Evidence-Based Self-Control for Job Seekers: Situational Factors & Tips

Situational Factors

Finally, and most importantly, use situational factors to achieve goals. A counterintuitive finding about self-control is that people who are successful at tasks that use self-control use significantly less self-control than people who are not successful (1). This finding means that successful people do not rely on their impulse control or their willpower when they need to complete a task. Instead, they plan their day with the task in mind and create situational constraints or situational factors that more or less force them to accomplish the task (2). For example, people who are good at saving money may plan a route home that does not pass by their favorite store.

Using situational factors to your advantage is likely the most effective way to achieve a goal. Creating situational factors that promote goals may be easier than relying on willpower (1, 3). This concept can be best explained in terms of dieting. It is much easier for a dieter to avoid ordering dessert than it is for them to order a dessert and then resist eating it. It may take a considerable amount of willpower to resist fresh baked cookies when they are in the house, but it takes significantly less self-control to avoid buying them in the first place. People who report the most success at self-control report encountering fewer temptations than those who are less successful (1). People with good self-control may even plan their day to intentionally avoid temptations. In this example, people who have the most success would plan their route home to avoid passing by their favorite bakery where they may be tempted to buy cookies.

1. Find a buddy. Using social support like a partner that is going through the same process can be an effective way to promote accountability and productivity (4).

2. Create firm deadlines with some form of outside accountability. Setting up informational interviews, registering for career fairs, or scheduling a time for a friend to review your resume can be a motivating step to create and meet deadlines. People tend to be less likely to procrastinate making a resume if they know they have to meet someone for a critique later that week.

3. Schedule a time and place to work. Block out time in a calendar and treat it like a meeting or class that cannot be missed.

4. Minimize distractions. If a cell phone or the internet is distracting, consider using an app or website blocker to help stay on task. There are free apps that block tempting websites for a certain amount of time. The app can be programmed so distracting internet sites literally cannot be accessed during scheduled work time. I've done research with this one.

5. Set up self-imposed penalties or rewards (5). For example, one might decide not to go out unless they are done preparing for an interview or they may reward themselves for accomplishing a goal like finishing a personal statement.

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References

1. W. Hofmann, R. F. Baumeister, G. Förster, K. D. Vohs, Everyday temptations: An experience sampling study of desire, conflict, and self-control. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 102, 1318–1335 (2012).

2. R. H. Thaler, C. R. Sunstein, Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness (Penguin, New York, NY, Rev. and expanded ed., with a new afterword and a new chapter., 2009).

3. K. Fujita, On conceptualizing self-control as more than the effortful inhibition of impulses. Personal. Soc. Psychol. Rev. 15, 352–366 (2011).

4. J. J. Pilcher, S. A. Bryant, Implications of Social Support as a Self-Control Resource. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 10 (2016), doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00228.

5. Y. Ozaki, T. Goto, M. Kobayashi, W. Hofmann, Counteractive control over temptations: Promoting resistance through enhanced perception of conflict and goal value. Self Identity. 16, 439–459 (2017).