Self Control: The Top 10 Ways to Resist Impulses, Control Your Choices and be More Mindful

TL;DR

Increase your self-control and make better decisions by engaging your rational thinking, reframing temptation, building new habits, breaking tasks into small steps, committing publicly, exercising your memory, building resilience, assessing risks, practicing situational awareness, and using scenario analysis.

Transcript

whether you want more time less stress better project leadership less unplanned risk greater influence or to move forward another step in your career self-control will be one of your greatest assets so let's look at 10 techniques you can use based on research by neuroscientists and psychologists all the evidence suggests that we increase our self-c... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤔 Engaging rational thinking allows us to regain self-control and make better decisions by overriding instinctive reactions.
• 🍉 Reframing temptations helps us consider the long-term consequences and impact on others, making us more mindful of our choices.
• 🥶 Building new habits can overwrite old habits by introducing new responses and weakening neurological linkages associated with the old habit.
• 🥳 Breaking tasks into small steps increases motivation and confidence by providing frequent milestones for recognition and celebration.
• 🥹 Public commitment holds us accountable and increases the potential pain of failure, motivating us to follow through on our commitments.
• 🏃 Exercising memory through memorization exercises can improve rational thinking and make using system two a daily habit.
• 🏛️ Building mental and physical resilience reduces the likelihood of defaulting to instinctive behavior due to exhaustion.
• 💄 Assessing risks and considering potential drawbacks before making decisions helps engage system two and make better choices.
• 🤖 Situational awareness and paying attention to our surroundings help us avoid risky situations that can rob us of self-control.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can engaging rational thinking help increase self-control?

Engaging rational thinking allows us to override instinctive reactions and make decisions based on logic and reasoning. This helps us maintain self-control by not succumbing to impulsive behavior.

Q: How can reframing temptations help us make better choices?

By reframing temptations, we can consider the long-term consequences and impact on others. This allows us to resist immediate gratification and make choices that align with our goals and values.

Q: How can building new habits undermine old habits?

When we repeat a response, it strengthens neurological linkages associated with old habits. However, by introducing new habitual responses, we can weaken these linkages and overwrite the old habit with a new one.

Q: Why is breaking tasks into small steps important?

Breaking tasks into small steps makes them seem more manageable and comfortable. It reduces the fear and overwhelm associated with big projects and increases motivation by providing frequent milestones for recognition and celebration.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Engaging our rational thinking allows us to regain self-control by overriding instinctive reactions with logical reasoning.

• Reframing temptations helps us make better choices by considering the long-term consequences and impact on others.

• Building new habits undermines old habits by introducing new responses that weaken neurological linkages.

• Breaking tasks into small steps and acknowledging milestones along the way increases motivation and confidence.