Willpower is the conscious effort to resist temptation and make disciplined choices. It is commonly believed to be why some are successful and others are not.
The highest performers know that willpower alone is not enough. Setting up the right environment for success matters most. If you are able to set your environment so willpower becomes unnecessary then success is all that is left.
This article will help you understand:
- Why success through willpower is a myth
- How habits and environment matter more than grit and willpower
- Active steps to set yourself up for success
Rather than relying on willpower, it’s time for you to set up the right systems for success.
The Myth of Willpower as a Muscle
Willpower is a broadly studied topic. You have likely heard willpower described as a muscle. The idea is that you can train willpower. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. While true, this way of thinking is inherently flawed.
Thinking of willpower as a muscle you need to train means you have to expose yourself to situations that require it. That means you have to use it over and over again throughout the day. But, that muscle will wear out, then you can no longer say no to anything.
Roy Baumeister’s ego depletion model describes willpower as a limited resource. Over time that resource is depleted and unless replenished, runs out.
This means that willpower is not something to train, but a valuable resource that should be used sparingly, when needed.
Decision Fatigue: How Choices Drain Willpower
Now that we know that willpower is a finite resource, we can begin to understand what decision fatigue is.
Decision fatigue occurs when willpower has to be used over and over again, resulting in a depletion of the resource. Every decision, big or small, consumes mental energy. This weakens your subsequent decisions, making it more likely that you will pick a burger over a healthy homecooked meal.
The first time I noticed willpower depletion was during University. I had built a routine. Get up, hit the gym, go to classes, come home and study, then hang out with some friends. It worked amazingly.
Then thanksgiving came around. The gym was closed, university was out. My routine was destroyed. I spent my time making decisions all morning, how do I workout? What should I be doing today? By noon my decisions were shot. I played video games from noon to midnight.
I was exhausted, overstimulated and shocked. My routine dissolved into nothingness and it took weeks to get back on track.
By having to make so many decisions in a short period of time, my “willpower” had disappeared. Impulsivity replaced my typical routine.
The Limits of Self-Control in Practice
Self-control can be impacted by your day. The more energy you use, decisions you make, and general exhaustion you feel all have impact. Do any of these situations sound familiar?
- You come home from a long day of work and decide to just sit down and watch TV all night
- A late night out results in an entire day of doom scrolling and Netflix
- Being tired makes you irritable and you blow up at your partner over small things.
Self control is much simpler when you are fresh. A good night’s sleep and proper recovery is important to keep self control at a maximum. However, setting yourself up for success matters much more than willpower ever will.
Why Habits and Environment Matter More Than Grit
Willpower and grit are helpful. They can stop you from making bad decisions that sneak up on you. However, when you’re forced to use grit over and over again to avoid bad decisions, it becomes impossible.
Setting up habits and your environment to make good decisions easy is how you win. It allows for good decisions to be made without frustration.
How Habits make Decisions Easier
Studies by Duckworth and Galla have found that routines and structure allow people to have better control. Spur of the moment willpower cannot help a person stay disciplined.
That means that you have to find ways to avoid spur of the moment decision making. This is where habits come in. Habits allow you to make one decision that governs your actions for the foreseeable future.
Habits, at their core, are a pre-made decision that allows you to avoid making a decision over and over again. A habit of going to the gym everyday means you no longer decide each day to go to the gym. You just go.
No decision, just action.
So instead of that decision being made everyday, it is already made for you. Your willpower isn’t tested and no decision fatigue is noticed.
The Role of Environment
Habits are not the only way to avoid making more and more decisions. The environment that you live in has a huge impact on your decisions. What you see day in and day out has a major impact on your behaviors.
Think of this example: You are grocery shopping and you choose to buy a bag of chips. You prefer not to eat poorly so you put it in the pantry. Now every time you open the pantry you see the bag of chips and have to make the conscious decision not to eat it. 3 maybe 4 times a day. Eventually you cave and eat the chips.
How would you avoid eating the bag of chips? The single decision not to buy it at the store. By making this one decision, you avoid the several subsequent decisions.
Setting up your environment makes willpower much easier. By removing the things you don’t want to do from your environment, you no longer have to decide.
A Smarter Approach: Designing for Better Decisions
By combining habits and changing your environment you can set yourself up for success. Designing a life that makes better decisions is simple. By implementing habits you do 3 things:
- Precommitment: By making a single decision to get rid of multiple decisions. This allows willpower to rest for the surprises throughout the day.
- Simplify your day: Daily small decisions are reduced by planning ahead
- Manage your Energy: More complex decisions can receive your undivided attention
High performers design their life so good decisions are easy and bad decisions are hard. The better the system is, the better your performance will be.
Make Better Decisions with Decision Making Strategies
Coaching with The Forge for Better Decision Making
Willpower alone will never solve your problems completely. Instead of relying on “inner strength”, you want to focus on habit design and reduction of mental load.
At the Forge Coaching, we are experts in designing habits. We can help you find the right habits for you, make the decisions simple, and keep you accountable to them.
Coaching is a high performer’s super power.
