While doing research for my article Is it possible to increase your own willpower? I learned a few interesting facts:

•    We have a limited daily supply of willpower.
•    Using willpower, and even making decisions, depletes our willpower.
•    Willpower uses a lot of energy and requires enough glucose for the brain.



According to the book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by research psychologist Roy F. Baumeister and science writer John Tierney, successful people use their willpower to modify negative habits and to develop new positive habits. This is interesting because habits are stored in a different part of the brain, called the “dorsal striatum”, which uses less energy. You benefit from these new positive habits, month after month, year after year, without depleting you precious daily willpower quota.

How Do Habits Work?

A habit consists of three elements:

1.    The cue – a trigger that sets the routing in motion.
2.    The routine – an automated action.
3.    The reward – the pleasure you receive by doing the routine.

These three elements together create the habit loop. During a habit loop, a cue appears that triggers the routine or action which is then followed by the reward.

How to Form a New Habit

You form a new habit by simply going through the actions in a strict pattern, i.e. same time and same day of the week. Make sure there is a cue to remind you (an alert of you mobile phone). Understand what rewards you will get from the new habit and continue with it until it’s completely effortless and automatic. Don’t allow temporary setbacks to throw you off track.

How to Modify a Habit

It can be very difficult to simply stop a bad habit. A better way is to modify the habit and take the “bad” out of it. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit offers a framework to modify almost any habit:

1.    Step one is to modify the routine.
The routine is the actual steps to perform the habit, for example; get up from the couch, walk to the fridge, take a beer, etc.

2.    Step two is to experiment with the rewards. Rewards satisfy cravings and make you feel good. It is important to understand your rewards because it may not be that obvious. It may be hunger, boredom or a desire for social interaction. By experimenting with different rewards, you can isolate what you are actually craving. Introduce different rewards once you’ve identified them.

3.    Step three is to isolate the cue. Here you figure out what triggers your habit. Every time you get up to perform your habit, write down the following:

Where are you? (Sitting on my couch)
What time is it? (18:00)
What’s your emotional state? (I’m bored)
Who else is around? (Nobody)
What action preceded the urge? (Switched on the television)

If you do this for a few days you will be able to isolate the consistent element. This is the cue that triggers the habit.

4.    Step four is to have a plan. The plan is a modified routine that is still triggered by the same cue and offers the same or new rewards.

How Long Does it Take?

There is a common belief that any habit can be formed in three weeks. This is not true. Habits can take anything from two weeks to six months to learn. It all depends on the amount of effort required to form the new habit.

How Do I Know That the Habit was Successfully Formed?

Your new habit was successfully formed when it’s easier to do the action than to not do it. I get up at 5AM to go to the gym every weekday morning and cycle on Saturday mornings, even if it’s dark and 0 degrees outside. When I skip days due to ill health or injury I actually feel uncomfortable.

To earn compound interest in your willpower, try using it to modify negative habits and to develop new positive habits.


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