We only have a finite amount of willpower at any given moment. You use the same amount of it on every task, so why would you waste it on trivial things? Every day, in one form or another, you exert willpower. You resist the urge to surf Facebook instead of finishing your expense report. You struggle to drive by your favorite burger joint and opt to have a salad. You bite your tongue when you’d like to make a snarky comment to your boss. Yet a shows that resisting repeated temptations takes a mental toll on us. Some experts liken willpower to a muscle that can get fatigued from overuse. growing body of research , an associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota, notes: Kathleen Vohs “There is research that shows people still have the same self-control as in decades past, but we are bombarded more and more with temptations,” and that “our psychological system is not set up to deal with all the potential immediate gratification.” As a result, our subconscious takes a beating everyday from the nominal tasks of mundane life. Everything from “what am I going to wear today” to “where should we go for dinner?” to “OMG what’s the price of today?!” wears on the finite amount of willpower we have. Bitcoin You may be wondering, how do Mark Zuckerberg and others combat this silent mental killer? _The growing attention on company culture in the startup world is due in part to our industry's difficulty in…_www.northpass.com The 50 Most Inspirational Company Culture Quotes of All-Time Choice Minimalism Throughout the past decade mentally elite have figured out a pretty basic truth. The fact that they shouldn’t waste their time and energy on irrelevant things that can be pre-determined or automated. did the exact same thing by wearing a black turtle neck everyday. Not only did he look suave by dressing like everyday was Christmas in the 80’s, but rather he of choice minimalism into his lifestyle. Steve Jobs instilled the habits Simply put by : Tim Ferris The choice-minimal lifestyle becomes an attractive tool when we consider two truths: Considering options costs attention that then can’t be spent on action or present-state awareness. Attention is necessary for not only productivity but appreciation. Therefore: Too many choices = less or no productivityToo many choices = less or no appreciationToo many choices = sense of overwhelm when your dealing with too many choices everyday. This is your subconscious What This Means For You Start a journal and begin tracking all the choices you make every day. Audit your daily life — Review your journal and group decisions by category. Then ask, “Does this decision affect my desired outcomes?” Many of them won’t. Measure the results — Ask yourself, “ ” Those are the ones to tackle first. Do a Pareto analysis — What are the 20% decisions I make take up 80% or more of my time? Next, you need to begin to actually implementing these changes into your life. Don’t try to flip the switch and start living your minimalistic life overnight. . Take it one step at a time Start with something simple, like creating a consistent morning routine that can be repeated exactly the same everyday. For example: Wake up at 5am Put on the clothes you laid out the night before Eat the fruit you set up for yourself on the counter Go to the gym Follow an exercise program you consistently stick with Go home and drink a protein shake Shower and get ready for the day Though this may sound simple, it all starts with actually doing something and sticking to it. That’s why you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew. After you go through this process with one thing, do it with another. Wash, rinse, repeat. Before you know it, you’ll be using all the willpower you saved to make some big-time decisions, not whether you should eat a tide pod or not. Thanks for reading! If you liked this piece I think you’d really like my other essays about how as well as . Micro-Habits Changed My Life The Beginner’s Guide to Creating an Online Training Program
