A Stanford psychologist and author of The Willpower Instinct, Kelly McGonigal says, “Willpower gives you the energy and endurance to deal with challenges, the ability to persevere in the face of setbacks, and the strength to tolerate conflict or stress that might otherwise make us run away from goals or projects we care about.”
Anyone can learn to improve their willpower, so here are five tips to get you started:
1. Remember your goals
If your willpower feels drained, think of the task at hand as a necessary stepping stone to help you achieve your goals. “Willpower is very easily depleted if its disconnected from your values and goals,” McGonigal says.
2. Practice coping with stress.
When you’re working toward a goal, you are bound to hit tough times. To reach ambitious goals, you need to persist in stressful conditions, even when anxiety, fear, or even boredom threatens to sap your willpower.
3. Forgive your mistakes.
You are bound to make mistakes, but your willpower will be stronger if you take those errors in stride. “Forgiving yourself for your mistakes increases motivation and engagement with goals,” McGonigal says.
4. Connect with colleagues.
Willpower naturally rises when we feel recognized and appreciated for our work. “We think of willpower as being so tough and individual, but the more connected people feel, the more willpower they have,” McGonigal says.
5. Trust that it will get easier.
We often struggle to stay engaged during difficult tasks because we imagine, sometimes unconsciously, that they will continue to be just as hard in the future. We feel defeated or hopeless and give up.
To combat that feeling, remember that your skill improves with practice. “Appreciate that a task is difficult but don’t tell yourself the story that it’s always going to be difficult,” McGonigal says. Most likely, the task will be a little bit easier every time you try it.
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