The Best Exercise to Build The Willpower Muscle
Willpower is like a muscle – the more you train it, the stronger it gets.
There are many little things we can do to practice it.
But always keep in mind that it’s a finite resource and if we do too many things that requite willpower in the first part of the day, we may use it up and end up making poor decisions later.
So be patient, and most importantly – consistent. T
The simplest and best exercise you can do in order to increase it is to start getting up earlier than you do now.
Why is getting up early such a good habit?
• it’s something you really don’t want to do as the bed feels so comfortable;
• if you manage to do it, you feel proud of yourself;
• it has many side benefits like having more time, being more productive, being serious about your habits, focusing more easily, and the chance to add many pleasant activities to create a morning routine;
• you’re doing it only for yourself – it’s self-discipline;
• it’s a proof that if you start doing that, you can do many other successful changes too.
I urge everyone to start doing it right now.
It requires willpower – yes. But just a little as the only thing you need to do is get out of bed (here are some easy ways to do it), and once you’re up – you don’t really need to go back. So the actual willpower building exercise takes just a few minutes.
Don’t give time to your mind to think of excuses as to why you should stay in bed, don’t lie in there for just a few more minutes, don’t check your phone or read a book – just get up without thinking about it.
You’ll actually have to trust yourself. At any other moment of the day you completely realize that it’s great for you to get up with the first alarm, but when the moments comes your mind plays a different scenario and tries to convince you to stay in bed.
Don’t listen to it. Know how grateful you’ll be later and how easier it will be to do it again tomorrow.
There’s no other habit like that which helps you improve many other areas of your life too:
you start going to bed earlier;
you have time to plan your day;
you have time for yourself;
can drink your coffee in peace;
feel inspired by the early morning;
have a morning routine;
can do some reading or writing;
and many more.
So if you want to change your life, build better habits and become a new person, and don’t know where to start – this is it. Simply wake up earlier tomorrow and start doing stuff.
It starts by going to bed earlier tonight, but you may end up lying with your eyes open for hours.
In that case, the best thing I’ve found to work is to go to sleep whenever you feel like it.
You’ll be tired tomorrow, true! But sacrificing your rest for one day is totally worth it as you’ll go to bed super early the next one and will thus make the early morning possible.
What time do you get up? And what’s the first thing you do after that?
Do you think waking up early has this much to do with building willpower?
