Fact: Any decision that requires self-control drains your energy.
Not buying ice cream I just saw in the deli = -1 energy
Writing this post instead of cruising facebook = -2 energy
Going to the gym instead of drinks = -3 energy | +5 energy tomorrow
Regardless of the choice I make, so long as I’m struggling with temptation, I’m exerting energy.
As our energy diminishes, so does our willpower because it requires energy to exercise self-control. Think it’s coincidental that people eat sweets, skip the gym, or overindulge in alcohol at night vs. the morning? It’s partially because a day of decision making causes the tides to fall in our energy reservoir. And when we lack energy, we opt for the path of least …
Continue Reading
This post originally appeared on LessDoing, a project of Ari Meisel, an entrepreneur and productivity geek who decided to share his knowledge of and experiments in efficiency. Ari is an Achievement Architect, helping individuals become more effective at everything.
At SinglePlatform we do pushups on the hour every hour. I love this practice and the benefits extend beyond just making us barrel-chested.
The trigger for my pushups each hour is an alarm clock I’ve installed on my desktop. When the clock strikes 12, a window pops up notifying me its time to drop and give me 20 (actually 34 this week!)
Though practically simple, the pushup alarm clock exemplifies a broader approach …
Continue Reading
I talk to a lot of people who have “nights and weekends” projects. Sometimes these are things they’re working on for fun. Other times these are products that people think they’d like to form a company around some day. People in the latter camp often say they’d leave their day job if their nights and weekends project was further along. But they can’t leave the day job they’re not too content with until they reached a certain milestone.
If I found myself in this situation, I’d have a mornings and weekends project. Here’s why:
Mental Freshness
I don’t know about anyone else but I’m wiped after my foots been on the gas for an …
Continue Reading
For a long time I was told I need to get 7-8 hours of sleep without a compelling explanation why. “You need to be well rested” doesn’t exactly make me want to drop whatever I’m doing to uphold some seemingly arbitrary mandate.
Lately I’ve noticed a correlation that does make me strive for 7-8 hours: rest facilitates discipline. When I’m well rested, my willpower to maintain discipline is much higher. I’m less likely to cheat on my diet, skip the gym, and undertake new activities instead of finishing difficult ones.
Inadequate rest provokes me to settle for the path of least resistance. This manifests itself through inferior discipline. My hands dip into the cookie jar and eyes linger longer in my …
Continue Reading
