Tied to the Mast

Studies have shown that willpower is a limited resource (though people seem to be less limited if they don’t believe it is). Additionally, as discussed in the last fragment, we might realize that our wants can often be conflicting.

One axis on which the antagonism of wants often plays out is short-term vs. long-term goals. To circumvent only choosing things that bring short-term pleasure, you might, at a moment of great resolve and willpower, impose on yourself certain constraints that put you in a place where acting in accordance with your long-term goals is easier than not doing so. An extreme example of this would be entering a monastic order where living by a strict schedule is a hard requirement. Another one would be tying yourself to a ship’s mast in order to listen to the dangerous sirens’ song without steering the ship into the rocks. Less extreme examples could be selling your TV or deleting your social media account.

In general, the balance between long-term and short-term goals is always tricky. On the one hand, living in the present moment is important for a fulfilled life. After all, who can guarantee how many days any one of us still has to live? On the other hand, most days we wake up to another day and over the years we realize that most likely there’s still some future ahead of us. Making certain sacrifices in the present (e.g. going to work) often helps future-you (e.g. being able to buy food with your salary). Regarding constraints, I think they are often a good idea, but at the same time we should be really aware of the sacrifices they demand and consider in each specific case if they actually free us more than they bind us.