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I got stuck into a bad habit of browsing the internet idly anytime when I'm at home and then having to rush to get to work so I've created rules on my router to

I got stuck into a bad habit of browsing the internet idly anytime when I'm at home and then having to rush to get to work so I've created rules on my router to disable web access in the mornings before work and late at night before bed. It is quite effective and I suddenly do other things but I do worry that it's a psychological crutch which is just going to make self-control even harder in the long term.

brianwawok 9y ago
If you are an alcoholic, would not having 24 beers in your fridge lower your willpower? I think it is the reverse, just like this. Not in house = fight won, so you have more willpower left for when you DO need to fight a fight (say, friend offers a beer after work). Self control takes willpower. Willpower is a finite resource (you can find studies on it. This is why after a hard day of work you are more likely to say screw it and eat an extra cookie). You just saved having to use a little bit of willpower each day. Which means you will have MORE willpower to spend on other things, not less.
- aaronbski 9y ago
  The "ego depletion" effect makes sense to me on a personal level, but there's been some doubt cast on the studies: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/cover_story/2016/03/ego_depletion_an_influential_theory_in_psychology_may_have_just_been_debunked.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/cover_story...
- arc_of_descent 9y ago
  I realise that I might be off an a tangent but this is a not a good analogy. If I were an alcoholic, I would rush off to the nearest drug store and get a fuckin' beer. I would not even own a fridge. :) A book that has personally helped me is Kick the Drink....Easily! The idea is that there is no such thing as will power. The more you fight it, the more the psychological crutches grow, and then its difficult to jump off. What the upper thread mentions is very true for porn addicts. They do this all the time. Program the router to shut off at certain times. Does it work? I doubt it. Distraction is a very real thing. Hell, distraction is recommended as an aid for anxiety disorder :) Get distracted, be human. Get back to work.
  - brianwawok 9y ago
    I respectfully disagree. My vice is cookies. Cookies in house, I eat entire bag. Do not buy, I do not rush out to the grocery store at 11pm to buy. The high is low enough that the extra work is not worth it. So by setting that barrier high enough, it stops me from eating cookies, and I lose weight.

brianwawok 9y ago

If you are an alcoholic, would not having 24 beers in your fridge lower your willpower? I think it is the reverse, just like this. Not in house = fight won, so you have more willpower left for when you DO need to fight a fight (say, friend offers a beer after work). Self control takes willpower. Willpower is a finite resource (you can find studies on it. This is why after a hard day of work you are more likely to say screw it and eat an extra cookie). You just saved having to use a little bit of willpower each day. Which means you will have MORE willpower to spend on other things, not less.

aaronbski 9y ago
The "ego depletion" effect makes sense to me on a personal level, but there's been some doubt cast on the studies: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/cover_story/2016/03/ego_depletion_an_influential_theory_in_psychology_may_have_just_been_debunked.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/cover_story...
arc_of_descent 9y ago
I realise that I might be off an a tangent but this is a not a good analogy. If I were an alcoholic, I would rush off to the nearest drug store and get a fuckin' beer. I would not even own a fridge. :) A book that has personally helped me is Kick the Drink....Easily! The idea is that there is no such thing as will power. The more you fight it, the more the psychological crutches grow, and then its difficult to jump off. What the upper thread mentions is very true for porn addicts. They do this all the time. Program the router to shut off at certain times. Does it work? I doubt it. Distraction is a very real thing. Hell, distraction is recommended as an aid for anxiety disorder :) Get distracted, be human. Get back to work.
- brianwawok 9y ago
  I respectfully disagree. My vice is cookies. Cookies in house, I eat entire bag. Do not buy, I do not rush out to the grocery store at 11pm to buy. The high is low enough that the extra work is not worth it. So by setting that barrier high enough, it stops me from eating cookies, and I lose weight.