{"id":4095,"date":"2026-05-21T15:58:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/?p=4095"},"modified":"2026-05-21T15:58:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:58:58","slug":"self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-discipline is overrated, and science says so"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/karate-class.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of a children\u2019s karate class. The room has a gray concrete floor and brick back wall, with tall windows on the right side casting a sunbeam on the middle of the room. At the front of the room is a bearded black man in a white gi and black belt, standing straight with his hands behind his back. In front of him, in the foreground of the photo, is a row of elementary-age girls, with their hair in braids and ponytails \u2014 three in white gis, one in a red gi with an image on the back, and one in a black gi. They all look very attentive to their sensei\u2019s teaching.\" class=\"wp-image-4093\" style=\"width:400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/karate-class.jpg 800w, https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/karate-class-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/karate-class-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/karate-class-336x240.jpg 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wax on, wax SQUIRREL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Congratulations on your hard-earned self-discipline and whatever. Good for you. Except <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/traversmark\/2026\/05\/19\/2-productive-habits-that-replace-discipline-by-a-psychologist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Science has determined that discipline is a finite thing<\/a>, and all that fancy willpower you have just drains away with use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay, that came out a little more bitter than intended. (As a person with AuDHD, I\u2019ve taken enough <em>Try harder! Focus! <\/em>that \u201cdiscipline\u201d is a touchy subject.) Trying again: While we frequently look at self-discipline as a personal quality that should be developed, it\u2019s actually more a cognitive activity that can be exhausted. Basically \u201cwillpower\u201d comes from a mental reservoir, and every time you use it, you drain it a little more \u2014 it\u2019s called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/unsafescience.substack.com\/p\/the-triumph-of-ego-depletion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ego depletion<\/a>\u201d \u2014 until it\u2019s close to gone and your Self makes you stop being responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So all those times you\u2019ve been, like, \u201cI can\u2019t handle that email right now. My willpower is drained,\u201d you\u2019re literally correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, first: I encourage you to read the linked Forbes article, because it has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/traversmark\/2026\/05\/19\/2-productive-habits-that-replace-discipline-by-a-psychologist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two important points of guidance<\/a> for changing your mindset to make better use of your discipline (which I\u2019m going to start working on the minute I get this posted).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in the meantime, as you adjust your mindset, I can offer tips for preserving that precious cognitive energy and minimizing discipline-drain. See, when you\u2019re dealing with challenges that can\u2019t be overcome with discipline and willpower, you find your own ways to do it. And even though some of y\u2019all have been <em>kind of mean to me about the whole \u201cdiscipline\u201d thing<\/em>, I am a generous person and will share some of my workarounds for getting things done anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Establish rituals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>instead of wasting your subconscious on day-to-day things.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"571\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/leather-suit.jpg\" alt=\"A white woman stands against a red seamless background. She\u2019s wearing a skin-tight leather catsuit with black, high-heeled over-the-knee boots. Her blonde hair is pulled back, and she\u2019s wearing a black leather mask over her lower face with stud and zipped details, and large black cuffs on her wrists with stud and grommet details. She\u2019s stepping forward in an aggressive stance with a katana raised over her head, ready to stab.\" class=\"wp-image-4094\" style=\"width:auto;height:360px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/leather-suit.jpg 571w, https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/leather-suit-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/leather-suit-171x240.jpg 171w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 571px) 100vw, 571px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I don\u2019t judge <em>your<\/em> sense of discipline.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is one of the more obvious ones \u2014 \u201cestablish good habits,\u201d ooh, insightful \u2014 but I\u2019m starting with it because it\u2019s one of the most commonly recognized autism things (often under the label of \u201cstubborn\u201d or \u201cinflexible\u201d). And I\u2019ll grant you, it\u2019s hard to explain exactly why using the pink mug on a weekday is Wrong and <em>no, I can\u2019t \u201cjust get over it for one day<\/em>,\u201d and&#8230; IYKYK, and IYDYD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But for all that such requirements can be disruptive, they aren\u2019t without some benefit. Those rituals \u2014 the doing things the same way every time without even thinking about it \u2014 seriously reduce cognitive load. I do my laundry every Tuesday, and household laundry every Sunday, <em>because that is the Right Way to Do It<\/em> but at least I never run out of underwear and we never run out of towels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So take some of those good habits! you\u2019ve established and elevate them to the level of ritual. Really get in there and internalize it until it\u2019s not even second nature, it\u2019s first nature. (Is that a thing?) <em>Always<\/em> do your laundry on Tuesday, and he\u2019ll know he has <em>any other day of the week<\/em> to do his laundry, and you\u2019re never playing Exploding Kittens over access to the washing machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Identify external cues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>instead of trying to remember when things are supposed to happen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, time-blindness <em>is a thing<\/em>. Some people, myself included, just don\u2019t perceive the passage of time the way everyone else does. So I rely heavily on reminders, many in the form of cues in my life that help keep me on track. The most obvious, of course, is getting out of bed on time, because I have four dogs who are <em>very<\/em> good at keeping schedules. I also listen to the news in the morning \u2014 when the Marketplace Morning Report comes on, I know it\u2019s 7:51 and I need to be out of the shower. And the dogs once again come in clutch by bugging me for lunch at 12:30, reminding me I also need to feed myself while I\u2019m feeding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So look at your day-to-day and see if there are any cues you can work off of. Does the bus pass your house at the same time every day? Does your coworker nag you on Teams consistently? Do you also have pets that seem to be able to read clocks? You don\u2019t have to think about things \u2014 let your environment be the boss of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pay the ADHD Tax (finances permitting)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>instead of trying to keep track of easy-to-lose items.