Book Summary: Willpower Doesn't Work

Willpower is ineffective. We've all had the experience of establishing huge, exciting objectives and then falling short despite our best efforts. It's easy to conclude that you're the issue after a string of failures.

But what if it wasn't your fault in the first place?

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Willpower is the ability to use your free will to overcome internal and external challenges. Willpower, according to psychological studies, is a muscle. It's a limited resource that gets depleted over time.

As a result, towards the end of a long day, your willpower muscles are worn out, and you have no self-control.

There is an evident internal struggle if you have to use willpower to do anything.

It indicates you aren't involved in yourself and your aspirations, and your passion for your goals isn't strong enough. It also stems from an atmosphere that is hostile to your objectives.

To attain a goal, you must establish a firm commitment by:

• spending upfront
• going public
• establishing a timeframe
• implementing a variety of feedback/accountability mechanisms
• eliminating or changing anything in your surroundings that is incompatible with your commitment.

True dedication entails constructing external defense systems around your goals rather than depending simply on your own internal strength.

If you wish to eat healthy, for example, get rid of all unhealthy items from your home. Take on more responsibility and raise the stakes for success and failure if you want to be more driven.

By modifying your external inputs, you may create your own worldview:

• information you take in,
• the people you associate with,
• the locations you visit,
• the experiences you make.

It's all about the construction of your life. To have the life you want, you must first shape your environment to provide it.

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Part 1: Your Environment Shapes You

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Will Durant, a historian who spent four decades researching world history, concluded that great leaders did not change history.

Instead, he discovered that adversity produced exceptional leaders. He found that need, rather than knowledge or vision, makes greatness. He said that if the ordinary man's talent was desired, it could be doubled.

We frequently assume our surroundings are distinct from ourselves in our individualistic culture.

The reality is that everything we do and believe is influenced by our surroundings. Unless you deliberately modify it, your environment has a direct and quantifiable influence on the remainder of your life.

Most individuals live modestly since their surroundings do not compel them to grow beyond their current state.

Goal-setting and attitude adjustment are only effective for a tiny subset of activities, such as making a public speech. That is because it is something you infrequently do, and so necessitates your whole focus.

Every setting has its own set of written or unwritten norms that influence how you think, act, and behave.

A group of fleas is placed in a jar in one experiment. Fleas can readily leap out of the jar if there isn't a lid on it. When the jar's lid is on, however, the environment's laws transform. The fleas quickly learn not to leap quite so high.

When the lid is lifted three days later, the fleas stay at the lower height and do not jump out of the jar.

You are in the same boat.

In one setting, who you are and what you can accomplish are vastly different from who you are and what you can do in another.

You're constantly playing a part, and these parts are usually set in stone. Because of the rules of the circumstance, you act in a certain way. By modifying your surroundings, you can shift your habits and responsibilities.

You will always be restricted within the restricting framework if you remain locked in the same roles and routines, no matter how much willpower you exercise.

Your intended behavior is automated and outsourced while you're in a significantly improved environment.

When you're in a normal setting, you have to be aware of what you're doing, which necessitates the use of willpower to act appropriately.

Part 2: How to Make Willpower Irrelevant

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Peak experiences are highly affecting, and we frequently have our finest ideas. We can fully analyze what we want in life at these times.

When we connect with ourselves, we have these experiences. Peak experiences come when you're resting and recovering. Make time for relaxing, thinking, and learning during "disconnected days."

Resting and recuperating will really help you work more efficiently. Only those who completely separate themselves — intellectually, emotionally, and physically – will be able to reconnect when they return to work.

You will feel empowered and energetic once you have rested. Journaling is an important aspect of relaxing. Examine your life to see how far you've come and where you want to go.

This will benefit you in remaining connected to your "why."

It is critical to have a daily atmosphere that will assist you in staying on track to achieve your objectives. To make sure you're heading in the right direction, you'll need to check in frequently and make course corrections.

The easiest way to do this is to start each day with a morning routine that will help you achieve optimal performance.

Every morning, you should journal to set the tone for your day. Write out your goals regularly to strengthen your own feeling of belief and passion for them.

When you take twenty steps in one direction, you will achieve success. The majority of individuals take one step in twenty different directions.

The quickest way to advance and forward motion is to eliminate.

Remove the extra baggage that is holding you in your current situation to transcend it. Remove unnecessary physical items, diversions, individuals who do not inspire you, and your short-term memory.

Change your default option if you're trapped doing automatic behavior. Your behavior will change as well.

People frequently choose the first option presented to them. Our surroundings influence our behavior. Therefore if you want to overcome unconscious patterns, alter your surroundings.

Act mindfully and with intention in whatever you do. You're more likely to adhere to your habit if you know what you'll do if you get off track ahead of time.

For example, if you enter the kitchen and want to eat a cookie, you can make a plan to drink a glass of water instead. Implementation intentions are critical when replacing an addictive behavior with a new one.

Part 3: Outsource High Performance and Success to Your Environment

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You must discover which surroundings generate the best results if you want to reach your objectives.

You may improve your surroundings by including forcing functions, which are self-imposed environmental circumstances that compel you to act and attain your goals.

If you want to be present with your loved ones, you can leave your phone in the car, for example. You can eliminate the option entirely rather than depending on your willpower.

You may also construct external defense systems to protect your objectives. If you leave your laptop charger at home, for example, you will be more driven to work hard in the few hours before your battery dies.

You may utilize peer pressure to keep you on track with your objectives. External force, not willpower, is what propels you forward. If you make failure have repercussions, you will work much harder.

You are more likely to prosper if you put yourself in high-pressure situations. Set strict timelines for yourself and publicly commit so you won't be able to back down.

Compete at a level above your own to learn from your opponents. Compete in front of an audience to increase the pressure to succeed.

Learning by doing is significantly more effective than learning from a textbook. Context-based learning frequently includes rapid feedback on your performance to help you improve faster.

Engage the services of a mentor or coach to assist you. Putting money into yourself is the finest investment you can make, and it will pay off handsomely.

Continue to apply what you've learned until it's second nature. You must first understand a skill before you can automate it. Then gradually increase the difficulty of your workouts. Include time limitations to drive you to work swiftly.

Finally, practice it with deliberate interruptions to help it become habitual.

Set up your workspace to be as productive as possible. The finest creative work needs a one-to-four-hour period of intense attention followed by a relaxed mind in a different setting.

Work according to your own unique energy levels rather than conventional conventions like 9 to 5.

To keep your brain busy, change up your surroundings. Take a brief stroll to give yourself mental breaks throughout the day. You will have more energy and attention if you can rotate and vary your working locations.

Every ecosystem has its own set of laws, but they aren't all set in stone. Dismantle the old regulations and replace them with new and improved ones.

Your outcomes will be mediocre if you follow the same guidelines as everyone else. To thrive, you must alter your environment's laws, and the greatest way to do it is through new relationships. You'll come up with new ideas and tactics if you collaborate with others who have various worldviews.

Your history does not bind you, but it is something you should respect. The more you understand history, the more context you will have around yourself and the greater your sense of control over your life.

Don't allow your success to get the best of you. Keep in mind that your success is not due to you. Rather, you are a product of your shifting surroundings. Maintain an attitude of humility and appreciation at all times.

Willpower isn't a good way to start making changes in your life. You will thrive if you outsource your willpower to a goal-oriented atmosphere.

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