AVOIDING DISCOMFORT IS… UNCOMFORTABLE
Your alarm goes off at 5 a.m. You’re tired. It’s cold and blustery outside. You begin negotiating with your mind about sleeping another few minutes… or maybe until 6 a.m. But the thing is, you told yourself the day before that you were going to wake up early and get started on your goals. So what do you do?
This week, we talk about building up your willpower so you can, and will, do what you’ve been avoiding. You can do hard things! Hallie and I talk about why putting off decisions actually leads to more discomfort than just doing what we’ve been putting off, and how to stack your habits in a way that replenishes your willpower throughout the day. We go over the concept of “revenge bedtime procrastination” and the benefits of setting an alarm clock for your bedtime (more tips on the power of sleep here). We also get personal on where we use our willpower daily, and what we are always working to improve on.
Take a listen and let us know what you think with a comment below! If you like what you hear, make sure to subscribe and share with a friend.
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Timestamps For Our Willpower Episode:
[5:29] Whether it’s getting in a cold pool, waking up early to exercise, or doing a habit you tend to resist, our mind tries to keep us safe by making excuses of why we shouldn’t or can’t do something.
[5:48] Many times, the suffering we feel when dreading doing the activity is actually worse than doing the activity itself.
[7:24] Hallie talks about wanting to wake up at 5 a.m., and the common struggle of wanting to start your day vs. staying in a comfy bed.
[9:26] Our willpower gives us the inertia to override our system and get in motion. When you use your willpower initially, you can create habits that actually give you more resolve and clarity, such as meditation, journaling, and eating healthily.
[13:24] We can lie to our minds to get out of conflict when, in reality, it causes us more anguish to put off and ignore the things we know make us feel the best.
[14:16] It’s a lot more often that you suffer in the mind about the situation than you ever do actually dealing with the situation.
[16:41] How can willpower help us make better decisions?
[19:52] The more habits you can stack that are positive, the less reserved willpower you’ll have to use in the moment.
[20:22] What are you avoiding in life because you don’t like the discomfort of it or the idea of discomfort from it?
[24:03] Revenge bedtime procrastination is when people put off going to bed to engage in activities they don’t have time for during the day. Often, we sacrifice essential sleep for our own entertainment.
[29:05] You can either have pain and discomfort from growth or you can have pain from mediocrity or staying in the status quo.
[29:41] We talk about setting your alarm at night to begin a bedtime ritual that will set you up for success the next day.
