I'm a layman when it comes to the cognitive sciences. I've read some number of popular self-help books, but not any academic journals. I've noticed that many times a book suggests some techniques for willpower, anxiety management etc., but will never list them out in a prioritized fashion. While there might be some variation based on the circumstances and the individuals involved, I feel like a one or a few techniques should always dominate the list. The effectiveness of techniques that deal with different cognitive issues is most likely somwhat geometrically distributed (all else being equal), i.e., most of the time they obey the power law (most techniques are moderately effective, but a few are really effective).  In particular I'm currently interested in effective techniques for willpower. I'm aware of which techniques are recommended (split a task into subtasks, positive self-talk and many more), but what are their relative effectiveness? Are there some well-executed studies out there that determined which techniques work comparatively better?What are effective and generalizable self-regulatory skills and strategies?How do their relative efficacy compare?
Are Pareto charts identified in the cognitive sciences (and for willpower in particular)?
reference request;motivation;positive psychology