4120: The Science of Procrastination: Researchers Tackle Willpower and our Ability to Control it by Cal Newport on Building Willpower

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[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_01] This is Optimal Living Daily, the science of procrastination. Researchers tackle willpower and our ability to control it by Cal Newport of calnewport.com. And I'm your host and narrator, Justin Malik, reading you articles every single day of the year, including weekends and holidays, pushing ourselves back on the right path. So let's keep at it as we optimize your life. The science of procrastination

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_01] researchers tackle willpower and our ability to control it by Cal Newport of calnewport.com. The Willpower Mystery We all know the feeling. Some days you have a project you know you need to work on, but find it impossible to summon the energy needed to close your email and get to work. It seems so simple. Click the X in the corner, open the word processor document, start typing. But you might as well be considering knocking off a quick triathlon.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_01] Your leaden, sluggish, no-motivation mood overwhelms. On other occasions, however, you welcome the challenge. Time to work? No problem. What gives? Dr. Roy Baumeister, a psychologist from Florida State University, has been studying this question for over a decade. In a recent paper, published in the Journal of Current Directions in Psychological Science, Baumeister reviews what his work, and similar studies by others, have revealed about the elusive trait we call self-control.

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_01] In this post, I summarize the main findings of this research and conclude with some practical tips for realigning your daily habits to leverage the conclusions. The Strength Model of Self-Control In a seminal 1994 paper, Baumeister introduced a hypothesis that overturned the established thinking on willpower. He proposed that self-control might depend on a limited resource, a resource that, like a muscle,

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_01] depletes during repeated continuous use. Up to this point, most scientists assumed that self-control was a behavioral mode, a cognitive schema activated under certain conditions and not under others. This approach, for example, might blame fear of failure for your procrastination. The mental loop of failing prevents the jukebox of your mind from flipping over to that ever-popular record, Productive Work. Baumeister disagreed, and he challenged this notion with a simple experiment.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_01] Number one, two groups are given a task. The first group gets a task that requires self-control, e.g. memorizing sequences of numbers. The second group gets a neutral task. Number two, next, both groups are given a task that requires self-control. Their performance is measured. According to the cognitive schema hypothesis, the first group should have the appropriate scheme activated in the first phase and therefore perform better in the second phase.

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_01] In the experiment, however, the opposite occurred. The group that performed a neutral task in the first phase outperformed the other group in the second phase. This fit Baumeister's theory. The first group had depleted a resource that the second group did not. Chocolate, radishes, and ego depletion. Subsequent experiments reinforced this limited resource hypothesis for a variety of traits related to self-control. One of the most interesting studies presented three groups

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_01] with a plate full of both chocolate and radishes. The first group was told only to eat the radishes. The second group was told to eat chocolate. The third was allowed to eat whatever they wanted. Next, they were all given an unsolvable task. The radish group gave up after around eight minutes. The chocolate and no rules groups on the other hand both lasted closer to 20 minutes. The term ego depletion was coined to describe this state of diminished resources following exertion of self-control.

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_01] Further experiments helped rule out other potential contributing factors. Through careful controls for example, researchers were able to show that these depletion effects did not come simply from subjects getting bored with the task or developing a belief that they were not good at it. No matter what angle they attacked it from, the same conclusion arose. Self-control is a limited resource. After a while, your tanks will run empty like a marathoner's muscles failing in the 20th mile. This cannot be avoided.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_01] Improving ego depletion Even though ego depletion is a reality, you shouldn't give up hope. Following our athlete analogy, through practice and control over your environment, you can still work to reduce and delay these effects to a significant degree. Here are the strategies that Baumeister and others have found to be effective. Number one, just as exercise can make muscles stronger, there are signs that regular exertions of self-control can improve willpower strength. Studies show,

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_01] for example, that introducing a small number of targeted, regular self-control activities in your daily routine, such as spending money or exercise, can generate improvements in unrelated areas, such as studying and household chores. Number two, when people expect to have to exert self-control later, they will curtail current performance more severely. If you spread work out over more days, you'll be able to accomplish more in each sitting. And number three, people can exert self-control

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_01] despite ego depletion if the stakes are high enough. This is how you're able to get through those all-nighters. However, there are levels of depletion beyond which people may be unable to control themselves despite what's at stake, which is why the paper you finish at 4 a.m. sucks something fierce. In addition, the following activities or behaviors have also been shown to moderate or counteract the effects of ego depletion. Number one, being in a state of positive emotion such as humor. Number two,

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01] having a detailed plan before beginning the task. Number three, cash incentives. Number four, replenishing glucose. Subjects given lemonade did better than those given an identical-tasting sugar-free substitute. The implications for you. The main conclusion I draw from these analyses, you must treat your daily work like a competitive athletic event. Your self-control is a muscle. If you don't tend to with rigorous training

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_01] and careful schedules of use, you'll perform well below your potential. The following practical tips can help you realign your work habits to this reality. Number one, spread out your work. Marathon sessions spread over many consecutive hours will prove impossible to sustain unless you have a looming deadline. If you want to avoid falling into a pattern of doing all of your work in panicked all-nighters, start early and work in small chunks. Number two, have a plan.

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_01] The more specific your plan, the easier it will be to finish the task. Never again head off to the library with only the vague intention to study. Number three, practice self-control throughout the day. Many students balked at my advice to make your bed in my first book, but there was, it seems, a method to my madness. The more daily practice you get with exerting small doses of self-control, from waking up at a regular time to getting to the gym, the easier it will be to summon your willpower

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_01] during important projects. Number four, eat good meals. You might feel heroic skipping breakfast or pushing through with your work until nine before grabbing dinner, but the lack of food energy will tank your ability to actually accomplish hard work during these times. Taking 20 minutes to grab an energy-rich meal might save you hours on your total workload. Conclusion. In the final accounting, the best advice is to pay attention to your own body.

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_01] Observe when you get tired and when you are able to get a lot done. Experiment with your habits in an effort to increase the time you spend in a latter state. Above all, this research should make one thing clear. The worst strategy is to have none at all. If you work only when you feel like it or deadlines demand and just let the day roll past, you're likely to spend more time than you'd like battling an empty willpower reserve. You just listened to the post titled

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_01] The Science of Procrastination Researchers Tackle Willpower and Our Ability to Control It by Cal Newport of calnewport.com And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_01] That's Dell.com slash deals. Thank you to Cal. I think this is good news for most people because the big idea is that willpower isn't really a character thing. It's more like a muscle or a tank of gas that runs low the more you use it during the day. So those afternoons where you just can't make yourself get started, that's not necessarily you being lazy

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_01] or broken. You're just out of gas. And I think that helps because instead of beating yourself up over it, you can try to work with it. For me, that mostly means doing the hard stuff earlier when the tank's still full and not waiting around to feel like it because that feeling might never show up. And I'm a huge fan of the daily practice, the idea that little steps, even something like

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_01] making your bed, kind of build up that muscle over time. I think that's a big reason this show exists as a daily thing. It's a small, repeated step. I've actually been using these articles as my own little daily practice for years now and there's really no finish line to it. You just keep showing up. So maybe pick one small thing today, something a little hard but doable, and just try to do it early

[00:11:49] [SPEAKER_01] before the tank runs low. Let me know how it goes, but that'll do it for today. Have a great rest of your day. Thank you for being here and I'll see you tomorrow as usual where your optimal life awaits.