5 Techniques To Develop Willpower

“This week I begin”, for sure you have said many times. Whether it’s a diet, giving up the habit of smoking or starting a new project (work, study, etc.), what is certain is that it is easy to decide to get busy.

Getting started can be easy, the tricky thing is to have enough willpower to keep going.

The very decision to start something gives you enough willpower to start doing it. However, motivation and good intentions wear off over time.

Laziness, lack of conviction or support may be some of the reasons behind the willpower needed to move forward.

What do you need to know about willpower?

There are two important things to know about willpower:

1. Willpower is a finite resource. Willpower can run out. When we focus our effort on one area, less willpower remains for other things.

2. Willpower is like a muscle. Willpower needs to be exercised and strengthened because, if it does not work, it atrophies and even if it is possible to reactivate it, it takes a lot of effort to make it operational again. In this sense, we can say that willpower can be trained.

Why is willpower important?

Willpower makes what you want to happen.

Willpower helps overcome inertia. When we see ourselves without willpower, self-esteem decreases, we replace acting with fantasizing and we think about what we will do in the future when we achieve what we are not able to do, as if the mere fact of thinking it transformed it into reality. But this does not happen, it will never happen if the right measures are not taken.

How to develop willpower?

To develop and train willpower and make it increase day by day, consider the following techniques:

1. Pay attention to how and where you use willpower

There are frantic situations that make us bring out all the willpower we have within us. And in inertia we decide to do everything we want to do: go to the gym, lose weight, quit smoking, read a book a week, write a blog and publish articles every day, (better, two blogs, one professional and one staff), cooking every day, devote more time to the family, etc.

Tired of reading the list, right? Imagine what it would be like to start all these activities at the same time. Crazy, don’t you think?

Projects must be started one at a time. You have needed it and you have been thinking about it for a long time, but how much energy you feel you have now, if it is difficult to make it enough for one thing, let alone with two or more activities.

2. Start with something small

Even a single project can be a lot to start with. Starting with a small part of the project will help you to preserve the initial energy and gradually get used to it. It’s like going to the gym and running out of strength on the first day. A day or two later, you won’t even be able to move.

When you have achieved a part of your objective, move on to the next level. Little by little, you will be able to integrate this new habit into your life and, by making a little effort, it will be easier to maintain it.

3. Eliminate from your life those who hold back your initiatives

There will be several people who will tell you that you will not be able to do something or that it is not for you. Envy is very powerful. People are unable to metabolize the fact that others can do what they are unable or unwilling to do.

Eliminate from your life all the people who feed on you to justify their miserable existence. You have to deal with people who try to involve you in their dramas, who make you nervous or make your willpower wane.

4. Make a plan

Any task that requires a great deal of willpower must be considered in context. Keep in mind that not all situations in life are ideal for completing certain tasks.

To prepare yourself properly before starting your new routine, you need to picture yourself in the situation. In this sense, it is a good idea to find some time where you can be alone and gather all the mental energy you need to reflect. Meditation or any other activity that helps you to calm down and find yourself will allow you to recharge the batteries of the body and mind and thus face your challenges.

5. Find your core values

When we hit the road, it’s easy not to go off track if we know what we do matches our core values. If you first determine what your core values ​​or principles are, you are less likely to act on impulse. When you do things impulsively, you stop thinking and start acting emotionally.