How to outsmart brain and start taking care of their future

Why we are undermining their own welfare

Hirschfeld psychologist Hal (Hal Hershfield) wondered why people do not save for retirement. Life expectancy has increased, so it is logical that a comfortable existence after leaving from work need more money. Nevertheless, the average American, who remained until retirement 15 years old, lays only one third of the funds needed to maintain current living standards. People spend money today, compromising their future well-being.

To explain the reasons for such behavior, Hirschfeld and his colleagues conducted an experimentSaving for the future self: Neural measures of future self-continuity predict temporal discountingDuring which scanned the brains of the participants. At the same time we ask them how to them now and in the future apply such qualities as an honest and funny. And also how they fit with the other person and the other person are now in the future. Scientists have noted what part of the brain "light up" in response time.

It is not surprising that the brain is more active more often when participants think of themselves in the present, and least of all when pondering about other people. But it is interesting that the brain activity when thinking about his future, was very similar to what happened when people did not think about myself, but about

others.

So, when we present ourselves in a month, a year or 10 years, the brain registers that person is almost the same as would be recorded by Taylor Swift or a driver in a passing car.

From this point of view, to hold off on retirement - the same thing that to give money to a stranger. We are acting in their own interests, so the failure of accumulations seems quite logical.

Such findings may soothe chronic procrastinators. It turns out that the tendency to postpone the case until later - this is not a moral flaw but a feature of the nervous system. Our brain is so constituted that first of all take care of this. On the other hand, it is even more complicate the pursuit of long-term objectives: it need not contend with the lack of will power and self-biology.

If we perceive the future like a stranger, self-destructive actions make sense. Of course, we look at the series instead of a workout, go to social networks rather than to add an article, or agree on an interesting project which we just do not have enough time.

We get a specific and immediate positive results, and suffer from the consequences of hypothetical would be someone completely different. Although in practice it ourselves in the future.

We often take on too many commitments. Recall, for example, you agreed on something despite all the busy schedule. You may be prompted anticipation of interesting tasks, or social pressure. In any case, it seemed to you that your ability and motivation somehow grow in the future. But when it comes time to make a promise, you will still think in the first placeProcrastination and the Priority of Short-Term Mood Regulation: Consequences for Future Self the comfort at the moment, not the consequences.

We believe that tomorrow everything will be different and we will be others. But because of this we again put in the first place his mood in the present rather than the consequences of inaction, which be faced in the future. This leads to psychological and sometimes physical discomfort. We are currently creating stress, anxiety and fear of failure. The result is that the writer Steven Pressfield (Steven Pressfield) calls resistance.

"We do not say to yourself," I will never write a symphony, "- he explains in his book" War of creativity. " - We say: "I will write a symphony, but I'll start tomorrow. '" Shifting so uncomfortable with myself in this to yourself in the future, we feel immediate relief.

Of course, the future of the "I" inevitably becomes a real "I", and we have to deal with the fact that we have been putting off. And also with the accumulated guilt and anxiety. We find ourselves in a vicious circle. To break out of it, the author of the blog Doist Becky Kane (Becky Kane) offers three strategies.

How to cope with stress and guilt

1. Force the future yourself to do what you do not want to do now

First, you have a significant advantage: you know your weaknesses and can predict how you will think and act in the future. So, you can counteract itself. Do not expect that tomorrow you will magically appear motivation and willpower. Expect the worst from him.

Secondly, to do everything to make things easy:

• If you want to save, connect a monthly automatic transfer of money to the savings account. Then you will not have free money that can be spent on nonsense.
• If you aspire to a healthy diet, always keep a useful snack. Prepare food for the week ahead on Sunday, and several servings of freeze in case of emergency.
• To start a project that has long been putting off? Prepare everything you need in the evening. For example, in the morning you want to finish the article. Then in the evening, close all unnecessary tabs in the browser, leaving only the document text.

Of course, this does not guarantee the absence of procrastination. Try to err in addition:

• When working at a computer, you often distracted by social network, install an extension that limits the time on such sites. For example, Freedom.
• If you want to train in the morning, but you find it hard to pull yourself out of bed, set the alarm clock, which makes solving mathematical problems (Puzzle Alarm Clock) Or scan a barcode (Barcode Alarm).
• You need to save money? Unsubscribe from all Mailing discounts and block sites that often buy.
• If you want to play sports, to report to the other, or sign up for a joint training and pay them. Costs and social pressure to help not to miss a workout.

