Self-Regulation

Tired, self-regulatory control depleted from an exhausting day that demanded non-stop self-control, we may give up and give in. Like a tired muscle, our willpower seems unable to do any more. What we see is that we may fail to self-regulate because we acquiesce. In the case of procrastination, we find resisting the urge to do something else (an alternative intention) impossible to resist, so we give up and give in. Of course, during this internal self-regulatory struggle, we must restrain this impulse to leave the task at hand, our intended goal, in favor of the competing goal (one that is usual specious to our values and long-term goals).

 

We all feel depleted throughout the day. We all have moments where we think, "I'm exhausted, I just can't do anymore" or "I'll feel more like this tomorrow." This is true, this is how we're feeling at the moment, however our success depends on us moving past these momentary feelings of depletion.

 

Given the role of motivation in self-regulatory failure, it is crucial to acknowledge the role of higher-order thought in this process, particularly the ability to transcend the feelings at the moment (mindfulness helps here) in order to focus on our overall goals and values. In the absence of cues to signal the need for self-regulation, we may give in to feel good, and stop trying.

 

It's exactly when we say to ourselves "I'll feel more like it tomorrow," that we have to stop, take a breath and think about why we intended to do the task today. Why is it important to us? What benefit is there in making the effort now? How will this help us achieve our goal?

 

From there, if we can just muster the volitional strength for one more step, that is to just get started, we will find that we had more self-regulatory strength in reserve than we realized. Our perception can fool us at times, and this self-deception can really be our own worst enemy.