Just Two Minutes: Willpower Is a Scam

Bite-sized dental wisdom in under 2 minutes.

Let’s be honest:
If building habits relied on willpower, I’d be face-deep in a bag of Wavy Lays by 9pm every night.

Actually… sometimes I am.

But that’s not the point.

Everyone loves to talk about willpower like it’s this magical inner resource successful people have.

“You just need to be more disciplined.”
“You just need to want it more.”
Okay Karen - let me know how that goes when you’re running two businesses, nursing a baby, trying to remember how many treats your toddler ate today, and someone on your team just put in their notice first thing Monday morning.

Willpower?
Please. I’m using all my power not to scream into a pillow.

Here’s what actually works:
You remove the decisions.
You build the system before your brain checks out for the day.

That’s why my workouts are scheduled and spaced so I don’t have to sprint dripping in sweat to pick up a kid.
My meals? Already prepped. Even my lunches.
My upcoming week? Planned Friday afternoon.
My wardrobe? Not quite Steve Jobs level, but I’m also not wasting 30 minutes wondering if black leggings are acceptable three days in a row. (They are.)

The point is - the less I leave up to “deciding in the moment,” the better everything goes.

Because in the moment?
I’m tired.
I’m answering three people at once.
I’m letting my kid eat Ranch with a spoon.
This is not when good decisions get made.

I used to beat myself up for not sticking to habits.
Now I realize I just didn’t make it easy enough to win.

Willpower is a scam.
Systems are the cheat code.

-Dr. Alex

P.S. As Shaan Puri says “You only get so many decisions per day. Treat them like a limited resource.” So plan accordingly or be prepared to say yes to popsicles for breakfast.