Maximum Willpower: How to Master the New Science of Self-Control

by Kelly McGonigal

For example, one willpower-training programme asked participants to create and meet self-imposed deadlines. You could do this for any task you’ve been putting off, such as cleaning out your wardrobe. The deadlines might be: Week 1, open the door and stare at the mess; Week 2, tackle anything that’s on a hanger. Week 3, throw out anything that predates the Thatcher government. Week 4, find out if Oxfam accepts skeletons; Week 5 – well, you get the picture. When the willpower trainees set this kind of schedule for themselves for two months, not only did wardrobes get cleared and projects completed, but they also improved their diets, exercised more, and cut back on cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine.