Three Effective Ways to Boost Willpower

When was the last time you told yourself you don’t have willpower? Did you eat something you wish you hadn’t? Skip a gym session? Overspend on retail therapy? Say “yes” to something when you really wanted to say “no?”

Willpower is often described as the ability to resist short-term temptations to achieve long-term goals. Whether you’re aiming to stick to a healthy diet, maintain a regular exercise routine, or achieve success in your career, having strong willpower can be the difference between success and failure. 

The good news is willpower is not a fixed trait, but rather a skill that can be cultivated and strengthened over time. 

Here are three effective ways to boost your willpower:

1. Set clear goals and prioritize: 

• Have a clear, well-defined understanding of what you want to accomplish (and why) to increase your willpower. 
• Set specific, achievable goals to generate a feeling of purpose and direction. This makes it easier to stay motivated when facing challenges or temptations. 
• Write down your goals in detail, breaking them down to small, realistic, manageable steps. This will serve as a roadmap to follow, reducing the likelihood of feeling overwhelmed or lost along the way.
• Prioritize your goals based on their importance and relevance to your overall vision for your life. By focusing your energy and attention on what truly matters to you, you can avoid wasting valuable resources on distractions or activities that don’t align with your long-term objectives. 

2. Practice self-discipline:

• Like any muscle, your willpower can be strengthened through regular exercise. Practicing self-discipline in small, everyday tasks can help you build the mental resilience needed to resist temptation when facing bigger challenges. 
• Start by identifying areas of your life where you tend to give in to impulses or distractions, whether it’s reaching for unhealthy snacks, procrastinating on important tasks, or spending too much time on social media.
• Once you’ve pinpointed these areas, challenge yourself to exercise self-discipline in small ways. For example, if you have a habit of checking your phone compulsively, try setting specific time limits for screen use and gradually reduce them over time. 
• Remember, saying no to immediate gratification in favor of pursuing your goals is a powerful exercise in willpower that pays off in the long run.

3. Cultivate healthy habits and routines: 

• A strong foundation of healthy habits and routines significantly enhances your willpower by reducing the need for constant decision-making and self-control. When you establish consistent habits in areas such as sleep, exercise, nutrition, and time management, you free up mental bandwidth that can be directed toward more challenging tasks and goals.
• Identify key habits that contribute to your overall well-being and productivity, such as getting enough sleep each night, exercising regularly, and maintaining a balanced diet. Then, create a daily routine that incorporates these habits into your life in a sustainable way. 
• Consistency is key here; by sticking to your routine over time, these behaviors will become automatic, requiring less effort and willpower to maintain.
• Be mindful of your environment and how it influences your behavior. Surround yourself with people, places, and resources that support your goals and reinforce positive habits, while minimizing exposure to triggers or temptations that undermine your willpower. 

None of this is possible without first having the courage to look at the results you see in your life, and honestly recognize and reflect upon which actions and choices are ineffective in creating the life you want. As John Maxwell says, “The choices you make, make you.” 

Choose you today. Choose well. You can do this.