To complete difficult tasks requires determination. If you want to lose weight, quit smoking, or achieve certain career goals, you need to have determination. There are ways you can do to increase your willpower over time. Set your goals, follow them, and make lifestyle changes to strengthen your endurance.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Set Goals
Step 1. Break things down into more manageable parts
If you are overwhelmed with so many tasks, you will have a hard time succeeding. You won't be able to keep your resolve if you feel you've set too high a standard for yourself. You can increase your willpower by dividing difficult tasks into smaller, more manageable parts.
- In her memoir Bird By Bird, author Anne Lamott tells of her sister doing a school assignment cataloging various types of birds. After postponing the project until the last minute, his brother felt overwhelmed by the task until his father came over, put his arm around the boy's shoulders, and said, "Bird by bird, just record bird by bird." This means that a large number of tasks can be broken down into more manageable parts.
- If you want to complete a task and feel overwhelmed, do it one at a time. If you have a 20-page report, promise yourself to write two pages every day for the week until the deadline. If you want to lose 18 pounds, set a goal to lose 3 pounds every month. If you want to be able to run 8 kilometers, use the "5K Running Guide" app to slowly increase your speed and strength over time. When we break down a task into smaller components, the task suddenly becomes seemingly easy to do.
Step 2. Set a reasonable deadline
If you want to increase your willpower, you need to set a deadline for yourself. No one can succeed without a schedule. Set a deadline that you can achieve in a reasonable way and stick to it.
- For example, if you want to start exercising five days a week and you don't currently exercise at all, you will be exhausted during the week. Instead, make a schedule. Decide to exercise two days a week, then increase to three days a week, then four days a week, then five days a week.
- Record your success. Install a large calendar that can be placed on the refrigerator or wall. Write a small note about your success that day on the calendar. For example, on October 3, write something like, "Today we ran five kilometers." Seeing your success concretely can help you feel proud which can motivate you to keep doing activities.
Step 3. Make a plan
A technique that can help when your willpower is being tested is to use "implemented intentions," or "If, then" statements to plan for situations in which you may encounter temptation.
- For example, you may be trying not to eat sugar, but you are going to a birthday party and you know there will be cake. Make a plan before the party: "If someone offers me a piece of cake, I'd better have a fruit salad."
- Making a plan can reduce the strain on your resolve because you have basically made a decision and don't have to fight sugar cravings at that point. This method is quite effective if your self-control has been drained.
Method 2 of 3: Complete the Task
Step 1. Take responsibility
To increase your willpower, an important step to take is to take personal responsibility. Take responsibility for your success or failure in achieving your goals.
- It can be helpful to talk about or write down your actions. Mention what you did, why you did it, and how you felt after doing it. For example, "I feel stressed when I finish my report work, so I distract myself and choose to watch television. I will try to manage my stress better so that I can complete my reporting so that I can finish my work instead of being lazy and feeling annoyed with myself." Instead, say something like, "I wrote a two-page report today because I wanted to do this assignment and it made me feel productive and positive about myself."
- Putting the responsibility solely on oneself requires tremendous honesty. It increases your ability to manage impulses and "see before you jump," as well as a sense of responsibility when you are no longer blaming outsiders around you. In this way, your resolve will be supported as long as you accept the fact that the change depends on you.
Step 2. Manage your negative thoughts
During your trip, there will definitely be negative thoughts. You may take a setback as a sign that you can never change, or there may be a small voice in your head that keeps telling you that you will never succeed, driving you down. If you want to increase your willpower, negative thoughts won't help because they will make you feel defeated and helpless. While it's impossible to completely stop negative thoughts, you can change the way you react and handle them.
- Record your negative thoughts. Keeping a therapy diary is beneficial in many ways, and one thing you can do is jot down the negative thoughts that came up during the day. Before long you can identify any patterns in negative messages and begin to explore their origins.
- When it comes to recognizing negative thoughts, such as, "I can't reach my goals," ask if they are true or not. Do so by looking at real evidence, not just based on what your negative voice says. Keep two columns in your diary, one containing evidence "supporting" the belief, the other "contrary." In the "Support" column, you could write: "I've been trying to stay off sugar for a month, and I can't do it. I don't feel strong enough to change my habits." In the "Against" column, you could write "If I set a smaller, more achievable goal, I can reach that goal. When I do something day-by-day or week-by-week, I'm much more successful. In the past. I was able to achieve my goals of finishing school, getting a raise at work, and quitting smoking. It seems impossible to stop eating sugar altogether because I love sweet foods. I need to try again, maybe some other way."
- To learn more about negative thoughts and how to manage them, read the article How to Overcome Negative Thoughts.
Step 3. Be yourself
This means that you understand your limits and set the right goals. If you're trying to quit smoking, for example, it would be great if you could quit altogether and stop smoking. But maybe you're not like that - Maybe you still really enjoy smoking and you've been smoking for years. Instead of sticking to the ideal figure, for example, someone who can break away from addictive habits, maybe you can reduce the habit little by little. This way, you are honest with yourself while trying to achieve success by setting goals within your means.
Step 4. Reward yourself
You need to complete tasks and take responsibility for your actions. However, you need to know how to reward yourself for good behavior. No one has determination strong enough in the long term without occasional rewards.
- Create a system to treat yourself. If you're trying to lose weight, for example, promise yourself that you can buy a new dress if you can stick to a diet and exercise schedule every week.
- Everyone has a system that fits him/herself. Find something you enjoy and treat yourself to some treats once in a while. Giving yourself a reward will allow you to take longer to reach your goals, resulting in a stronger determination.
Method 3 of 3: Change Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Build good habits
Stress is a major will-killer. When we are overworked and frustrated, we will succumb to the behavior we are fighting against. By building good personal habits, we tend to stay on track when we are stressed.
- Incorporate certain activities, such as working hard and studying, into your daily routine. This method can help fight stress. If activities that require determination are seen as an important part of your daily life, such as brushing your teeth at night, you're less likely to neglect your duties when you're stressed.
- In addition, people who have good habits tend to be less stressed. Regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and a regular sleep schedule can all help reduce the impact of stress on your life.
Step 2. Don't procrastinate
The habit of procrastination can kill willpower. Postponing obligations that are seen as a burden makes us less likely to do them at all. Avoid procrastination as much as possible if you want to strengthen your resolve.
The habit of procrastination is often rooted in perfectionism. People tend to procrastinate if they are stressed because they can't work perfectly. Understand that procrastinating does not reduce work at all, but only increases stress. It's better to do the task even if you hesitate rather than dwelling on the task in front of you
Step 3. Keep a diary
Keeping a diary can increase determination because you can see your progress log. Setbacks are less painful when you compare them to your accomplishments. For example, you gain two kilograms of weight during the holidays. Look back at your diary since you started your weight loss journey to remember how far you've come.
Step 4. Find support
Nobody can do everything. If you want to maintain your resolve, seek support from others.
- Certain specific tasks, such as quitting alcohol or smoking, have support groups in hospitals and community centers that can help.
- Talk to your friends and family members about what you're working on. Ask for their support while you're trying. If you're trying to quit drinking, for example, ask your family members not to drink in front of you.
