3671: Sheer Willpower Won't Work. If You Want to Change Your Habits, Try This Instead. by Paula Pant of Afford Anything

Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Education, Mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 July 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3671: Paula Pant challenges the myth that willpower is the key to success, revealing how environment, systems, and identity play a far greater role in shaping our behavior. By understanding the limits of willpower, listeners gain tools to design a life where success becomes automatic, not forced. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://affordanything.com/willpower-is-not-enough/ Quotes to ponder: "Willpower is like a muscle, it fatigues with overuse." "Don’t rely on self-control alone. Design your environment so the default choices are the right ones." "Your identity shapes your habits. And your habits reinforce your identity." Episode references: The Power of Habit: https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/ Switch: https://heathbrothers.com/books/switch/ Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength: https://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/0143122231 Atomic Habits: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:02.1	This is Optimal Living Daily. Shear willpower won't work. If you want to change your habits, try this instead.
1:09.4	By Paula Pan to afford anything.com, and I'm
1:12.1	Just a Malik. Happy Friday, welcome to the podcast where I simply read blogs to you for free,
1:17.9	covering personal growth and self-help topics like mindfulness, minimalism, self-care, meditation,
1:23.9	and a lot more. If you like any of these episodes, I'd greatly appreciate you sharing
1:27.6	this show with someone and getting them to subscribe. It'd mean a lot. But with that, let's get
1:31.9	right to today's post and start optimizing your life. Shear willpower won't work. If you want to
	...

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