To start with, sīla in its own right is much more than the five precepts, or even the pātimokkha sīla. At MN 48, for instance, monastics are encouraged to have mettā by body and speech towards their monastic companions. This is already quite a tall order, especially to achieve it consistently. But this is really what is required to create a proper foundation for meditation.
Then comes the mental development outside of meditation. Here is an extract from AN 4.14 which is precisely about right effort:
Bhikkhus, there are these four strivings. What four? Striving by restraint, striving by abandonment, striving by development, and striving by protection.
(1) And what, bhikkhus, is striving by restraint? Here, having seen a form with the eye, a bhikkhu does not grasp its marks and features. Since, if he left the eye faculty unrestrained, bad unwholesome states of longing and dejection might invade him, he practices restraint over it, he guards the eye faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the eye faculty. Having heard a sound with the ear … Having smelled an odor with the nose … Having tasted a taste with the tongue … Having felt a tactile object with the body … Having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, a bhikkhu does not grasp its marks and features. Since, if he left the mind faculty unrestrained, bad unwholesome states of longing and dejection might invade him, he practices restraint over it, he guards the mind faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the mind faculty. This is called striving by restraint.
(2) And what is striving by abandonment? Here, a bhikkhu does not tolerate an arisen sensual thought; he abandons it, dispels it, terminates it, and obliterates it. He does not tolerate an arisen thought of ill will … an arisen thought of harming … bad unwholesome states whenever they arise; he abandons them, dispels them, terminates them, and obliterates them. This is called striving by abandonment.
Both of these paragraphs are standard in the suttas. So how is this to be done? Superficially it may seem as if this is all about will power. But the closer you look at the suttas, the clearer it becomes that this is mainly about wisdom. This can be seen for instance in MN 19 and to some extent in MN 20. AN 2.12 distinguishes between the power of reflection and the power of development:
Bhikkhus, there are these two powers. What two? The power of reflection and the power of development.
And what is the power of reflection? Here, someone reflects thus: ‘Bodily misconduct has a bad result in the present life and in the future life; verbal misconduct has a bad result in the present life and in the future life; mental misconduct has a bad result in the present life and in the future life.’ Having reflected thus, he abandons bodily misconduct and develops bodily good conduct; he abandons verbal misconduct and develops verbal good conduct; he abandons mental misconduct and develops mental good conduct; he maintains himself in purity. This is called the power of reflection.
And what is the power of development? Here, a bhikkhu develops the enlightenment factor of mindfulness that is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. He develops the enlightenment factor of discrimination of phenomena … the enlightenment factor of energy … the enlightenment factor of rapture … the enlightenment factor of tranquility … the enlightenment factor of concentration … the enlightenment factor of equanimity that is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. This is called the power of development.
These, bhikkhus, are the two powers.
Here, too, you can see that purification of mind is done through wisdom, or reflection as it is called here. Only when the mind is relatively pure do you move on to mental development, that is, meditation practice, such a ānāpānasati.
One of my favourite suttas for dealing with ill will is AN 5.162. And my favourite for dealing with sensual pleasures, in a right view kind of way, is MN 54. If you practice these things regularly, your defilements are bound to decline.
If you want to hear about this in detail, come to one of my sutta and meditation retreats! Or if that’s not possible, listen to the talks.
Good luck and have fun!