The Deliberate Project

The Deliberate Project

Home
Notes
Books
Archive
About

August 2026

What It Actually Takes for a Habit to Stick
Eventually, discipline research asks a question most don’t think to ask.
 • Pierre Poteau
What You Believe About Willpower Changes How Much You Have
I always imagined my willpower as a battery, where each expenditure made before 12pm was a negative charge that had to be made up by the evening.
 • Pierre Poteau
Why How You Practice Matters More Than How Long
Discipline research is largely concerned with absenteeism.
 • Pierre Poteau
Why Being Hard on Yourself Backfires
The instinct to punish yourself after a slip feels like discipline. The research says it is usually the reason the slip turns into a collapse.
 • Pierre Poteau
Why Calm Leaders Are Not Naturally Calm
Why Calm Leaders Aren’t Naturally Calm
 • Pierre Poteau
Why I Stopped Trying to Feel Like a Disciplined Person
I’ve thought of myself as a disciplined person, like some people do with their star signs.
 • Pierre Poteau
Make Boring Things Addictive
You do not need more willpower to exercise, study, or do the tedious task you keep avoiding. You need to lock it to something you already crave.
 • Pierre Poteau
What Grit Actually Feels Like on a Tuesday
A question from one of my spring read-throughs has stuck with me.
 • Pierre Poteau
Why Your Discipline Collapses in the Evening, Not Morning
I noticed it standing in front of the pantry at nine at night, hand already on a bag of chips I had no genuine desire for.
 • Pierre Poteau
How to Outsmart Your Future Self
The pre-commitment research behind that move, and how to use it on yourself.
 • Pierre Poteau
© 2026 The Deliberate Project · Publisher Privacy ∙ Publisher Terms
Substack · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture