5 Easy to Implement Lifestyle Habits for Better Self Control

Admit it; your self-control is terrible.

You know what to eat to stay healthy but prefer junk food.

You have grandiose ideas about financial independence but can’t drag yourself away from Netflix.

While your ancestors risked life and limb fighting saber-toothed tigers, you can’t even find the energy to write a few words on a screen.

It’s not all your fault. We live in the age of the cheap dopamine hit. But it’s time to take responsibility. I’m going to show you how to improve your self-control which will benefit every area of your life.

1. Remove temptation.

I’ve had a problem with food for years. The medication I take for my mental health issues has the nasty side effect of constant hunger — and not for carrots and broccoli.

I’ve vowed many times to stop eating junk and relied on my willpower to get through.

I failed every time.

The failure made me feel bad about myself, which made me want to eat more, and it became a vicious downward cycle.

In one year, I gained 80 lbs.

So I took willpower out of the equation. I stopped buying junk food. I can’t give up and eat chocolate in the middle of the night if I don’t have any.

The good thing about this simple strategy is it can apply to all kinds of addiction and temptation.

If you worry that you drink too much, then as part of an overall treatment plan, you could buy less alcohol.

If you smoke too much, buy fewer cigarettes.

Stop relying on your willpower and do things that make it easy for you to succeed.

2. Make fewer decisions.

Steve Jobs used to wear the same outfit every day. He wasn’t a tramp or lazy. He did it to avoid “decision fatigue.”

We have a limited amount of energy every day. Every time we have to make a decision, that energy depletes.

Worry too much about what to wear, what to eat, what to watch on tv, or whether to go to the gym, and you exhaust your reserves. Then when it comes to the big decisions, you’re already spent for the day.

Automate as much of your life as possible. Set your clothes out the night before, prep meals in advance, and prepare your stuff for the gym before it’s time to go.

The energy to begin a task is the greatest. Once I’m at my computer, writing is easy. Navigating my way through the temptations of time-wasting and procrastination is tricky.

So figure out the important things in your day and save your energy for those. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

3. Take up Martial Arts or sports.

This may sound extreme, but Karate made me the person I am today. Any competitive sport can have the same benefit.

To succeed, you must train regularly, regardless of how you feel. I’ve trained through sickness and injury, sometimes pulling myself out of bed.

When I went on vacation to Japan, I found a Japanese Dojo and a Karate Sensei, so I didn’t miss a week of training. Practicing Karate in Japan was a fantastic experience.

When I broke my toes, I carried on training and kicked with the other foot.

I learned to take a hit and keep fighting. I broke my ribs and got struck so hard that I lost vision. I kept fighting.

You must practice the same boring drills to improve in any martial art or sport. In Karate, this consisted of thousands of kicks and punches into the air.

All these lessons apply to other endeavors.

To be a writer, you must practice daily, regardless of illness or how you feel.

When you experience setbacks, you keep going because you know you only lose when you quit.

As a writer, I use the same frameworks over and over again. Find new ways to write about the same topics and keep putting in the reps.

Deliberate, boring practice is how you succeed in any area of life.

4. Think of the bigger picture.

When in doubt, zoom out. Don’t think about how tedious your day-to-day tasks are.

Instead, ask yourself what your goals for the next year are. How about 5 or 10 years?

My ten-year goal is to grow a writing business. I can envision all the benefits to my life due to that business.

Suddenly, it becomes easy to work hard now for little reward to grow exponentially in the future. If I do the work, I can’t fail.

Focusing on the bigger picture helps you avoid doing things that lead to guilt.

You know you don’t feel good when you sack off your writing practice to watch tv. You think you do, but as the day concludes, you feel groggy, unfulfilled, and guilty.

You feel tired through lethargy.

If instead, you work on your future and advance in the life of your dreams, you will feel satisfied and tired in a healthy way.

What will others think of how you live your life? It’s cute to say other people’s opinion doesn’t matter, but what about the opinion of people you love?

Will your children be proud of you for working on your goals and making a better life for yourself and your family?

Or will they see you as a slob who just made do with a mediocre existence?

5. Expose yourself to difficult situations.

As a Police Officer, I had to deal with people I despised.

Drunk drivers that killed someone.

People who abused their partners or children.

Rapists, burglars, and thieves.

I detested them all, yet I had to treat them respectfully and even look after them while they were under arrest.

I had to get them blankets if they were cold, cook them dinner if they were hungry, and sometimes I had to watch them for my entire shift to ensure they didn’t harm themselves.

One of the primary skills of being a Cop is being provoked and not responding.

My life has been threatened more times than I can remember. One person told me he would rape my mother and cut her heart out. They even threatened to kill my children, which would have hurt if I had any.

If a suspect attacked me, I would have to fight to protect myself and yet be careful what I did to them. I couldn’t just beat them to the floor. I had to attempt restraint holds, ensure the suspect could breathe, and perform first aid if he got injured.

Where else would you have to protect your assailant?

Final thoughts.

The benefits of self-control will seep into every area of your life. You’ll gain the confidence of knowing you are in control of your life. You get to decide how you spend every day, and you can do whatever needs to be done regardless of how you feel.

You can make self-control easier by eliminating temptation and protecting your finite energy reserves.

But absolute self-control comes from forcing yourself through the barrier of discomfort. You have to be willing to feel pain and not run away. Push the boundaries of your comfort zone and make it a habit to improve yourself.

Your future isn’t forged on the couch but in the world of action.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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