Can willpower be trained? How can you build the self-control needed to achieve your goals?
In Willpower, Roy Baumeister and John Tierney reveal that willpower training works just like building muscle at the gym. Their research shows that practice and small, consistent exercises can dramatically improve your self-control over time.
Keep reading to discover proven willpower training techniques that can help you tackle any challenge.
Willpower Training
Like a muscle, you can strengthen your willpower with exercises and practice. We’ll explore each of those willpower training approaches in more detail.
Training Your Willpower With Exercises
Baumeister and Tierney say that willpower training can enhance both how strong your willpower is, and how long you can exert your willpower without running out (your “stamina,” so to speak).
Essentially, anything that disrupts your usual habits and makes you consciously think about what you’re doing could be a good willpower exercise. So, for instance, if you tend to eat quickly, one effective exercise would be to force yourself to take smaller bites and thoroughly chew every bite before swallowing it. Doing so will feel unnatural, uncomfortable, and tedious—and that’s exactly why it will help you build up your willpower.
(Shortform note: Personal trainers and martial artists often say that the most uncomfortable exercises are the ones you need the most. You dislike those exercises because they target your weaknesses, but that’s also why they’ll help you. The same holds true for willpower training: The exercises you dislike the most are the ones that will produce the best results if you’re able to stick with them.)
Training Your Willpower With Practice
However, Baumeister and Tierney say it’s crucial to approach self-improvement strategically—attempting to make too many changes at once often leads to failure, as it places excessive demands on limited willpower resources. Therefore, focusing on one self-improvement goal at a time will make you more likely to reach that goal.
However, the authors add that—much like how making progress gives you motivation to make more progress—reaching one self-improvement goal will also make it easier to reach other goals in the future. This is because self-improvement is good practice for your willpower. So, if one of your goals seems daunting at the moment, try pursuing an easier one first; working toward that first goal will strengthen your willpower, and make you better able to reach more difficult goals later on.
(Shortform note: Reaching one self-improvement goal can make it easier to reach others for reasons besides just practicing using willpower. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains how changing one core habit can create a ripple effect that leads to numerous other improvements in your life, including things that aren’t directly related to that habit. The same principle applies to self-improvement. For instance, if one of your goals is to quit smoking, reaching that goal will greatly improve your health and stamina, making it much easier to lose weight—not just because your willpower is stronger, but also because you can tolerate exercise much better than before.)
The authors also say that the greatest challenge is maintaining your discipline over extended periods of time. While many people can muster willpower for short-term efforts, sustaining self-control over the long term requires a much greater level of commitment. Aligning your self-improvement goals with your personal values will help you maintain focus and self-control, leading to much better results.
For instance, someone who highly values physical fitness would most likely be highly motivated to quit drinking. On the other hand, someone for whom physical fitness isn’t a top priority would need much more willpower to reach the same goal—therefore, if they try it too early in their willpower practice, they’re likely to become discouraged and give up after a short time. Just like people have to build up their muscles to lift heavier weights at the gym, they have to build up their willpower with easier goals before pursuing goals that will be more difficult for them.
(Shortform note: It seems reasonable to align your goals with your personal values, but which values should you focus on? In Dare to Lead, social worker and best-selling author Brené Brown points out that holding too many different values will make you unable to effectively practice any of them. Therefore, she recommends choosing just two core values to base your goals and your decisions on. For instance, if generosity is one of your core values, it could motivate you to pursue your career goals so you can earn enough money to help others in need. Brown also emphasizes that, when choosing your two core values, make sure they relate to the person you genuinely want to be and not the person you think others would want you to be.)
Exercise
What’s one self-improvement goal you’d like to work toward as a way to train your willpower? You may want to start small so you don’t get overwhelmed or discouraged. For instance, if one of your long-term goals is to lose 50 pounds, you could start training your willpower by trying to lose just five pounds, and then continuing to lose weight from there.
