Willpower Doesn’t Work

Lesson 1. Your environment affects you in various different ways.

People usually say that willpower is just like a muscle or a reflex; the more you use it the more you wear it out. And you will increase your strength over time, like any other muscle. So, exerting self-control today will make things a little easier tomorrow. Researchers have also claimed that willpower can be improved and enhanced, by practice and concentration. So, I guess it's pretty simple, right? We need to force ourselves a little harder every day in order to improve our lives, and we will be able to take on the world before long. Well, it's not that simple. The problem is, willpower is a weak muscle, and it can be exhausted and drained quite easily.

Our climate has facilitated our weight gain, as the author puts it. But, luckily, the environment's energy can be a positive force too. But how so? Consider Darwin's explanation about why there is a difference between natural and domesticated evolution. Organisms adapt to whatever condition they find themselves in during natural evolution. So, if being smaller is helpful, a species will start to shrink. They're ultimately expected to adapt to their surroundings.

Compare that with domesticated evolution, which is under human guidance.  Since we control the environment of these species, we may create desirable characteristics that would not exist in the wild, such as enhanced and bigger fruits or vegetables.

Many of us are like animals in the wild, experiencing natural evolution. We are often unable to alter our conditions, so instead, we adapt to them, regardless of whether we benefit from this in the long run, or not. But surprisingly, animals do the exact opposite. They build their habitats, so that any adaptation is simply an enhancement, taking them one step closer to their objectives. The trick is to create an atmosphere that leaves you no choice but to become your ideal self.

Lesson 2. You should design an ideal environment, to ensure that you can grow and evolve.

If you have ever worked from home, you might have experienced some problems. If you have a kid, you know how difficult it is to manage your work life and your personal life, simultaneously. But even for the rest of us, it can become challenging to work from a place where we normally relax. Therefore, it is essential to have two separate environments, because studies have shown that people can't focus on work if they are in a "recovery" environment, and people can't relax or have fun if they are in a