Filtered dossier

self-control

  • 6 / 6
  • No visual on file
    Habit Loops Entry #0309

    Why willpower explains less than environment

    People who score highest on self-control report resisting fewer temptations rather than winning more fights. The difference was arranged in advance.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0309

    Self-control measured as struggle predicts less than self-control arranged as the absence of struggle.

    Open file
  • No visual on file
    Habit Loops Entry #0316

    The reason quitting is easier than moderating

    A total rule is decided once. A limit must be re-decided at every occasion, and each occasion is a fresh opportunity to decide differently.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0316

    A limit is not one decision kept many times. It is many decisions, and only one of them has to go the other way.

    Open file
  • No visual on file
    Decision Architecture Entry #1114

    Why binding your future self beats relying on willpower

    Precommitment works because a calm self restricts the options of a future impulsive self, turning a willpower problem into a structural constraint.

    Master
    The hidden part #1114

    You cannot out-argue your future self, but you can take away its options.

    Open file
  • No visual on file
    Decision Architecture Entry #1112

    Why writing down when and where you will act works

    Implementation intentions work because a written when-and-where plan hands control to the situation, so the action fires without a fresh decision.

    Adept
    The hidden part #1112

    A goal names the destination; an if-then plan names the moment the journey starts.

    Open file
  • No visual on file
    Decision Fatigue Entry #0839

    The reason a hectic day ends in an impulse buy

    A hectic day ends in an impulse buy because accumulated decisions deplete self-control, and the evening brain trades long-term prudence for immediate gratification.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0839

    The impulse buy is not the day’s last decision — it is the decision that happens when the ability to decide well has been used up.

    Open file