How many times a day you give up what you want most for what you want now? It is so difficult to remember that in the moment. We live in the world of instant gratification. We want something yummy – we order deliveroo and have it by our door instantly. We fancy reading something new – it is downloaded in a few clicks. We get most things effortlessly. On the bright side – it is a convenient world to live in, and a natural part of evolution.
The skill of delayed gratification
On the darker side – our brains are wired to get things we want straight away and not trained to deal with delayed gratification.
However, if there is a long-term goal we want to achieve, delayed gratification is a very important part to stay on track. Here is a simple example – if we are working to look and feel fit – we must embark on the journey of making consistent choices in line with our goal – we will have to choose the right food and exercise regularly. Sounds simple, right?
But how do you remind yourself of achievement, which is still a distance away, when you are surrounded by ‘temptations’ which will slow your progress down – e.g. choosing to watch TV instead of keeping the consistency of exercising or snacking on a piece of cake in front of you.
5 simple things to tick for staying on track of your goal
The answers to that could be simple or we can dive in deeper. Today I want to give you a few simple things to start being better at staying on track to your long-term goal, practicing delayed gratification:
- Satisfy your basic needs.
Check in with yourself – if you are tired (= take nap, look at sleeping routines), if you are hungry (eat regularly and balanced), cranky from stress (= have fun, do something that makes you feel good). When your energy levels are not looked after, your logical reasoning of why you should stay on track will worsen.
2. Create supportive environment.
Make sure your environment assists with achieving your long-term goal: eliminate triggers, which gravitate you towards instant gratification (e.g. storing unhealthy snacks, making exercise plan unrealistic), and have your environment supporting your long term goal.
3. Remind yourself of emotional reward.
Often logical reminders why we want this goal are overpowered by emotional rewards. Connect the end achievement with positive emotion and remind yourself of how you will be FEELING when you get there.
4. Use the 5 second rule
Start practicing 5 second rule of decision. That means saying YES to the task (which supports your long-term goal) or NO (to the opposite) during the first 5 seconds of thinking. After that window your brain will start reasoning why or why not you should be doing it.
5. Lastly, it is important to set ourselves realistic goals, while learning the art of delayed gratification.
If you are struggling with achieving something over and over again, there could be deeper psychological reasons behind it (e.g. limited beliefs, parental injunctions or your goal not being in line with your values). In that case, working with a life coach could be beneficial to unpack what lays behind the challenges.
