The concept of "ego depletion" was coined during an initial study into people's willpower and ability to maintain it. The original study suggested that willpower may simply be available glucose in the brain. This has had mixed results on further studies and remains a slightly controversial topic in psychology today. But what's clear is that these factors **will** limit your ability to exert your willpower: - fatigue - lack of sleep, or overexetion - pain - physical and emotional pain - **distraction** - being distracted makes you LESS LIKELY to have the willpower to do what needs doing In addition, these things "use up" the limited willpower you do have: - Implementing new behaviors - Filtering distractions - Resisting temptations/impulses - Suppressing emotion/frustration - Coping with fear/[[Anxiety]] - Doing something you don't enjoy - Choosing [[Prefer a Long-Term Philosophy|long-term wins over short term wins]] This is part of the reason it's a good idea to find the joy in doing those things that are good for you, long term, and to make them a habit - where you don't get frustrated, scared, or distracted during. Limited willpower is also why you should [[Work at a Natural Pace]]. Diminishing willpower is also why you should [[Eat the Frog]], [[Put First Things First]]. **** # More ## Source - [[Huberman Labs]] - [[The One Thing (book)]] ## Related - [[Decision Fatigue]]