Why Does Willpower Disappear At Night?
Article Round-Up: 11.12.23
Enjoy this week’s curated list of articles, podcasts, and more from the web to help you live a healthier, happier life.
Quick Announcement:
If you’re in Ann Arbor, MI or surrounding areas, I’ll be in town giving a seminar and you should join me! Here’s are the details:
Topic: The 5 Laws of Weight Loss
When: Saturday, November 18th, from 9-10am
Where: 3N1 Fitness Revolution, 1952 S. Industrial Hwy. Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Register your free seat here before they fill up.
Published This Week:
5-Step Problem Solving Framework [Podcast]
Takeaway: What do you do when things go wrong?
Many people let their emotions get the best of them, acting impulsively and making poor choices.
Or, you get paralyzed by ambiguity, opting instead to make no decision and let things worsen.
Solving a problem begins with recognizing when you have a problem and then creating clarity on how to solve it.
This 5-step framework will help you achieve just that so that you can make better, faster decisions to solve problems when they arise.
10 Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd
Takeaway: There are lots of reasons to stand out. Getting ahead in your career. Finding a spouse. Finding the right friends to surround yourself with. Sharing an interesting passion or hobby with likeminded folks.
The adage, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered,” is only true if you’re around a carpenter looking to hammer nails. The nail that sticks out could also welcome the coats of loved ones as they enter your home for a fun evening.
Not all nails that stick out are bad.
And you might find your life improves when you stop suppressing who you are and embrace your passions.
*Steps down from box.*
Anywho, here are ten good ways to stand out.
5 Big Travel Lessons And One “Mistake” From 50 Years of Lonely Planet
Takeaway: Stick to carry-on luggage to avoid losing your things, travel for the people, be vigilant but also know that the world isn’t as scary as it seems, go off the beaten path, and take a train whenever possible.
“You Get Out What You Put In” Is Wrong. Here’s Why Success Isn’t Linear.
Takeaway: It’s own article round-up of sorts. This particular topic is about superlinear performance. Take this example from Paul Graham:
Superlinear performance is about exponential growth. Knowledge is one such example. The more you’ve learned, the easier it is to learn new things, thus opening the door to rapid knowledge growth.
In fitness, interestingly, the inverse of this is also true. The more in shape you get, the harder it is to fall out of shape.
This means when you start committing yourself to better health, better lifestyle practices, and more learning—you don’t just get slightly ahead of your peers in literally all metrics of wellbeing and happiness. You’ll be thrust ahead as if tied to a rocket ship.
And the craziest part? All have you have to do is start.
Reader Question:
How can I have more willpower? I want to lose weight and I’ve become more active. But I can’t seem to avoid snacks at night. Why can’t I just say no?
This is a popular topic, because it’s a common problem.
Why can’t we have the discipline to simply say no to food we don’t need?
The reality is that it’s a little more complicated than a simple decision. In fact, there are tons of unseen variables at play.
My general guideline is this:
You have enough willpower to sway one tough, conscious decision per day.
And everyone has willpower until 6pm.
What does this mean?
From the moment you wake up, you are bombarded with choices. What to wear, what order to perform tasks, what to pack for the day, what to eat, whether you’ll eat, what you’ll do after work, where you have to be… The list goes on.
Think of willpower like a meter that begins full, and slowly gets depleted with every decision. Like a bank account slowly being drained with every purchase.
Many people struggle with discipline at night because their willpower meter is full in the morning, but has usually run out by evening. We simply have no willpower left to make good choices—so long as those good choices are not automatic.
That’s the secret to avoiding the pitfall of late night eating.
You have to develop a clear plan of action for how you’ll act.
When you make a plan, you are using your present willpower meter to make a future decision. When the times comes and your willpower is empty, you’ve already made the hard choice.
If you’re struggling with discipline, especially at night, consider creating a more detailed and clear plan for what you’ll eat, and when, so that you have something to follow.
You have enough willpower each day to sway one tough decision. For everything else you should have a plan.
P.S. Don’t forget, if you’re in Ann Arbor, MI or surrounding areas, I’ll be in town giving a seminar and you should join me! Here are the details:
Topic: The 5 Laws of Weight Loss
When: Saturday, November 18th, from 9-10am
Where: 3N1 Fitness Revolution, 1952 S. Industrial Hwy. Ann Arbor, MI 48104