The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results (Abstract of the book)

Your willpower is like a fuel tank: choose carefully where you use it or you may run out when you really need it.

Most people are painfully aware that they do not have ironclad willpower. What is surprising, however, is that research has shown that our willpower, far from being a constant resource, actually drains at varying rates throughout the day, depending on what activities we engage in.

For example, our willpower is depleted when we make decisions to focus our attention, suppress our emotions or modify our behavior in pursuit of a goal. When our willpower has been drained, we are less able to exert it should further tasks call upon this resource.

This would explain why you may be unable to resist a tasty snack after a period of making tough decisions or being engaged in tedious work.

Giving in to a “guilty pleasure” is one thing, but if you are making life and death decisions when your willpower is low, the consequences are potentially much more serious.

For prisoners, few decisions are as important as the ruling at the next parole-board hearing. Could decisions of such gravity be influenced by something as arbitrary as the time of day?

Research involving Israeli parole judges shows that they could: judges were much more likely to give favorable judgments at the start of a parole hearing than towards the end. This is because the judges tended to rely on the default decision of “no parole” as the day wore on and their willpower ran low. The rate of favorable judgments picked up again after breaks and a snack.

Full-strength willpower requires a full tank, so plan your day so that you can avoid making key decisions or judgments when you’re running low.

Your willpower is like a fuel tank: choose carefully where you use it or you may run out when you really need it.