Willpower
With the increasing complexity of modern magic spells, a successful project often needs to be calculated in months. Those experienced wizards who understand this concept are respected as the “myth of man-months”.
In this environment, mental strength is precious and important for magicians.
Speaking of mental strength, it is actually pronounced as “WillPower” in the elven kingdom. However, after being translated to the celestial empire by unknowing Muggles, it has been translated as “self-control” or “willpower”.
It sounds mysterious and grand, but it can be understood by focusing on two characteristics:
- Battery
- Magicians use mental strength to control magic elements.
- Early morning > evening.
- Sleep/meditation can recharge mental strength.
- Different magic spells have different power consumption.
- Muscles
- Total capacity is variable.
- Can be expanded through specific exercises.
Mr. Brooks bowed his head and prayed at the annual business person dinner. The prayer came from a text written by Niebuhr in 1934 and is considered one of the most famous prayers of the 20th century:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
(PS: Do you find it familiar?)
Among the characteristics, “specific exercise methods” and “sleep” are what we can change.
In their book co-authored by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard”, they mentioned:
Most of our daily behaviors are automatic and spontaneous rather than supervised. This is a good thing because supervision is difficult and it gradually consumes self-control.
They then go on to say:
Self-control is a depletable resource, which is a crucial understanding. When we talk about “self-control,” we are not merely referring to its literal meaning, but rather, it means that willpower needs to fight against bad habits (smoking, eating cookies, drinking excessively).
Given this, the book presents a simple yet effective exercise method:
Internalize Habits - that is, setting an action trigger, which creates an “instant habit”.
In this cycle, there is no conscious deliberation, which also helps conserve mental energy used for self-control.
The result is similar to when someone learns to drive a car. At first, they are clumsy, but later on (they think) they won’t drive into a ditch anymore (→_→).
Speaking of sleep, it does not only mean nighttime sleep that exceeds six hours. Short naps during the day, not exceeding half an hour, can also be included.
The most important rule is: sleep when you’re tired.
After all, there is a risk of exploding magical artifacts when attempting to control magic elements with insufficient mental strength.
If you’re still persistent, then please refer to the following formula:
Results = Efficiency X Time
PS: In case efficiency is a negative number…
With the correct guidance and after a period of devilish training, the little wizard joyfully discovers that his mental strength has significantly improved.
The most obvious improvement is that when he is in a good state, he can control more than 15 pomodoros a day, compared to the usual 12.
At the same time, the little wizard also realizes that his mental energy storage is not infinite.
And if it’s books with a large amount of information like “The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood” or “Out of Control”, it depletes his energy quickly.
Therefore, he can only invest his limited energy into more important matters.
This is also where Kazuma Shinma’s “Time Investment Method” comes into play with the concept of “Time Investment Distribution” (quadrant rule + time tracking).
However, the most intriguing part is that after controlling the things he wants to do, everything else becomes a mess.
For example, “Willpower” mentions:
After dieting, one is more willing to “try various mating strategies”.
Could this be one of the reasons why some celebrities cheat on their partners? (→_→)
But our little wizard doesn’t even have a girlfriend, so it’s not very obvious.
The only side effect is that after a dozen pomodoros, continuing to read forcefully results in a stack overflow.
In addition, his reactions become sluggish, and he walks home from the library with a blank expression.
PS: Willpower is similar to immunity; it’s not better to have a stronger willpower. Overly strong willpower = chronic stress.
PS2: Those who have integrated themselves have perfectly balanced willpower.
Translated by gpt-3.5-turbo