Or maybe it is. The theories that Cal reported on don’t exactly go against Dr. Baumeister’s theories - the two different theories are capable of co-existing. In other words, we have a limited amount of willpower for things we don’t want to be doing, but we have an intense amount of willpower when we’re motivated. And, even better, our "unmotivated" willpower might be expandable through "exercise."

Of course, my reflections on all of this add up to nothing more than pop psychology. I’m about the furthest thing from a psychologist you can get: I majored in Film Production and Business Studies. About the closest I got to psych stuff was my Gender Studies concentration (almost a minor, but not quite!). Most of this research leaves me with more questions than answers.

But I’m willing to try, anyway. I’m interested in people, and their habits, in general. I don’t yet know where the projects on Starting This Week will take me. Maybe I’ll be able to cure my noodle arms, and maybe I won’t.

At least I’m willing to try it. Turn myself into a human guinea pig… do I at least get a giant wheel to play on? You can play along, if you like. I’ve added a little widget to the sidebar of this site, that lets you suggest and vote on habits you’d like to see me try. I’ve got a lot of habits I want to try, but I’m always open to suggestions. We’ll see how it goes.

In fact, in high school, I was known for doing homework assignments in other classes, the period before the assignment was due. Latin homework in math class, art projects in Latin class, and vocabulary homework in art class. A constant cycle of procrastination and laziness.

If I sound like the Queen of Procrastination, it’s because I am. As teenagers, my brother and I used to have competitions to see who could procrastinate longer, and still get As in all (or most) of their classes. These competitions finely honed my procrastination skills, and now I dare anyone to try and claim my title from me!

Except, the truth is, I’m stepping down from that throne. At some point, you have to start acting like an adult, and for the first time in my life I find myself saying "I’d rather start doing that now, than start later."

Willpower

Last year, the New York Times ran an article title Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind, which offered insight into the way willpower actually works. According to the research of Psychologist Roy Baumeister (and others), willpower actually works a lot like the health bar of a video game character. First of all, it can be depleted. So when you use your willpower for one thing (say, spending less money), it leaves little willpower left over for other things (say, dieting). But, like that video game character’s health bar, willpower can be expanded. The more you exercise it, the more total willpower you’ll have - like a muscle.

The article also points to connections between blood sugar levels and willpower - basically, that hungry people have less willpower. Could small meals and snacks throughout the day help improve my willpower? But perhaps the most interesting, and helpful, part of the article is the list of suggestions for increasing your willpower "bar":

In psychological studies, even something as simple as using your nondominant hand to brush your teeth for two weeks can increase willpower capacity. People who stick to an exercise program for two months report reducing their impulsive spending, junk food intake, alcohol use and smoking. They also study more, watch less television and do more housework. Other forms of willpower training, like money-management classes, work as well.

I’ll be skipping the money management class, since my money is actually the one part of my life that I’ve got under some semblance of control now (see my other site about personal finance for college students and 20-somethings). But the fact remains that if I want to start using my willpower muscle, I’ll need to start exercising it.

So welcome to Starting This Week. Each week, a new habit - small or large. From brushing my teeth with my left hand to exercise regimes, from daily wrestling matches with a Rubik’s cube to finally keeping my fingernails away from my teeth. At the end of the week, I’ll decide whether the new habit is worth sticking with for another week.

Here goes something.