Lessons tagged “self-control”
12 published lessons with this tag.
Pre-commitment as a decision framework
Deciding in advance what you will do in a specific situation removes in-the-moment temptation.
Boundaries with yourself
The most important boundaries are the ones you set with yourself — limits on your own behavior, consumption, and tendencies that would otherwise undermine your goals and values.
Pre-commitment eliminates in-the-moment choices
Pre-commitment is the strategy of making decisions in advance so that in-the-moment temptation, fatigue, or distraction cannot override your intentions.
Commitment devices
Commitment devices are external structures that make it costly or impossible to break a commitment. They work because they shift the decision from the moment of temptation to the moment of design.
Remove temptation rather than resist it
Eliminating the tempting option is more reliable than resisting it through willpower.
Willpower is a limited and unreliable resource
Relying on willpower for behavior change is like relying on a battery that drains unpredictably.
Pre-commitment replaces willpower
Deciding in advance eliminates the need for willpower at the moment of action.
Willpower budgeting
Treat willpower like a budget — spend it only on things that cannot be handled by other means.
Willpower for emergency use only
Reserve willpower for genuine emergencies rather than daily operations.
Temptation removal versus temptation resistance
Removing temptation costs no willpower — resisting it costs a lot.
Willpower training effects
Small acts of self-control can gradually increase your willpower capacity.
The willpower myth
Most people who seem to have strong willpower have actually designed their lives to need less of it.