🍽️🍔 Rameshawaram Cafe

IMPROVEMENT SIP

The Power of Delayed Gratification and Consistency

Have you ever made big plans for yourself only to find yourself falling back into old habits when it came time to act?

It’s a typical psychological problem known as akrasia or procrastination.

However, according to behavioral economics, the root cause of this issue is “time inconsistency.”

The tendency of the human brain to prioritize immediate rewards above future rewards is known as time inconsistency. When making long-term plans, such as learning a new language or losing weight, it’s simple to see the worth of adopting activities with long-term advantages. When it comes to making a decision, though, your brain is preoccupied with the present moment and the momentary enjoyment it can provide, rather than the long-term benefit.

Researchers discovered that the ability to delay gratification is a strong predictor of life success. Resisting the lure of instant gratification, even if only on occasion, can assist you in closing the gap between where you are and where you want to go.

“Willpower isn’t just a skill,” argues Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of Habit. It’s a muscle, just like the ones in your arms or legs, and it becomes weary as it works more, leaving less power for other tasks.”

The idea is to progressively strengthen your willpower muscle by making tiny changes and sticking to them consistently over time.

This viewpoint is also supported by case studies.

Take, for example, Jerry Seinfeld’s anecdote. Seinfeld wanted to better his craft as a comic in his early days, so he established a goal of writing one new joke every day. He hung a calendar on his wall and crossed off the days when he wrote a joke.

The calendar provided a visual depiction of his development over time, and the habit of penning jokes became engrained in his routine. Seinfeld’s success demonstrates the value of constancy and delayed pleasure.

To summarise, time inconsistency is a typical issue that can impede our ability to execute our future goals. We can overcome this barrier and attain our goals by progressively strengthening our willpower muscle, avoiding the temptation of instant satisfaction, and making little changes regularly over time. As Jerry Seinfeld famously quipped, “Don’t break the chain.”

TWEET