Highlighting summer's enhanced opportunities for healthy behavior has become a tradition for this column. In keeping with tradition, here is my annual installment – one that zeroes in on the core ...

At the start of every new year, many of us think about how to make our lives better going forward. Perhaps we want to lose weight or stop drinking or stay off of our cell phones. If only we had more ...

With that in mind, here are some of the ways that psychologists say we can build self-efficacy: ...

Self-control refers to the process of resisting temptations (e.g., eating junk food) that conflict with enduring goals that usually involve bigger but delayed rewards (maintaining a healthy weight and ...

What does self-discipline look like at work? Sometimes it’s the ability to resist temptation, such as distractions to avoid a particular task, or taking a donut from the break room. Other times it’s ...

Covid lockdowns slowed the growth of focus and self-control skills in young children, especially those who started school ...

Ever find yourself stuck in the cycle of setting goals only to watch them slip away as motivation fades? Many of us struggle with self-discipline, that elusive trait that seems to separate those who ...

Self-control has long been regarded as one of the strongest predictors of success. Most of us can picture that colleague who never misses a deadline, volunteers for extra projects and keeps everything ...

These are comments I might get when people learn about my lifestyle. I’m one of those annoying people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise five times a week, save a portion of their salary, ...

Traditional self-control advice focuses on building up your capacity to do things you don’t naturally want to do. This is how influencers sell cold plunges, for example. But it’s not just online gurus ...

Beth Skwarecki is Lifehacker’s Senior Health Editor, and holds certifications as a personal trainer and weightlifting coach. She has been writing about health for over 10 years. February 26, 2026 Add ...