Name: Willpower
Rating: 3.764705882352941 (17 reviews)
ISBN: 9781594203077

Roy F. Baumeister

John Marion Tierney

The authors review the latest research to report key findings on willpower and offer practical advice for increasing it.

Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength

Willpower

Katie Cheng

Should probably be my guiding light in life...

Big ideas:

1. Willpower is more than a metaphor. It is limited, it can be depleted, and some have more than others. Yet it can also be learned and trained. 

2. Willpower can be preserved by outsourcing the mental strain. Break down large goals into smaller tasks. Choose definitive next steps in ambiguous situations. Make plans and maintain good habits so the use of willpower is unnecessary. Make clear goals ("bright lines") and keep yourself accountable.

3. Remember the Zeigarnik effect - unfinished business will stay on your mind and eat away at your mental resources. Instead, write them down.

4. Similarly, learn to close doors on options. Juggling the maintenance of multiple options has a long-term price.

"He believed that a professional writer needed to set aside at least four hours a day for his job: 'He doesn't have to write, and if he doesn't feel like it, he shouldn't try. He can look out of the window or stand on his head or writhe on the floor, but he is not to do any other positive thing, not read, write letters, glance at magazines, or write checks.'" (p 254)

Luca Conti

I already read to many books on similar topics (habits, procrastination, behavior, addiction) so I didn't find anything really new or useful.

Kelly Barrera

Ibrahim Seliman

Cristhian Tilleria

Ricardo

Martin Weitzel

Danny olivo

Reiko Fu

Nada Ghanim

Mounir Bashour

John Tierney

Can you resist everything except temptation? In a hedonistic age full of distractions, it's hard to possess willpower - or in fact even understand why we should need it. Yet it's actually the most important factor in achieving success and a happy life, shown to be more significant than money, looks, background or intelligence. This book reveals the secrets of self-control. For years the old-fashioned, even Victorian, value of willpower has been disparaged by psychologists who argued that we're largely driven by unconscious forces beyond our control. Here Roy Baumeister, one of the world's most esteemed and influential psychologists, and journalist John Tierney, turn this notion on its head. They show us that willpower is like a muscle that can be strengthened with practice. The latest laboratory work reveals that self-control has a physical basis and so is dramatically affected by simple things such as eating and sleeping - to the extent that a life-changing decision may go in different directions depending on whether it's made before or after lunch. You will discover how babies can be taught willpower, the joys of the to-don't list, the success of Alcoholics Anonymous, the pointlessness of diets and the secrets to David Blaine's stunts. There are also fascinating personal stories, from explorers, students, soldiers, ex-addicts and parents. Based on years of psychological research and filled with practical advice, this book will teach you how to gain from self-control without pain, and discover the very real power in willpower. The results are nothing short of life-changing.

Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength

James Paden

Robin Peek

Mahogany Skillings

Edward Wexler-Beron

Jonathan Thomas

Christian Rotzoll

Szymon Sosulski

Lemonia Stroubos

A forefront psychologist and a New York Times science writer draw on a landmark study linking will power to glucose levels, identifying the pivotal roles of healthy eating and sleeping in achieving personal goals while outlining strategic recommendations for establishing self-control habits. Reprint.

Adeniyi Joseph

Willpower Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength

Reviews

Highlights