How to develop willpower

One of the most important things in GTD is willpower. Without it, you will not bring things to completion, any system you choose will not work. The first attack of laziness will not give you a peek at the to-do list. GTD, todo list, kanban board are all tools. We read a lot about them, learn to use them, even program them. Only the most important tool that is always with us is willpower.

Until recently, I did not understand how willpower works, I did not know at what point in time my composure would leave me. This has changed one book. I recommend reading it to every IT person, especially freelancers. We, as a rule, have weak external control, so we have to rely only on internal. Therefore, it is important to set it up. Why I recommend this particular book as a guide under the cut.


Book title and links at the end of the article
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1. The book is based on scientific research in the field of psychology.

When I read the book, I was surprised that the tenth chapter was so short. The last 15% of the book is a reference to the used literature. Scientific journals prevail there.

2. There are explanations at the level of the physiology of self-control processes.

I liked the effects of dopamine the most. It became clear why I love online games, poker and so on. I understand, so I can manage.

3. Based on self-monitoring course.

The author leads courses on the development of willpower at Stanford University. Therefore, the book contains practical experience, exercises and tasks for the development of your ability to self-control. By the way, for me it was a discovery that the author is a woman. The book is written very structured. You can read it all at once, or read it in a chapter a week, performing experiments.

4. The book offers to experiment, and not to believe in the word.

Many things from the book you may already know. But to know and understand these are different things. We know that it is worth doing exercises, but why do not we? In order to better understand yourself in the book in each chapter there are experiments. Thanks to them, you can check how the writing works for you. In the end, we are all different, the psyche is different, so not all methods are suitable for everyone.

5. The book is written in simple and understandable language.

Genre popular science. There are no abstruse words, but only clear examples. And examples from different areas: marketing, the description of scientific experiments, the animal world, personal relationships, politics, bad habits, and so on. And it all fit in 200 pages.

My personal experience:

I read the book at the beginning of the month of May. Changes since reading it:

• established small household habits, like cleaning, which are often scored
• achieved regularity in work at the level of the desired 40 hours a week, and not as usual: “we work 12 hours, then we can’t make ourselves sit down for a week”
• dropped 6kg, established a healthy diet and regular sport
• began not only to plan, but also to achieve goals

Selected ideas from the book:

• Willpower consists of "I will" - the ability to do what you do not want. "I will not" - the ability to avoid temptations. "I want" - the ability to move towards your goals.
• Willpower is like a muscle. It can be overstrained, and you can train. Moreover, the brain is really overgrown with gray matter in a certain area.
• Self-control is a question not only of psychology, but also of physiology.
• Willpower is needed to protect us from ourselves.
• We overestimate ourselves tomorrow, therefore we suffer from procrastination

At this point I’ll probably stop, or else get a summary of the book.

Summary: read the book, it is worth it. It is called “Willpower. How to develop and strengthen "Kelly McGonigal or in the original source of " The Willpower Instinct "Kelly McGonigal

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