Want to Make Better Decisions?
Jerry Seinfeld has a great bit about the night guy and the morning guy. As a night guy, he wants to stay up late, party, and generally get a few hours of sleep. But what happens when you only get a few hours of sleep, someone asks the night guy. Well, that’s not my problem, it’s the morning guy’s problem. When the morning guy wakes up, he feels tired, groggy, and exhausted. He hates the night guy.
Do you feel you make decisions the same way?
- Late-night ice cream? Only this once and it helps me sleep at night.
- Go for a run when it is raining/snowing / cloudy outside? Nah, maybe another day when it’s better.
- Should I spend time with my kids who are preoccupied with a sport/hobby/toy? No, I will look at my phone instead at inconsequential things.
Here is a trick I learned from Matthew Dick’s book Someday is Today: consider your 100-year-old self and make decisions from their perspective, not your present self’s perspective.
Your present self wants to make the easy decisions. They prioritize short-term pleasure.
- Saving money? No need, I still have 10, 20 or 30 more years of working to do so.
- Walking every day? I’m young and I’m invincible…
