<ul><li><b>Empathize with your future self:</b> You put things off to future you because it’s easy to assume that future you has boundless energy and motivation. Unfortunately, that perfect vision is not real.</li><li><b>Pre-commitment</b>: You increase your chance of success by removing a temptation future you may try and weasel out of.</li><li><b>Break down big goals into small manageable chunks</b>: Big goals take a long time to achieve and so are susceptible to the far-off reward curse of hyperbolic discounting.</li></ul>

Overcoming hyperbolic discounting

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<p>Have you ever had a mounting pile of work you know you need to do but for some reason didn't? There's an important deadline looming, your boss is breathing down your neck, the pressure is on - all signs are pointing to you getting it done. Yet you put it off, turn on Netflix, and fantasize about how you're going to crush it tomorrow.</p>
<img src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/image_1-min.jpg"> <h3>You've fallen victim to hyperbolic discounting.</h3>
<p>Hyperbolic discounting is a  <a href="https://betterhumans.coach.me/cognitive-bias-cheat-sheet-55a472476b18">cognitive bias</a>, where people choose smaller, immediate rewards rather than larger, later rewards.</p>
<em><strong>Nir's note:</strong> I've created a handy research-based workbook to help you to overcome hyperbolic discounting and stay productive.  <strong>Download the free PDF "How to Keep Hyperbolic Discounting from Killing Your Productivity" here</strong>. <br> </em> <p>Researchers ran a  <a href="https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/biases/5_Psychological_Science_33_%28Green%29.pdf">classic experiment</a> that illustrates the phenomenon. Imagine you're given 2 choices: get a $100 today or $120 in a week. Here's how most people choose:</p>
<img src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/image2-min.jpg"> <p>But when the same question is asked with the same one week interval, but a year in the future, we largely choose the bigger reward.</p>
<img src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/image3-min.jpg"> <em>We are impatient and prefer immediate rewards in the short-term. </em><em>But we're more patient and wait for better rewards in the long term.</em> <img src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/image4-min.jpg"> <p>Unfortunately, the choices you have to make in everyday life are not as clear or easily comparable. Say you're going on vacation in a few of months. How do you choose between enjoying a cookie right now versus looking good at the beach?</p>
<p>Many important decisions concerning our health, wellness, finances, and careers are affected by hyperbolic discounting. All of these choices require trading off immediate pleasure for your future good.</p>
<p>When you procrastinate, you opt for the instant gratification of enjoying yourself now rather than the future reward of accomplishing the things you set out to do.</p>
<p>You know setting money aside in a 401K is important for your retirement. However, you instead choose to splurge on an expensive night out with friends, which is more fun right now, but might not be the best choice for future you.</p>
<h3>Why am I this way? </h3>
<p>Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts we use, which generally help us make quick decisions, but don't always work out for the best.</p>
<p>Our brains were never wired to be truly rational because there is way too much information in the world for us to process. We evolved instead to make decisions quickly.</p>
<img src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/image5-min.jpg"> <p>A caveman did not have to contend with the same complex choices we do today. Cavewoman Lakshmi never had to choose between eating a pig today versus investing it in a pig 401K that would yield a 4X return in the future.</p>
<p>Under harsher living conditions, we didn't know if we would survive till the end of the day so our species evolved to choose the immediate option that most increased our chance of passing down our genes. Our brains are wired to choose immediate sure-things rather than the potential of a far-off future reward.</p>
<h3>So.. am I screwed?</h3>
<p>No! There are ways we can get better at making good choices ...</p>
<h4>1 . Empathize with your future self</h4>
<img src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/image6-min.jpg"> <p>You put things off to future you because it's easy. It's easy to assume that future you has boundless energy, drive, and motivation. Unfortunately, that perfect vision of future you is not reality.</p>
<p>Before putting something off, think about your future mental state - how tired, drained, and sleepy you will likely be. Consciously evaluating the dependability of future you can serve as motivation to actually do the things you want to do today.</p>
<h4>2. Pre-commitment</h4>
<p>Hyperbolic discounting tells we're more likely to procrastinate when decisions are far away.</p>
<a href="https://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/richard.thaler/research/pdf/smartjpe.pdf"><img src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/image7-min.jpg"></a> <iframe src="https://nireyal-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1_3LcdhudibScW-dcLYOnEnA-min.jpg" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe><p>A pre-commitment is a way to lock future you into a decision. You increase your chance of success by removing a temptation future you may try and weasel out of. The idea is to make it hard for your future self to back out.</p>
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Nir's Note: This guest post is written and illustrated by Lakshmi Mani, a product designer working in San Francisco. Have you ever had a mounting pile of work you know you need to do but for some reason didn't?

Hyperbolic Discounting: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices

Overcoming hyperbolic discounting

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