Only fools rely on will power alone.

That headline is a real statement right. Boom. Mic drop. I’ll toot my own horn on that one and then leave the room.

But seriously, think about it - how often do you think you can will power your way through something only to end up short, and consider the scenario a failure all over again? Be honest.

As humans, we give ourselves leniency for our physical limitations. I know I can’t jump onto the roof of a house. I’m physically not capable of doing that. I’m honest with myself about that. So I arrange for a ladder to be built, or stairs to be input. It’s common sense.

What’s not common sense is that we think our cognitive capabilities are unlimited.

Disclaimer: I believe you can do anything if you believe you can. I truly do. What I’m referring to here is the belief that you can over write your human natural instinct every time, without any preparation or planning. End disclaimer.

Stop and consider for a second how many times you’ve assumed that you’ll remember that idea that you had on your morning run, and by the time you get back to your office it’s completely disappeared and you cannot recall what you were thinking.

Or what about a time when you were certain you’d definitely have the motivation to get up early and go to the gym every day this week. Remember, that was ‘motivated you’ making that assumption. That was ‘motivated you’ assuming you’d sustain that same level of commitment even when your energy was different.

Will power alone is a foolish way to assume you can make change.

That is why planning for your habits, and scheduling time for the things you want to achieve is so necessary.

I attend a gym that charges me if I miss a class. Some people might think that’s poor form, but for me it’s an incredible accountability tool. When I book my 6am class the night before, by the time I wake up in the morning it’s too late for me to cancel without a fee, I choose to go for financial reasons. Regardless of will power, I am encouraged to go whether I feel like doing the gym class or not.

I’m notoriously bad at snoozing the alarm. I love a lie in. Staying in the comfort of the bed for an extra 10 (or 30) minutes. Bliss! AND I know how important it is to get started on my bad and make progress towards my big goals… so I have moved my phone to the other side of the room while I sleep. When my alarm goes off I have to physically get out of bed and leave the comfort to turn the buzzing off. Once I’m up, I may as well continue with my day. That’s not will power. That’s planning. That’s out smarting my bodies intense desire for comfort.

Meal planning. That’s another one. When you know what you’ve got organised to eat, your mind is less likely to succumb to the cravings you have in the middle of the day. The will power required to overcome my sugar cravings is significant, and I know if I already have my meals planned, I spend less time thinking about what I ‘could’ eat and instead focus on all the incredible work I have in front of me.

Are you picking up what I’m putting down here?

Don’t be harsh on yourself because your will power isn’t holding up.

Most people’s will power wouldn’t hold them up. You’re normal.

The highest succeeders of all are the ones who plan, organise and create their will power through other means. It’s out-smarting your will power if you organise another way to ensure it happens.

If you’d like some assistance with out-smarting your will power, you can download the Making Me Masterclass where we talk about the best way to build habits. Contact me for the purchase link.