And remember: nothing is more motivating, as the good old deadline. Install it and select unpleasant consequences in the event of delay.

2. Convince yourself in the present, you are in the future - it's the same you

Hirschfeld continued his studies. He wanted to test that will help people to think more about the future and save for retirement. In the new experiment, he and his colleagues photographed the participants and visually grow old with their faces in the photo editor. Then the subjects were placed in conditions of virtual reality, where they looked in the mirror and saw his face grown old. Then they saidINCREASING SAVING BEHAVIOR THROUGH AGE-PROGRESSED RENDERINGS OF THE FUTURE SELFThat will be put off by 30% more than participants in the control group who were not reminded of old age.

You can repeat this experiment using AgingBooth applications (iOS, Android), But there are other ways to bring together the present and the future of the "I".

For example, write a letter to yourself in future. According to studiesFuture self-continuity is associated with improved health and increases exercise behavior, Those who wrote the letter himself-by-20-years, in the following days more exercise than those who wrote itself-through-three months.

Another option - to approach the future. When we think about upcoming events in days, not in years, we believe that they will come soon. This was confirmed by an experimentWhen Does the Future Begin? Time Metrics Matter, Connecting Present and Future Selves. Participants who thought about retirement in days (10 950 days), rather than in years (30 years), started saving money to four times faster.

Writer Tim Urban (Tim Urban) went even further. He broke the 90-year life for days and did the calendar.

This image helps us to understand how short life is. That's what should be done to remind myself how little really separates you today from you over the years:

1. Write a letter to the future itself. Imagine what your life would be in a few decades, and that is important to you.
2. Put deadlines for goals in weeks, days or even hours.
3. Visualize the path to the goal in the form of a table, where each box - this one day. Contours of the elements that reflect important milestones. Every evening, write down what you have done for the day, and expunged the box.
4. In the morning, imagine that you are completely satisfied with the passing day. Think about what business will give you the feeling, and start with him.

3. Use instant gratification to their advantage

When selecting the goals we usually focus on the long-term results: lose weight, Get a raise, to master a skill. While such goals are inspired, they are of little help to carry out the necessary steps day by day. It is useful to reformulate their actions with the instant gratification standpoint.

"We conducted research and interviewed people about their goals at the beginning of the year - tell Caitlin marketer Woolley (Kaitlin Woolley) and psychologist Eylet Fischbach (Ayelet Fishbach). - Most of the set goals, the benefits of which will feel more distant day: career growth, debt payments, better health. We asked how people are pleased to move toward your goal and how it is important to them. Two months later, we learned, if they continue in the same spirit. Turned out to enjoy the pursuit of objectives helps much more than its importance. "

In achieving the goals of pleasure from the process is more important than good in the long term. Use it to motivate yourself.

For example:

1. To play sports, do not think that after six months you will have a perfect body. Find a sport that gives you pleasure, and focus on pleasant feelings and a good mood, it brings today.
2. Do not force yourself to learn to make good grades. Select items of interest to you and enjoy the learning process.
3. Send emails to customers not to perform a monthly or annual sales plan and that at the end of each day, turn off the computer without guilt. Or turn productivity into the game.
4. Combine the boring task with something pleasant. For example, going to a favorite coffee shop, interesting podcast or a delicious snack.

How to overcome procrastination

• Think about what the goal is for you the most important in 20 years. If nothing comes to mind, write a letter from him in the future. Highlight a major achievement in a prominent place.
• Make a list of specific actions that will bring you closer to your goal. For example, if you want to write a book, specify the number of words you want to write one day. Add each action with a deadline in the calendar or task tracker.
• Write down everything that you want to do instead of having to do. View social network, respond to e-mail and so on. For each item on the list come up with a strategy that will not be distracted. For example, block social networks pages, select a specific time to parse email.
• Make a list of ideas that will help to automate the necessary steps and facilitate their implementation. Include them in your daily routine. Repetitive tasks, add the calendar.
• Promise to move toward your goal, it is better in public, then you will feel obligated. Think of the consequences, which will have to be reconciled, if you do not fulfill the conditions.
• Count the number of days or hours before the deadline. Mark them on the sticker and affix it to the prominent, do not forget to regularly update.
• Write down all the fast rewards of their actions necessary to achieve the goal. Try to enjoy the process.

It is difficult to make decisions about how to spend time and money, what to eat, how often do sports. Therefore, it may not be a simple answer to how to deal with procrastination. But, realizing cognitive bias that prevents perceive themselves in the future as well as itself in the present, you will advance one step toward their goals.