4120: The Science of Procrastination: Researchers Tackle Willpower and our Ability to Control it by Cal Newport on Building Willpower

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Recorded15 Aug 2026

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Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) - Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join 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 4120: Cal Newport breaks down Roy Baumeister's research on ego depletion, the finding that self-control behaves like a muscle and runs down with use rather than switching on and off. He turns the science into practical self-improvement tactics: spread your work out across days, make a specific plan before you start, practice small acts of self-control daily, and do not skip meals when the work is hard. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/01/23/the-science-of-procrastination-researchers-tackle-willpower-and-our-ability-to-control-it Quotes to ponder: "Self-control is a limited resource." "Your self-control is a muscle. If you don't tend to it through rigorous training and careful schedules of use, you'll perform well below your potential." "Marathon sessions, spread over many consecutive hours, will prove impossible to sustain unless you have a looming deadline." Optimal Living Daily is a daily personal development and self-improvement podcast where we narrate the best self-help articles on minimalism, productivity, and intentional living, read to you by a professional narrator so you can live your best life a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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