developing willpower & self-discipline

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So, i have more than a few things that i'd like to improve upon in my life, but i have great difficulty in adjusting my long-term habits to do these things. Part of the problem is that I'm pretty heavily addled with ADD, but mostly becuase I suck at compelling myself to do things.

how does one go about forming some sort of structure to go about this? this can be in regards to anything; working out, losing weight, etc.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Monday, 18 August 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Start regimenting certain things like listening to music so that part of the appeal to (e.g.) working out is listening to music. If you're a indieist/rockist, even better, because you'll be in a public place listening to Dismemberment Plan while everyone else has on Matchbox 20 or sommat.

Hot gurls in tights is another plus.

Things that entail physical labor can also feel good -- endorphin release, moving muscles etc. give a primary pleasure and secondly a sense of accomplishment, you are getting something done.

Obviously you need to structure it fairly well, e.g. this week I'm goin to do x, two weeks later I'm doing x+1, and so on. Bottomline is to set goals, and to map out the steps in an incremental fashion -- that way you don't get intimdated by your ideal goal which would otherwise seem huge and scary and therefore trying is the first step to failure.

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 18 August 2003 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

You may find after having stuck at it for a while that your desire to keep going increases in direct proprtion to yor fear of wasting all the hard work you've already done. Worked for me.

― Matt (Matt), Monday, 18 August 2003 22:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I tear myself to bits every Wedensday and leave it at that. Working out more often was a pain in the ass, but once a week in the middle gives me something to look forward to and makes it easier. Quitting smoking on the other hand turns out to be basically impossible at least for the moment.

I was previously able to quit smoking and drinking for extended periods of time (a few months) by being really, really arrogant. Right now that's not so much of an option, I feel.

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 18 August 2003 23:13 (twenty-two years ago)

by being really, really arrogant.

how does that work?

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Monday, 18 August 2003 23:15 (twenty-two years ago)

leee are you available for hire?

― lolita corpus (lolitacorpus), Monday, 18 August 2003 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

how does that work?

"I don't need this shit. These other people who need this shit are lame. I don't need it. It's a fucking scam. Look at all these losers. I'm not like them."

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 18 August 2003 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

lolita, I only work for pie and chocolate.

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 18 August 2003 23:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Also re: working out: to further your sense of accomplishment, note that if you are sore as hell, you have done well. And then, you can gauge your progress on how much less sore you are afterwards.

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 18 August 2003 23:42 (twenty-two years ago)

all these working out tips are useful & fine, but what about improving one's life in other ways?

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Tuesday, 19 August 2003 00:53 (twenty-two years ago)

haha millar that is so true, its how i gave up/am giving up booze. and its the bets thing i've ever done for my motivation.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Tuesday, 19 August 2003 00:55 (twenty-two years ago)

The work out tips basically map onto other areas of life, namely the setting goals and then planning out steps to reach that goal on a general timetable. Like I sez, not getting intimidated by the goal itself is U&K.

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 19 August 2003 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

eleven years pass...

http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/0143122231

reading this. the concept of "ego depletion," or willpower as an exhaustible resource, seems like it's going to be useful to me

― primal, intuitive, and relatively unmediated (Treeship), Monday, 30 March 2015 20:39 (ten years ago)

reading more than a few minutes of ilx per day? ego depleted!

― mh, Monday, 30 March 2015 20:59 (ten years ago)

12 years later, still the same issues, but better understood after a shitload of reading

― The Thin Blue Slime (kingfish), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 02:30 (ten years ago)

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