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"571\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/body-builder.jpg\" alt=\"A body builder poses with his back to the camera. The floor is gray concrete, the walls are black, and we can see some kind of workout machine in the background. He\u2019s standing with his legs half-bent and arms bent next to his head, flexing and showing off every single muscle. And he\u2019s completely naked except for a pair of white briefs that look like they have a newspaper pattern on them? It\u2019s a choice.\" class=\"wp-image-4091\" style=\"width:auto;height:360px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/body-builder.jpg 571w, https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/body-builder-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/body-builder-171x240.jpg 171w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 571px) 100vw, 571px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This one just came up in a stock image search for \u201cdiscipline,\u201d but it stays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is, of course, applicable to those who can afford it, although dog knows it isn\u2019t optional for many people who actually have ADHD. The ADHD Tax is, essentially, the cost of having ADHD: the bills that get paid late, things that get lost and have to be replaced, and other financial outlays that arise from executive function struggles. I have sunglasses living in my car, my bookcase, and a box in my closet. Earbuds at my desk (for work), that bookcase (for walks), and the bag I carry for work. I don\u2019t have to hunt for sunglasses when I\u2019m going out, or earbuds right before a call, because I know they never left the immediate area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But you don\u2019t <em>have<\/em> to have ADHD to pay the tax. If you can fit it into your budget, multiple-up and save yourself the effort of keeping track of easy-to-lose and easy-to-forget items. Every tiny drain on your self-discipline counts, so having reading glasses in your office, car, bag, <em>and<\/em> bedside table helps maintain your mental reservoir. Have a desk phone charger <em>and<\/em> a purse phone charger? You\u2019ve nailed it already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Self-discipline, schmelf schmicipline.<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I mean, sorry to just dump the news on you that all that discipline is an ever-depleting tank of mental energy that ultimately runs out. But the good news is that it\u2019s possible to mitigate the drain with a few traits autistic and ADHD people do automatically to make it through the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(I\u2019ll also mention that for people with AuDHD, some of these things are requirements, not helpful practices, and you\u2019re doing laundry on Tuesdays not because it\u2019s practical but because <em>Tuesday is for laundry<\/em>, and having to wait until Wednesday can be world-disturbingly Wrong in a way I don\u2019t know how to describe, and\u2026 give a little grace, is all.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For you, though, those tips are just ways to minimize the burden on what you\u2019ve just learned is your limited supply of self-discipline. You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you\u2019re a fellow ADHD\/AuDHD baddie, feel free to drop your own self-discipline tips and tricks in comments. Just because some of the normies were mean to us about it doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t be the bigger person.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congratulations on your hard-earned self-discipline and whatever. Good for you. Except Science has determined that discipline is a finite thing, and all that fancy willpower you have just drains away &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[8,28,71,75,93],"class_list":["post-4095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oversharing","tag-ability-and-dis","tag-egomania","tag-tips-and-tricks","tag-unrelated-to-advertising","tag-working"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Self-discipline is overrated, and science says so - Caperton Gillett | The Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Self-discipline is overrated, and science says so - Caperton Gillett | The Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Congratulations on your hard-earned self-discipline and whatever. Good for you. Except Science has determined that discipline is a finite thing, and all that fancy willpower you have just drains away &hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Caperton Gillett | The Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capertongcreative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T20:58:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T20:58:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/capertongillett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/karate-class.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"571\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Caper\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CapeGCreative\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Caper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Caper\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a8b294ce5e33f2905e82f8435c3650c4\"},\"headline\":\"Self-discipline is overrated, and science says so\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T20:58:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-21T20:58:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1140,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/karate-class.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Ability (and dis-)\",\"Egomania\",\"Tips and tricks\",\"Unrelated to advertising\",\"Working\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Oversharing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/\",\"name\":\"Self-discipline is overrated, and science says so - Caperton Gillett | The Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/karate-class.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T20:58:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-21T20:58:58+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/self-discipline-is-overrated-and-science-says-so\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/karate-class.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/capertongillett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/karate-class.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":571,\"caption\":\"A photo of a children\u2019s karate class. 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Good for you. 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