Daily willpower and so much to DO...
When it comes to making choices, so much willpower can be drained just thinking about it, it has been shown that making silly little choices throughout the day depletes your willpower reserves. When I say silly choices, I mean things that make you think WTF... For instance, scrolling down your Facebook feed and seeing all these articles, actually chip away at your willpower reserves with many little decisions like, to read or not, to like or not, to share or not. One great way to avoid this is by automating the decision making process.
Lets say you love music, and there is a band you really enjoy... If you see this band on Facebook your automatic reaction is to like it... and that automatic reaction took no willpower, it was as though there was no choice. Acknowledging your existing reaction systems and implementing new ones can make things a whole lot easier for you as the day draws out.
More of a real world example would be breakfast... it happens every day, so why not
prepare for it. some people only eat oats, with no other alternative. Others create a routine of oats on Monday, cereal on Tuesday, toast on Wednesday, etc.
The idea is the focus less on things that don't really matter, making less decisions on those things so there is more willpower to make better decisions on the important things.
Things like what to wear, what to eat for breakfast, what route to take to work, are all things that happen daily, and can be automated with a bit of routine.
Freeing up your willpower from those decisions help you make better decisions when it comes to the hard stuff and better yet, help you stick with the decisions you have already made... Going to the gym, completing that project at work, what investments are good, keeping out of the Savings account... the list can go on.
When faced with activities, some could be meaningful, menial or just a waste of time, those which are menial should be delegated, if possible, to those who could perform it better and wastes of time should be eliminated. Meaningful activities are a lot more fun and exiting, so you would perform them better and feel more fulfilled doing them, on top of that, it takes less willpower to do things you would like to do. So here is an interesting tool from Tim Feriss, Author of the 4-Hour Work Week.
This flow chart is pretty straight forward, and lets you think about what you are doing with your time. In the beginning most things might end up being an obligation, but as you get better at your strengths, and they show, you will be able to delegate things that others can do better so you will have time to do things that are more important for you.
I have found this useful from time to time. Let me know if this has helped you, or if there is anything you would add.
