Finals episode, part 1
Why is social media, specifically tumblr, so good at preventing productivity?
I think it's because it uses the same resources and gives the same feelings as actually completing work. Scrolling through a facebook news feed or a tumblr dashboard keeps you updated with what's going on in the world, and getting back to the point where you last checked it gives a sense of completeness. Especially when so much schoolwork is done on the computer, processing words and information from the web feels productive, even when it isn't.

Negative results of self-regulation:

• procrastination: result of being able to self-regulate conscience into silence
• nutritional deficiency: result of being able to self-regulate food intake excessively
• unbalanced time management: result of self-regulating too much time to a single activity
• decreased positive reputation: result of self-regulating to the expense of social activity

Religion has an interesting two-way relationship with self control.
In one respect, religion causes self control, because it usually promises dire results for lack of control, damnation and hellfire or some other kind of punishment. To avoid this, then, people will avoid doing whatever it is that they are forbidden, such as violations of the ten commandments.
In another respect, self-control seems to occur more frequently in those who are religious. It would be easier to follow stipulations and requirements of most faith systems if a person already had strong self-regulatory abilities.
In reality, it is likely a combination of the two that causes religious people to be more religious.

Why do women regulate eating more than men? There is a definite focus on body image for women. Value, for women, is defined in terms of appearance, ability to attract men, wealth, intelligence, hygiene and mannerisms, and character. Value, for men, is defined in terms of wealth, physical fitness, ability to attract women, intelligence, athletic ability, and character. I don't have evidence, and would love to see a study, but I think that women regulate eating more and men regulate physical activity, because their priorities are on appearance and physical ability, respectively.

• Why do we think we need to have motivation in order to do tasks? We can clearly complete tasks at the last minute with adrenaline or a deadline. "Motivation" sometimes seems like a fluffy myth invented to keep people happy about the work they do.
• Is the will really superior to the body? If so, then motivation is unnecessary if the will is strong enough. 
• Is the idea of free will consistent with or synonymous with the idea of self-control? I think that will encompasses more, and is a combination of self-control and consciousness. Perhaps self-control is a product of free will, and free will is one aspect of the conscious mind.
• Where does conscience fit in?

Self regulation of eating
This chapter was difficult to read, because food and the control of eating is such a huge issue, and is already talked about so much relating to teenage girls. I have never had an eating disorder, but several of those close to me have, and I find it hard to think about the issue from a balanced point of view.
Is it more difficult to self-regulate highly considered issues like weight and appearance? Or is it easier, since we think about those things more anyway?
This chapter also made me hungry. Not recommended to read except before mealtimes.

The past two days have been so hot that they could be mistaken for summer vacation, and it seems most people lounging outside on the quads are doing just that. Most people seem to be doing less homework and more relaxing, while others are more able to buckle down and study.
Does the weather really have a substantial effect on our self-regulation, or does it just improve our mood? Is mood really an factor of self-regulation, or a result of it?

Why do lists make self-control easier? Lists, especially checklists, tend to make tasks seem more manageable. I think it's the visual association with finishing something that is normally just mental. Is there another way to connect visual accomplishment with tasks? Perhaps that's why the progress bar is so satisfying on computers, or the little wheel of death that accompanies any loading streaming internet video. This also makes sense with the weight-loss tip to eat foods that leave a visual remainder- wings that leave bones on your plate, shrimp that leave tails- so that you can see how much you've eaten, and get a sort of satisfaction from it that you might not feel in your stomach.

Do we purposely derail our own self-regulation? 

Alcohol is consumed, to excess, even though we know that it will lead to risky behaviors, bad choices, and regretted nights.

Homework is put off, though work will decrease, because it can be completed faster under pressure. 

Relationships fall apart because of lack of fidelity, though there is no way to cheat except for conscious action.

The theories of self-regulation as strength, as a coping mechanism, in any sort of scientific sense, are in my opinion ultimately subject to the idea of personal will.

Classical conditioning: training subjects to respond to certain cues subconsciously, such as Pavlov's cue to his dog's salivary glands at the use of a bell.
Operant, or instrumental, conditioning: use of certain positive or negative results to effect certain conscious behavior changes, through positive reinforcement or avoidance of negative consequences.
Successful operant conditioning is usually so subtle as not to be noticed. If conditioning is noticed by an adult, understandable feelings of resentment will result, after feelings of being used.

Self-regulation of sleep
When it is listed as one of the new factors that college students can determine for themselves, sleep is considered a good thing. Because of numerous personal and physical benefits, among which is the theory that sleep itself increases self-regulation, more sleep is equated with better self regulation and time management. If you have time to sleep adequately, you are clearly getting your homework done on time, and fulfilling all other obligations.
On the other hand, there is a kind of quiet esteem for those students who have the reputation of "never sleeping" because they do so many extra curricular activities and they perform well academically. This goes in accordance with the idea proposed as advice to many beginning fiction writers, which is to give up sleep in exchange for quiet, peaceful writing time.
Sleep is interesting as a self-regulation resource, then, because it is one of the few things which can be up-regulated and down-regulated, with positive results for each.