matters most in life and make that the priority for the day. Stay far away from the little and unimportant things at they will suck the energy clean out of us.
“Decision fatigue”
In the 2016 article, Decision fatigue, Choosing for others, and Self Construal written by Evan Polman and Kathleen D Vohs. They found that when making decisions for others rather than self, it is less depleting because it can be much more enjoyable. Overall they found that decision makers are more codependent on others when it come to success.
in that same article, a separate study took place with children taking exams earlier in the day opposed to later in public schools. It turned out that exam scores declined if the test was given later in the day, opposed to taken first thing in the morning. (Sieversten, Gino & Piovesan, 2015) They also found that big decisions made over a shorter period of time will also show heavy signs of “decision fatigue”.
A prime example of this big decision in todays society is purchasing a new phone within a very short amount of time. Being put on the spot, we have to think of all possible outcomes such as the color, the insurance price, the amount of storage, the camera type etc. These small decisions can be extremely overwhelming on the central nervous system.
Overall
The average American makes about 2,000 decisions a day. Simply put, don’t let other people’s decisions drain your battery.
Pro Tip
The clock can be the enemy
Go to a place where you can ignore the clock and let your passion fly. Sit down and sincerely ask yourself “what do I want to leave on this earth and how do I want to be remembered as?” Go to a location where you gain clarity best (beach, dark room, forest etc)
The goal is to find ways to incorporate our passions somehow into every aspect of our lives. Don’t set yourself up for failure by suffering from something simple as “decision fatigue”. Find out what matters most and place that as a high priority.
“Spend as much time doing things that bring you joy with people you love”
-Unknown
PS:
Try your absolute best to “monotask” and avoid “multitasking” as much as possible. Literally take it one step at a time and be always where your feet are. Try not to get too far ahead of yourself.
References:
Polman, et al. “Decision Fatigue, Choosing for Others, and Self-Construal, Social Psychological and Personality Science.” DeepDyve, SAGE Publications, 1 July 2016, www.deepdyve.com/lp/sage/decision-fatigue-choosing-for-others-and-self-construal-1AkQFvxTBs?key=sage.
