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Distractions and temptations can arise both at work and at home, so to achieve personal and professional goals, it is critical to harness one’s willpower. Whether you’re striving to increase your productivity or break free from bad habits, improving your willpower can be a game-changer.
Below, 15 Forbes Coaches Council members share actionable strategies they’d recommend to their own clients to help them bolster their willpower. From setting realistic goals to celebrating your progress, follow their advice to improve your own self-control and make positive, lasting changes in your life.
1. Set Specific, Measurable Goals
Set specific, measurable goals and consistently follow through on them. This cultivates discipline and determination. Incorporate accountability measures, such as tracking progress or sharing goals with a trusted individual. This provides external support and enhances motivation. Consistent goal-setting and follow-through build the foundation for a resilient mindset and excellent willpower. - Anna Yusim, MD, Yusim Psychiatry, Consulting & Executive Coaching
2. Use The OKR Approach
Using objectives and key results can boost willpower by providing clear, measurable goals. Set a specific objective related to willpower, such as resisting a bad habit, and define key results to track progress, such as daily success rates or improvement metrics. This method brings structure and accountability, aiding in willpower enhancement. - Andre Shojaie, HumanLearn
3. Focus On Building New Habits
Old habits are hard to change. It is much easier to build new ones. Focus your efforts on building new habits and behaviors that allow you to develop the behaviors you want to move toward. - Michele Cohen, Lead to Growth Coaching
4. Start With Achievable Goals
Start with achievable goals: Think Goldilocks—neither too easy nor too hard, but just right. Choose a small, daily objective, maintain consistency and track progress. Celebrate wins along the way, gradually raising the bar. Setbacks should be viewed as a valuable part of the learning journey. This incremental approach builds discipline, which is crucial for professional and personal growth. - Ricky Muddimer, Thinking Focus
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5. Lean Into Your Existing Capabilities
Explore and utilize your existing capabilities. What are examples of when you were able to leverage your willpower in the past? How did you manage that? What comes to your mind that you could use now? - Debbie Hogan, Academy of Solution Focused Training Pte Ltd
6. Take Note Of Situations Where You Are More Impulsive
One strategy for improving willpower is to take note of the types of situations where you tend to be more impulsive. Do you show up differently when feeling stressed? How about when you are feeling on top of the world and make a decision without thinking through its impact? Being aware of specific triggers will help you plan to avoid them and practice your ability to control what you do next. - Kathleen Shanley, Statice
7. Share With Others That You Are Working On It
One step a client should take to improve their willpower is to share with others that they are working on it. Too often, we try to tackle changes in behavior on our own, and we fail. A better approach is to try it together. Share with a peer, a friend or a family member where you are struggling and how you want to improve. Allow them to encourage you and keep you on track in your journey! - Jill Helmer, Jill Helmer Consulting
8. Focus On Your Life Purpose
When people focus on their life purpose, all other things start to serve them much more easily. Willpower is driven by intrinsic motivation, and it depends on how individuals perceive themselves in carrying out that life purpose. Sometimes, people also need rest to get the energy they need in order to develop willpower and best use it. - Dominik Szot, MIA
9. Follow The ‘10-Minute Rule’
A great practice to enhance willpower is the “10-minute rule.” If you feel an impulse to indulge in a bad habit, wait 10 minutes. This brief pause allows your rational mind to catch up with your impulses, often leading to better decisions. - Peter Boolkah, The Transition Guy
10. Create Environments That Make Tasks Easier
I’m a big believer that willpower doesn’t work; instead, you need to create environments that allow you to do whatever needs doing with the least amount of friction—especially when going through decision fatigue. Willpower won’t get you out of bed on a cold morning to go for a run; knowing that your running gear has already been set aside the night before for you to get into, however, will. - Dr. Rakish Rana, The Clear Coach
11. Focus On The Small Wins
It takes an average of 66 days to build a new habit, and you may need to “unlearn” some bad ones in the process. Notice and celebrate every small step you take in the desired direction. Then, write it down and periodically reflect on the progress you’ve made. Sometimes, we are so focused on how far we want to go that we forget to see how far we’ve already come. - Kristy Busija, Next Conversation Coaching, LLC
12. Do Something You Don’t Want To Do
You can exercise the specific place in your brain that impacts willpower (the anterior cingulate cortex). Pick something “safe” that you don’t want to do, and do it. Maybe avoid looking at your phone during meetings. Practice until it’s easy. Keep challenging yourself in this way to strengthen your willpower. Willpower is also impacted by sleep, nutrition, physical exercise and your beliefs. - Laurie Sudbrink, Unlimited Coaching Solutions, Inc.
13. Try ‘Willpower Priming’
I would recommend a client try “willpower priming.” Start the day with a challenging task, such as a short workout, a meditation or a healthy breakfast. By achieving this early success, it boosts motivation and self-control, making it easier to handle bigger challenges and resist temptations throughout the day. Over time, this priming effect strengthens overall willpower and helps cultivate healthy habits. - Anna Barnhill, Barnhill Group Consulting, Inc
14. Practice Mindfulness
Practice mindfulness to improve your willpower. By cultivating awareness of your thoughts and impulses, you can better regulate your behavior and make conscious choices aligned with your goals. Incorporating mindfulness exercises, such as meditation or deep breathing, can help enhance self-control and strengthen your willpower muscle over time. - Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D, Human Capital Innovations
15. Increase The Pleasure Taking An Action Provides
Willpower is useless. We are wired to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. Only when the pleasure is way stronger than the pain are we willing to take action. Increasing the level of pleasure, instead of willpower, gives you more motivation to move forward. Methods of doing so include thinking positively about the action, setting up rewards for completing the action and linking that action to your strongest desire. - Minna Hu, AI Business Coach Inc.
