Willpower is like cycling
[ Posted by Janka ]
Some time ago I wrote about the concept of "motivation" and why it does not appeal to me.
Another concept that's lately started to seem unhelpful is "willpower". This came up when I talked to a friend about how I had managed to make some changes, and he remarked that he does not think he would have the willpower(*) for similar decisions.
As is manifested e.g. by how it is typically modeled in role-playing games, people tend to think that the willpower to do things or to refrain from impulses is something you generate when you rest. You then store it in your brain (or wherever). When you are doing things, or refraining from impulses, you use up smaller or bigger amounts of it, until it gets depleted, and you rest again.
I don't think that's how it works. It is obviously harder to resist temptations and to get off your arse while being tired, be it mentally worn out or physically exhausted or lacking sleep, but once you are better off, it does not get easier to start and do things instead of opening another can of beer the longer you stay idle. In fact, it gets harder. You do not generate willpower while you are not using it. The rest does not give you willpower; it simply removes a block (the exhaustion) from using what you already have.
Instead, you generate the power to resist temptations and to do what you want to do by doing it. The trick is to do it, but not to overdo it. It is like cycling: if you move too fast, you exhaust yourself and fall over, but if you move too slow, you also fall over and starting up again is harder work than keeping on going would have been.
Or with another silly metaphore, willpower is like the water in a river. As long as you stand in the river, you do not run out of water to wash yourself. Surely you can also stand on the shore, lug the water up with a pail, wash one part of yourself, and do the lugging again, but why should you bother? It's nicer to swim. Just don't go into too strong currents or you will drown.
(*) To said friend: yes, I know I oversimplify the discussion almost beyond recognizable, but the rest of it is not important to this post.
