Willpower For Dummies

Frank Ryan is a clinical psychologist and cognitive therapist, specialising in cognition and impulse control. He is also the author of Cognitive Therapy For Addiction, published by Wiley.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 3Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 4Where to Go from Here 4Part I: Getting Started with Willpower 5Chapter 1: All About Willpower 7Equating Willpower and Success 7Recognising that You Do Have Willpower 8Understanding How Willpower Works 10Considering the origins and workings of willpower 10Realising that willpower is a shared resource 14Realising that willpower is a limited resource 16Being Aware of Addiction Issues 17Increasing Your Willpower 18Chapter 2: Willpower and You 21Linking Personality and Willpower 22Exploring the Big Five Facets of Personality 22Reading Your Feelings 26Emotion is in the eye of the beholder 27Negative emotions are more compelling 29Connecting Your Emotions and Willpower 29Appreciating the Role of Positive Emotions 30Considering Your Beliefs about Willpower 31Part II: Taking Seven Steps to Improved Willpower 35Chapter 3: Training Your Willpower: The Willpower Workshop 37Developing Problem-Solving Skills 38Distinguishing between worrying and problem solving 38Using the 5W1H approach 40Feeding Your Brain: The Willpower Diet 43Preventing your brain from getting rusty! 43Avoiding a diet that reduces your willpower 44Realising that the quick fix is not the best fix 46Matching food to willpower challenges 47Taking Physical Exercise 48Exercising Your Brain 50Developing Your Willpower Muscle 51Chapter 4: Zeroing in on a Single Goal 53Working Memory: Your Brain’s Desktop 54Contrasting working memory and long-term memory 54Being single-minded 55Looking at Motivation: The Essence of Willpower 57Choosing the right goal at the right time 57Identifying priorities: Your personal balance sheet 58Identifying Your Values 59Setting SMART Goals 60Prioritising, Preparing and Performing 62Ways to Nudge Yourself 63Chapter 5: Recognising that Change is a Journey that Takes Time 67Seeing the Cycle of Change 67Precontemplation 69Contemplation 70Preparation 70Action 70Maintenance 71Relapse 73Realising when it’s Okay to Quit (or Quit Quitting!) 73Review and reflect 74Know that old habits die hard 75Chapter 6: Know Your Triggers! Forewarned is Forearmed 79Identifying Your Triggers 79Recognising your internal and external triggers 80Being prepared 82Planning to Cope 84Putting the ‘if, then’ strategy to use 86Acting on the ‘now versus later’ strategy 87Forming and Changing Habits 88Chapter 7: Be Kind to Yourself When You Fail 93Taking Responsibility While Avoiding Self-blame 93Accepting the responsibility to do better 94Seeing failure as an opportunity for change 95Forgoing self-blame 95Losing hurts 96Recovering from a Setback 98Switching your perspective 98Managing negative thoughts 99Restoring your confidence 102Re-evaluating and re-setting your goal 103Chapter 8: Rewarding Yourself along the Way 105Being Your Own Willpower Coach 106Making use of the science of rewards 106Climbing the goal ladder 108Identifying Your Talents 112Expanding your talents 112Reinforcing your effort 113Using Rewarding Activities to Boost Willpower 114Pinpointing preferential activities 115Identifying flow experiences 116Celebrating Success 117Giving yourself a medal! 117Savouring success 118Chapter 9: Maintaining Your Progress 119Meeting Your Brain’s CEO 120Running hot and cold 120Putting your willpower CEO to work 122Using Your Memory to Boost Your Willpower 124Exploring memory 125Burying your old memories with new ones 125Using Motivation to Boost Willpower 129Expecting Your Willpower to Work 130Part III: Following Up for Success 133Chapter 10: Developing and Maintaining Realistic Optimism 135Aiming for Realistic Optimism 136Determining what makes an optimist or a pessimist 137Appreciating the good with the not so good 138Perfectionism and Procrastination: The Twin Enemies of Willpower! 138Recognising procrastination 139Engaging in perfectionism 139Overcoming unhelpful tendencies 140Thinking Styles and Predicting Positive or Negative Outcomes 143Predicting the future 143Exploring thinking styles with the 3Ps 144Linking Self-confidence and Willpower 147Disempowering pessimism 148Boosting your self-confidence 149Chapter 11: Creating a Lifestyle That Promotes Willpower 151Looking on the Bright Side 151Managing Stress 152Perceiving and coping with stress 153Depleting your willpower 155Connecting stress to performance 155Reacting to chronic stress 157Managing Your Mood with Food 157The right food, the right mood 157Sugar high, sugar low 158Sleeping Your Way to Willpower 159Making Physical and Mental Exercise Routine 161Getting sufficient physical exercise 161Exercising your brain 162Part IV: The Part of Tens 163Chapter 12: (More Than) Ten Things to Know about Willpower 165Brain Fitness is Essential for Willpower 166The importance of being match fit 166The art of perseverance 167You Can’t Have a Willpower Bypass 167Willpower Varies between People 168Looking at the three reasons why willpower varies 168Focus is Your Friend 171Find something that grabs your attention 171Practise mindfulness 171Willpower Works on One Goal at a Time 172Tiredness Triggers Temptation 173Hunger Zaps Your Willpower 174Keep Calm, or Get Calm, and Carry On 174Cut Yourself Some Slack and Reward Yourself for Trying! 175Just Do Nothing: Give Your Brain a Rest 176Plan for Failure, Find Success 176Chapter 13: Ten Ways to Support Your Willpower 179Eating a Breakfast of Willpower Champions 179Training Your Brain 180De-cluttering Your Personal Space 180Knowing what You’re Drinking 181Managing Your Anger 181Planning Your Shopping 182Prioritising Your Resolutions 182Being Assertive Rather Than Submissive or Confrontational 183Tackling Your Problems Stepwise 183Being Optimistic but Realistic 184Chapter 14: Ten (Plus) Willpower-related Websites and Apps 185Using Smartphone Apps 185Keeping Your Brain Fit with SharpBrains 186Recording Your Goals with GoalWriter 187Dieting with the Beck Diet Solution 187Monitoring Your Physical Exercise 188Training Your Brain 188Generic brain training 189Specific brain training 189Managing Your Mood 190Finding Mindfulness and Meditation 191Overcoming Harmful Habits 192Improving Your Well-being with Authentic Happiness 192Having a Laugh 193Index 195