“People who are good at self-control … seem to be structuring their lives in a way to avoid having to make a self-control decision in the first place.”—psychologist Brian Galla, quoted by Brian Resnick in the article Why willpower is overrated.
From the same article:
“Structuring your life is a skill. People who do the same activity, like running or meditating, at the same time each day have an easier time accomplishing their goals, he says — not because of their willpower, but because the routine makes it easier.”
Willpower gets used up and simply cannot be used until it is replenished.
Habits, once established, require no willpower.
I’m planning more articles on developing the writing habit. In the meantime here are some I’ve already written:
- This post includes a list of books I highly recommend for understanding and building habits.
- Expand your scope. An orderly life benefits your art.
- A simple, nearly unfailable procedure I’ve created for building a writing habit (and not, as many folks do, building the habit of not writing.)
This is an area where knowing your specific struggles will help be research the best advice to share.
Where do you struggle to create the habit of writing?
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