My latest “read”–an audio book, actually–has been “Willpower” by Roy F. Baumeister. Published in 2011, it’s a book about the science behind controlling yourself.
I’ve taken two of Baumeister’s lessons to heart, and passed them on to clients. Namely, (1) we humans have a limited supply of willpower, and (2) we draw on the same supply for everything we do. This was interesting but not great news for me, as it sounds like it’s going to be a tall order to get keep myself on track for marathon training, to increase the frequency of my financial tracking (see this post for why), and to try to cut the coffee shop scones from my diet. It was also an “aha!” moment, as it explained why the self-improvement symphonies I’d composed in college never worked, and why a single-minded focus on getting to law school graduation did work.
One of the things that I like about the work that I do is that nearly all of my clients are changing some aspect of their lives. Pre-nuptial clients are getting married. Other clients are divorcing. Financial coaching clients are sick of having debt and/or not knowing where their money goes. For all of these clients, though, this book suggests that there are limitations around the willpower we have for change, in addition to the more apparent limitations of time and resources.
So, I invite you to be conscious of how you are using your willpower. If you truly want to see change in one area of your life, delay making changes in other areas.