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Everyone has one or two things they wish they could change about their lives. The desire to climb heights in your professional career and self-improvement is part of your human DNA. However, failures and struggles always loom around every facet of human endeavors. In the face of troubling times, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, you need enormous amounts of willpower to steer your business through the crisis. So, here are a few ways to increase your willpower.
Exercise your body
Most workers skip exercise routines because they have this erroneous perception that physical activities are only suitable for building huge muscles. On the contrary, research studies have proven that physical exercises help lower stress levels and improve performance on the job. For example, one study conducted by the University of Bristol researchers on the topic "stress, exercise, and the workplace" found eye-opening results. About 72% of workers reported that they were able to manage their time better during their exercise days. As if that was not good enough, another 79% testified that exercises improved their mental health and interpersonal performances. All in all, the research project backs the importance of exercise for improving productivity in the workplace.
Nourish your brain with protein diets
Your brain is more or less the powerhouse of your whole being. As the center of your nervous system, your mind controls your emotions, cognitive abilities, actions, inactions, memory, and almost every activity going on in your body. Therefore, it’ll be beneficial to empower your decision-making lever by feeding your brain with healthy, sumptuous meals containing adequate amounts of protein. Ideally, you may want to eat regularly by nourishing your thinking machine with veggies, complex carbs, and low-glycemic meals. These will help your brain to stay healthy and improve your willpower.
Reward your success
In some cases, people lose confidence because they ignore their success. It's not all the time you have to wait for people to reward you for your achievements. Reward yourself when you think you have accomplished a lot. For example, assuming you have reached a major milestone in your job, celebrate it with gratitude. If you have hit your fitness goals to lose weight, pat yourself on the back. This, too, can improve your willpower since you will always be looking at the bright side of life.
Approach changes gradually
Although willpower is controllable, increasing it cannot be done in a day. Just like your muscles take time to build after workouts, boosting willpower is not something that you can fully achieve overnight. So, approach the change gradually, instead of trying to affect a myriad of changes at a time. Have a clear map of the goals you want to achieve for the long term and work within the time frames. After all, slow and steady wins the race.
Get enough sleep
Your ability to control your mind also depends on how much rest you get. Too much work and little rest can take a severe toll on your brainpower. The fact is that tiredness deprives your body of delivering enough glucose to your brain. On the other hand, if you get good sleep, it allows your body to make good use of the available glucose. But just how many hours of sleep is enough for your body? Well, for adults, sleeping for seven to eight hours per night is okay for your health.
Be safety conscious
Another way to boost your willpower is to avoid risky situations. Always be aware of your surrounding and try your best to adhere to safety measures. You can also go the extra mile to learn what to do when faced with risky situations such as spills from dangerous substances. For example, if you work in a hazardous environment, it will help to prioritize material safety data sheet management.
Avoid procrastination
Procrastination is the thief of time and an enemy of success. Therefore, strive to get your tasks done in time and clear them from your work table. As a business owner, communication is critical. When you have tons of unread messages hanging in your inbox, they can build up and stress you. You may never know which email is crucially important until you read it. Therefore, instead of piling up tons of tasks to be done at a go, ensure that you attend to them in time. This will help you avoid stressful loads of work that erode willpower. Business-wise, customers who spend so much time waiting for feedback can gradually give up on your company before your late reply reaches them. Also, today's award-winning entrepreneurs value efficiency. So be up to your tasks, or outsource them if you feel that pressure is exceeding your work rate.
Go for a Break
Tony Schartz, a consulting firm leader, summarizes the importance of breaks as follows. "When you don't have any downtime for workers to refresh themselves and recharge, they'll gradually become less efficient and prone to making needless mistakes." But how does this connect with willpower? Recent studies have shown that many employees work long hours without going for breaks. The only break they get is during lunchtime. Unfortunately, this weakens their willpower. It's only a matter of time before they run into burnout. Taking routine breaks away from work can boost productivity because workers will come back stronger to continue their good work.
Practice meditation
Meditation is a form of devotional exercise. It's taking time off from external interference to contemplate your whole being sober. Meditation can help you understand the things that are weighing you down, and how you can rebuild yourself toward a better future. Every man is a summary of his thoughts. When you become mindful of your real identity, you can unlock a massive amount of willpower that you never thought you had.
To summarize, many experts agree that "willpower is like a muscle." Thankfully, to some degree, it can be built gradually with practice. When your willpower is depleted, you may find it hard to overcome stumbling blocks. Therefore, increase your willpower to increase your productivity.