The ability to pick ourselves up, take on work when we don’t feel like it, or set aside immediate gratification in favor of a big but distant goal, determines our success. Sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we don’t. The problem is a lifestyle that weakens willpower.
The modern lifestyle has a detrimental effect on the ability to self-control: stimuli and distractions weaken willpower. Baba Shiv, professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, has proven that people who are distracted are more easily tempted.
Shoppers distracted by music or bright banners in stores are more likely to participate in special promotions and come home with unnecessary purchases more often. We are accustomed to consider willpower as a character trait: either you have it or you don’t. Researchers disprove this myth. Stanford University lecturer Kelly McGonigal in her book Willpower. How to develop and strengthen” reveals the relationship between physiological processes and self-control.
Action
Physical activity often falls off the priority list. Future health care fades when confronted with urgent matters that require attention right now. We forget that physical activity keeps not only the body healthy, but also the brain. Psychologist Megan Oaten and biologist Ken Cheng from Macquarie University in Sydney gave the participants of the experiment fitness club memberships.
After two months of training, volunteers strengthened their concentration and ability to ignore distractions. They also cut down on alcohol, caffeine, and fast food, watched less TV, were less likely to be late to meetings, and saved more money.
The effect of physical activity is obvious, but when you are passionate about a career or growing your own business, work crowds out training. But the experience of successful businessmen shows that training time is just as important as working hours. Oleg Tinkov rides a bike in the summer, goes skiing in the winter, and also works out daily in the gym. The businessman admits that his best ideas were born while he was pedaling.
Kelly McGonigal says you don’t have to spend hours in the gym exhausting yourself. Any activity that involves movement will be beneficial – walking around the block, gardening, dancing, yoga, swimming, playing with children or animals, active cleaning, or even shopping.
Dream
The second threat to self-control is lack of sleep. Chronic lack of sleep makes us more vulnerable to stress and temptations, it becomes harder for us to control our emotions and concentrate. We do what we shouldn’t, and on the contrary, we put off the necessary things. The reason is glucose – the main source of energy for the brain and body.
In 2005, a group of scientists from the Boston University School of Medicine, led by Daniel J. Gottlieb (Daniel J. Gottlieb) found out that lack of sleep interferes with the absorption of glucose, up to an increase in the risk of diabetes. When we sleep little, the cells do not absorb glucose from the blood well – we feel overwhelmed and absorb sweets and coffee. But even “recharging” does not help the body use energy efficiently.
The main center of self-control – the prefrontal cortex – is facing an energy crisis. The brain loses the ability to effectively manage impulses and emotions. The body gets stuck in a fight or flight state and we overreact to any stimuli.
The problem of lack of sleep is especially relevant for members of the business community – the growing volume of tasks leaves less and less time for sleep. In addition, many businessmen believe that sleeping a lot is a shame. President of Yahoo! Marissa Mayer sleeps 4-6 hours a night, the same number of hours for sleep remains with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. American billionaire and presidential candidate Donald Trump sleeps only 3-4 hours a day and calls to follow his example.
The good news is that the negative effects of sleep deprivation are reversible. If you can’t get 8 hours of sleep every night, Kelly McGonigal offers three options: get enough sleep, sleep on the weekends, or allow yourself an afternoon nap.
Food
The human brain was formed in conditions of uncertainty: our forefathers were haunted by the risk of starvation. Our lifestyle has changed drastically, but our brain has not. He still uses his blood sugar to gauge whether food is in excess or not.
Psychology professors Robert D. Dvorak of the University of North Dakota and Xiao Wang of the University of South Dakota proved in 2010 that blood sugar influences the choice between immediate small rewards and large, but delayed in time. When a person does not eat for a while, blood sugar levels drop. The brain receives a signal – urgently find something edible. To escape hunger, the brain switches into an impulsive, risk-taking state.
With limited resources, this mechanism was very important: people who quickly followed their impulses and instincts were more likely to survive.
In today’s world, this creates problems. A drop in blood sugar no longer signals that we are in danger of starvation and urgently need to pass on our genes to offspring, but the brain, as before, switches to short-term planning mode. In this state, he is not able to make the right decisions in line with long-term goals. For business and management, this is an additional risk factor.
The work of businessmen and managers is associated with intense mental stress, which leads to the active consumption of glucose. A drop in sugar levels can lead to impulsive behavior and bad management decisions.
It would seem that to maintain self-control at the highest level, it is enough to consume more sweets. Indeed, a dose of sugar can temporarily boost willpower in an emergency. But in the long run, this strategy destroys self-control. A sharp drop in blood sugar due to a chocolate bar eaten is followed by a sharp drop.
Kelly McGonigal suggests cutting back on sweets and focusing on foods that provide stable sugar levels: lean protein, nuts, legumes, high-fiber cereals, most fruits and vegetables.
Stress management
We use stress for self-motivation — putting off work until a deadline or criticizing ourselves for laziness and slowness. We also try to control others – we heat up the situation at home or at work. In the short term, the approach seems to work, but in the long term, nothing saps willpower like stress.
The mechanisms of stress and self-control are incompatible. Stress puts us in a “fight or flight” state, while self-control requires stopping and thinking.
Stress forces you to focus on short-term goals and quick results, and for self-control you need to keep the bigger picture in mind.
In 2011, German scientists from the Ruhr University found that the stress hormone causes people to follow undesirable but familiar behavior and prevents them from making informed decisions.
Anything that stresses the mind or body can undermine willpower. Anger, anxiety, depression, feelings of loneliness and chronic illness lead to a decrease in self-control.
Stress is the scourge of entrepreneurs and managers. According to the Medical Center of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the lifestyle of a Russian businessman is characterized by chronic stress, overstrain, as well as a violation of the work and rest regime.
Kelly McGonigal suggests ways to relieve stress, such as meeting with family and friends, spending time in nature, meditation and spiritual practices.
Strengthening self-control
There are various techniques for strengthening willpower, including mental and spiritual ones. But the basis of self-control is physiology.
It is unlikely that someone will install the latest software on an outdated computer. You should treat your body in the same way: before “building” new techniques and techniques on it, it is important to make sure that it works well on its own.
Identify problem areas. Sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, unhealthy snacks, chronic stress – find out which of these are typical for you and how you can improve the quality of your life.
Allocate resources. Do not spare the time and other resources invested in your body – treat them as long-term investments not only in your health, but also in professional growth.
Take it to the next level. Once you have adapted to a lifestyle that promotes self-control, the next step you can take is to start working with the pitfalls of our mindset.
Details “Big plans”.