Write down your attempts to control your impulses, including both successful and unsuccessful attempts at increased willpower. Be sure to include details that may help you evaluate the situation later. For example, you might write, "I ate five cookies at an office party today. I skipped lunch to work, so I was quite hungry. There were many other people there, and Sally made the cookies and kept encouraging me to have another. Another example is, "I went to the mall today with my husband to buy new jeans for our son, and I resisted buying a dress that I saw, even though it was on sale. I came out with exactly what I went in for and nothing additional." In addition to detailing situations in which you resisted or gave in to impulsive behavior, comment on things that were going through your mind. You may want to include your emotional state, who you were with, and where you were. Once you have established several journal entries, you should begin to read over your entries and try to find patterns in your behavior. Some questions to ask yourself include: Do I make better decisions when I am alone or around other people? Are there certain people who "trigger" my impulsive behavior? Do your emotions (depression, anger, happiness, etc.) influence your impulsive behaviors? Is there a time of day that you find it more difficult to have impulse control (such as late at night?) This may sound silly, but some people respond better to a more concrete visual representation of their progress. If you have something that you can look at to show you how far you have come and how far you have left to go, it can help you stay motivated. For example, if you are trying to lose 40 pounds, you could put a quarter in a jar every time you lose a pound. Seeing the level of the quarters grow as you lose weight can give you a concrete idea of how much progress you've made. If you are trying to save money, you might draw a picture that looks like a thermometer and color in the level of money you've saved; when you get to the top, you have reached your goal. (This is commonly used for fundraisers to show fundraising progress.) By using your journal or just thinking about your success or setbacks with impulse control, find what works best for you. You may find that giving yourself weekly rewards helps; you may need to have a visual to focus on; you may find that giving each day a written rating of your willpower scale helps. You might find that being alone is a trigger for your impulsive behavior, or that by going to a certain place or being with a certain person can act as a trigger. Tailor your approach to increasing your willpower to your specific needs and situation.

Summary: Keep a willpower journal. Comment on factors that influenced your decision-making. Look for patterns in your behavior. Consider making a visual representation of your progress. Find what works for you.

Allow the eggs to sit and obtain room temperature before boiling. The water should reach about 1 inch (2.54 cm) above the top of the eggs. You can also use a saucepan instead of a pot. Some people think you should remove the eggs immediately after they boil, while others say they should boil for at least three minutes. Others also recommend removing the eggs from the heat as soon as they boil and letting them sit, and therefore continue to cook, for another three minutes. The important thing is not to overcook them or they will get too rubbery once you place them in the brine. If you let them sit for a few minutes, you can stir them carefully during this process. Pour the vinegar to at least 1 inch (2.54 cm) above the top of the eggs. Leave the eggs in the white vinegar for 12 hours to soften the membrane and make peeling an easier task. If you do this, then you should stir the eggs in the pot every few minutes. Rinse the vinegar from the eggs with fresh water when you're done. Of course, you can skip this step and move right on to pickling the eggs, if you don't have the patience for it. This often makes the peeling of the tough shell and membrane easier. You can discard those shells in your compost bin. Be careful about not breaking the yolk of the eggs as you handle this. This can lead that pickling mixture to get a bit murky.

Summary: Put the eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring the water with the eggs to a boil. Remove the pot of eggs from the heat source. Drain the water from the pot of eggs. Replace the water in the pot with white vinegar if you'd like to make it easier to peel the eggs. Set the eggs in cold or even ice water momentarily before peeling. Peel the shell membranes from the quail eggs to be pickled. Repeat the rinsing of the eggs after the shells are removed to rid the egg of small shell pieces.

Set your compass to the radius, r, and draw a circle. =2*r*sin(180/n) 180/n is in degrees, so make sure your calculator is set for degrees, not radians. Be ultra-accurate and triple-check the measurement to ensure that it is as accurate as possible. Don't change the radius of your compass. Continue the process until the arc or line touches the first point. Make sure your compass doesn't move! Check to see that the sides are identical in length. If they are, then you're finished. Erase the construction guide lines.

Summary: Draw a circle of the desired radius, r. Calculate the length, , of each side of the regular polygon of n sides. Set your compass to this length, . Start from any point on the circle and mark an arc or line. Mark another arc or line on the circle. Join the lines/arcs accurately using a ruler.

If you have dead skin or cuticles that changed colors because of the dye, use a cuticle clipper to carefully remove the skin. This will save you from using harsh nail polish remover on your skin. If you've tried everything and your nails are still discolored, your best bet is to cover them with a fun nail polish. Be fashionable and disguise the stain at the same time!
Summary: Trim your cuticles if they are dyed. Paint your nails if you just can't remove the dye.