Willpower Tips, Day 8

Studies have shown that if you only think about behavior you’ve done that’s consistent with your willpower goal, you’re likely to end up doing behavior that’s inconsistent with your goal. You need to record your willpower failures too.

For example, in binge eating treatment, the standard recording is:

– Planned eating times (not more than 3-4 hours apart), done in advance.

– Daily self monitoring of what person actually ate and when, associated comments (such as thoughts and feelings), and labeling of binge incidents with a letter B.

– Weekly monitoring of weight, how many “good days” person had (out of 7), how many incidents of binge eating occurred in the week, and menstrual periods (if applicable).

– If the person purges, they also record this in the daily and weekly records.

What recording of willpower successes and failures would work for your willpower goal?