The Art of Delayed Gratification
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Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
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PROJECT OF THE WEEK
In a prior blog, we talked about how work ethic is a skill.
Today, I want to discuss delayed gratification. It’s a skill you can grow, leading to vast long-term benefits.
Wikipedia defines delayed gratification as "the resistance to the temptation of an immediate pleasure in the hope of obtaining a valuable and long-lasting reward in the long term."
In society, we often classify people who can resist temptation as "better," "stronger," and "having higher morals and ethics."
However, we don't classify people better at math or writing as better people with higher morals and ethics. They simply have more math and writing skills.
In part, what makes delayed gratification so hard to master is that it involves all of the executive functioning skills.
Getting Started
So, we’ve delayed long enough - see what I did there?! - what skills do you have to grow to improve at delaying gratification?
Delayed gratifications incorporate:
Planning / Prioritization
Task Initiation
Sustained Attention
Organization
Time Management
Goal Directed Persistence
Flexibility
Working Memory
Response Inhibition
Emotional Control
Metacognition
I recommend focusing on one skill at a time. Work on it consistently for short spurts.
Remember, we learn new skills every day—even hard skills.
Which skill do you want to start with?
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.