Willpower
by Roy F. Baumeister, John Tierney · first published 2011
48% recommend48% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Research-backed look at self-control as a limited resource, mixing studies with practical tips for everyday discipline; readers cite its clear examples for anyone wanting to understand and manage their willpower.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The authors review the latest research to report key findings on willpower and offer practical advice for increasing it.
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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A really excellent followup to the study that was linked to around here about 6 months ago that found out "willpower" is an exhaustible resource that needs to be managed throughout your day. The book[1] this article is reviewing discusses learning to exercise your will power through little mini tasks throughout the…
on “The Sugary Secret of Self-Control” ↗The article was written by one of the coauthors of Willpower (http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human...). I read this book last week and it was terrific. A great blend of fascinating studies and practical advice. Also, while many pop psych…
on “Why two men committing the same crime get different chances at a parole” ↗…wasn't until 2 years ago that I started feeling the effects: chronic fatigue, I was always feeling lethargic, etc. eating breakfast changed everything (a healthy diet really). Check out this book about Willpower and the role of glucose. http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human...
on “Tired of Being Tired” ↗…did. Perhaps it would work for you: - Create a todo list. Each thing must be specific, measurable and unambiguous. Update it every day, first thing. - Grab a copy of "Will Power": http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human... Awesome book. - Find someone to work with, or an accountability group. Working with someone is a great motivator for me. - Track your time. See how much time you're spending…
on “Ask HN: Combat sloth and regain focus/resolve” ↗That research eventually turned into a great book: http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human... Probably the most useful bit or research (also described much less technically in that book) is this:http://books.google.com/books?id=7CeE67IrVDUC&pg=PA130&#...
on “Why do humans procrastinate?” ↗"Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength" by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney. Really good book about willpower, mental fatigue, dieting, working etc. Lots of nice examples and tips to improve different…
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗I really liked Succeed by Halvorson, as well as Willpower by Baumeister and Tierney. The former covers research on setting goals, the latter covers research on being more disciplined. Both book are a great blend of interesting studies and practical advice. Amazon…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗…though too brief and thus will be easily dismissed. In the interest of fleshing out this answer in such a way as to make it useful: For those interested in why this is the most accurate answer, go read "Willpower" by Baumeister. http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human... I am always surprised, though shouldn't be I suppose, that the first answer for so many people is some completely externalized…
on “Ask HN: What's the best way to limit daily news consumption?” ↗…discipline" is a common phrase, which usually masks the root problem. Why does something need continuous effort? Is it the best place to put our energies? Are there any other ways of solving the problem? See "Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength" (https://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Huma...) on willpower as a resource that can be drained, often pointlessly. Having a constant temptation…
on “Can Slack-mania be cured with systemized discipline?” ↗…mostly because it taxes cognitive energy reserves. Even if you can do it quickly or time-box it, it leaves you less able to do hard things. Look for papers by Roy Baumeister, or the book he co-wrote, "Willpower". You want to start by building cognitive reserves and then use them on something that requires it. For me, that means working out at 6-7am. But, I think you need to figure it out for yourself.
on “Good Morning Routines” ↗…it explains scientific brain research in layman's terms. It explains how we humans are ruled by our brains. When you understand your brains better, you can make better use of them. In conjunction with Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister, a golden couple.
on “Training exercise boosts brain power, Johns Hopkins researchers say” ↗One of the researchers mentioned in the article, Roy Baumeister, wrote a book that I enjoyed (entitled "Willpower"). He gave a talk about willpower and glucose levels which you can see some of here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vefDeoXCBbk It's not a completely pop-science book, more a translation of his research…
on “How the Brain Uses Glucose to Fuel Self-Control” ↗…that I would reach consistency. In hindsight, the only reason why I bought into GTD religiously in the first place, inspiring me to put in retarded amounts of time was that I was reading heavily into willpower, and the importance of conserving mental energy, especially for decision making and other high-level brain functions. The book Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister had endorsed David Allen and GTD. I respect…
on “GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system” ↗Yes this is what I have read also. However, it seems that willpower can be trained and in some regards this is more useful. After all, if you're super smart but can't complete a project then that's a bit of a waste really. Anecdotally, I would say most of the successful…
on “Ask HN: Have there been any serious studies on how to increase intelligence?” ↗I read Willpower (http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human...) recently and took extensive book notes. A few of my friends enjoyed the notes and thought they might be of interest to the HN crowd.
on “"Willpower" book notes” ↗