Productivity is commonly framed as a linear fight – a diminishing pool of self-control pitted against methods to rally or preserve discipline. But is it ever better to have low willpower? Are there strategies to help you thrive when you’ve got nothing in the tank?

In a 2007 study on self-regulation, researchers tested the effects of an exemplar prime on willpower depletion. In this case, the exemplar prime was a short reading on an athlete who demonstrated persistence. 

Subjects were split. One group performed an easy task and the other a difficult task. Afterwards, the groups were split again. Half of each group read a neutral prime and the other the exemplar prime.

Upon a final test, the depleted group that read the exemplar prime did the best, maintaining their starting self control. The paper theorized that depleted willpower effects identity – drained willpower allows greater assimilation of an exemplar, while having more willpower results in a negative comparison between the self and an ideal. 

Exemplar priming actually works BETTER when you’re depleted.

The Batman Effect

The technical term for drained willpower is ego depletion, and I’ve always wondered about that connection to identity.

In a 2018 study, researchers tested the effects of pretending on the self-control of children. Children were asked to think of themselves as an exemplar character - Batman or Dora the Explorer - when faced with a difficult, willpower depleting challenge. Pretending in this manner was effective, causing children to attempt the puzzle more creatively, for more time, and in a calmer fashion.

What was interesting was that this method worked better for children with a lower starting baseline of control (defined as Effortful Control and Executive Functioning).

It’s an interesting link – lowered willpower seems to cause a kind of porousness in identity.

Smiley Faces

In several studies out of McGill University, researchers tried using video games to condition players into exhibiting higher self esteem and positivity. 

In one game, identity markers were submitted (name and birthdate) and subjects were asked to quickly click on their markers on a grid, uncovering smiling faces. These subjects exhibited improved self esteem compared to control subjects after psychological testing. 

In another study, subjects were told to quickly find and click on smiling faces on a grid of pictures. After two weeks they not only showed increased self-esteem, but increased levels of confidence and productivity. Meanwhile, their cortisol levels decreased.

Since low willpower and identity permeability seem related, my bet is that these games would work better when you’re depleted.

But difficult tasks aren’t the only way to drain willpower.

Creativity vs. Focus

In a study aptly titled “When the Non-Optimal is Optimal” researchers at Albion University tested 400 students’ problem solving skills. They found that while wakefulness was important for analytic questions, tiredness actually boosted students’ performance on tasks involving creativity. 

Similarly, a 2012 study showed that alcohol boosted creativity - which makes sense since we all know that it lowers self-control. And in a New Yorker article, Maria Konnikova writes on how caffeine, a focus booster, can cramp creativity.

But what’s the practical application of all this?

Scheduling for Low Willpower

The biggest issue is scheduling. If I were to rearrange my work pattern based on these findings, tasks would change to reflect my ego depletion across a day.

For example, so much of the writing process is a battle between perfectionist editing and letting your creative side run free without supervision. Timing becomes key to harnessing such control.

I’d focus on harder, analytic tasks (like editing) at the beginning of my day (along with my morning coffee), then switch to creative tasks at the end. When I’m feeling tired, I could brainstorm new articles, beginnings, endings, or ideas for a jot outline.

As my willpower lags across the day, I’d use my breaks to perform willpower recuperation strategies that are identity based. I’d read an exemplar priming sample (or imagine that I’m Batman!).

I’ve already started using smiley face games in larger breaks between sets of writing. When I restart, I normally mess around on Reddit or Facebook while trying to overcome the starting inertia for focus. 

I found playing these games provides a smooth transition into work. I feel less drained across the day and am able to naturally do more sets. I’m also super cheerful and optimistic after quitting work for the day, which is incredibly unusual.

Absorbing Virtue

Oddly, this also impacts spiritual endeavors.

A common technique across traditions is to study exemplars. Catholics might read about the lives of saints, Stoics learn about sage-like philosophers, and on a basic level, Instagrammers hoard motivational quotes.

But the behavioral mechanics of this process are largely unexamined. 

We know we tend to forget these nuggets of wisdom, but the hope is that if we keep bombarding ourselves they will somehow penetrate inwards to lodge in our character.

This research indicates that such changes are more likely to occur when your ego is in a permeable state. If it’s not, there’s a likelihood of the opposite occurring - a rejection based on comparison.

So if you’re going to use this strategy, try doing it when you’re tired, at the end of the day, or after significantly exerting your self control.

Or when you’re drunk. Which might explain why the Greek philosophers were such lushes…

The Bigger Picture

I’ve stated before that I see engines as a great metaphor for scientific self-help. Willpower is like fuel, and techniques from the Elements of Change bolster the starting supply or plug up leaks. 

But a really efficient machine is one that actually harnesses wasted energy, using both sides of the piston to turn rotors and crankshafts. I think these studies point towards such an efficient engine, one I hope can drive massive personal change.

photocred: space shuttle thrusters by Bill Dickinson, batman and robin by Olliver Simmones, coffee by Jot Pen, Marcus Aurelius by Bradley Weber.