This video / podcast is about how to increase your willpower and tenacity. As the title suggests!
Summary
- Tenacity & willpower might be limited resources.
this is similar to “decision fatigue “. We can only make so many decisions per day (this is why Steve jobs wore the same stuff each day, he didn’t wate energy deciding what to wear). If you do one hard thing, it’s harder to maintain willpower later in the day.
If you were to resist eating a plate of cookies, and then do a fitness test, it’s likely you’ll perform relatively poorly on the fitness test, because your willpower has already been taxed.
- Being tired or sleep deprived negatively impacts willpower.
- Intermittently reward yourself for soing something hard.
- Force yourself to do some ‘micro-sucks’ – choose something you don’t want to do and do it – this is a great way to train and develop willpower.
- This could be adding an extra set to your resistance training, 100 jumping jacks after your mile run, a sprint after your workout, not eating dessert one night you want it, extending your fasting period, etc
The legend that is Andrew Huberman says that willpower can be defined as the ability to resist temptation and persist – keep going in the face of difficulty. Willpower is a complex trait that is influenced by both genes, our environment and other factors like testosterone levels.
If we are in pain – physical or mental, we will tend to be distracted and have less willpower
How to increase Willpower
Sleep
There are a number of things that we can do to increase our willpower. One is to get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can impair our ability to make decisions and resist temptation.
Exercise
Another thing we can do is to exercise regularly. Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting and pain-relieving effects. This in turn, can help us to stay motivated and focused.
Mindfulnesss
Prof Huberman says that we can also increase our willpower by practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. This can help us to become more aware of our thoughts and feelings, and to make better decisions.
ACC – Keep Working Hard!
Huberman describes a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The ACC is involved in a number of cognitive functions, including willpower.
We can activate the ACC by doing things that are difficult or challenging. This can help us to build up our willpower over time.
Do things you don’t want to do, to build ACC activation and willpower.
