Simple Tips to Boost Self-Control

I do not like grocery shopping. All those rows of black beans. Shelves filled with pasta and bread and soup and four varieties of Almond Milk and eggs. Geez, there are a dozen type of eggs. Eggs, people. All these choices just plumb wear me out.

I am grateful, too. I get that it’s a privilege to have an abundance of choices. I marvel at the opportunity. But the sheer  volume of information coming our way from the grocery store shelves and gazillion television channels and the Internet and iPods and tablets and phones bombards with ideas and info and gossip and issues can also leave me feeling worn, depleted and psychologically wiped out. This happens for most people, and that sets up another cluster of problems.

Researchers like Kathleen Vohs have shown that the less self-control we have the more likely we are to make unhealthy choices.

After a day of dealing with so many decisions at work and at home, our willpower is wiped out and so are we. So, we do what’s easy. We hit the next highway exit in search of the nearest McDonald’s rather than deciding what to make for dinner. Working out? Why, when it’s easier to lay on the couch. Rather than passing on the after-dinner snack, we’ll pick up the bowl (or gallon) of cream.

But recent research also indicates that our moods and beliefs can buffer against waning willpower – an affect psychologists call ego-depletion.  And, we can give ourselves a break by simply making fewer choices.

Take it from me, Ms. Type A, turning off some of the noise in your life a little at a time will help you hear more of the music. This is really about simplifying things a bit. Here’s how.

Turn off technology. At least an hour a day. The more time away the better. No television, phone, email, Furbies, iPods, tablets, heck, don’t even answer the door, attend the meeting, or talk to anyone through the remote microphone at the drive-thru window. Just be in the quiet. Read if you want. Meditate. Clean the house. Sit still. At first you’ll feel a bit panicked, as though you aren’t getting enough done, but in time you’ll see that your body is working to heal and restore and soon, you’ll feel buoyed by interesting ideas or thoughts you’ve never been quiet enough to notice that will help you be healthier, more productive, satisfied.
Keep it simple. Make some decisions before they ever come up. Really. Decide right now to order the same coffee drink – every time. I buy the same black beans each time I’m at the store. I’m not even looking at the other brands. Keep the simple things, well, uh, simple.
Do something that takes your complete focus. Rumination – the constant processing, worrying, dwelling on things we are stressed about – is depleting. But, when we immerse ourselves in something we are curious about or interested in that absorbs all of our attention, our more optimistic nature kicks in and we are less likely to ruminate during and after. When I’m playing my flaming-red ukulele, I’m not thinking about how much money I need to transfer to pay the bills. When I’m golfing, I’m consumed by just that – after all, it takes a lot of focus to go looking for lost golf balls. Find the thing that you have fun doing, the thing that absorbs you and do it. This also helps raise your mood and there is some evidence to suggest that being in a better mood helps shore up self-control. Watch a funny film, do something kind for another, savor the outdoors.

Try these tips to subtly simplify your life and shore up your self-control . Chances are you’ll feel more energized than depleted at the end of the day.