When faced with temptation, learn to delay gratification and turn confrontation into communication. Comfort and temptation are the favorites of the instinctive and emotional brain. To completely give up comfort and temptation is equivalent to direct confrontation with the instinctive and emotional brain. Obviously, the rational brain is no match for them, and defeat will come sooner or later. The sensible thing to do is to communicate with them, which is what the rational brain is best at. Just like talking to yourself above, gently tell them, "They will enjoy every bit as much as they deserve, just not now, but after the important things are done." This is an effective strategy, because by giving up the enjoyment, they won't agree, but by delaying the enjoyment, they will. Take mobile phones, for example.

At first, I slept with my phone next to me so I could reach it the first time I woke up. Later, I put it on my desk, and I still can't help going to my desk in the morning. This distance gave me a chance to talk to the caveman inside me. I said to myself, "Those messages have been on my phone all night. It's not too late. We'll see later. After a few tries, I found that I could stay away from my phone because there really was nothing to lose and I still felt the hum of concentrating on reading or running. I use the same strategy in the mornings and afternoons before I start work. I say to myself, "Hold on for a while, do the important stuff first, and then I'll have half an hour or an hour to just play on my phone, whatever I want." Through self-communication and guidance, the instinctive and emotional brains feel secure, and are usually willing to let the rational brain get in the way. The benefit of this kind of "post-fun" is that it is relaxing and dependable, like a reward, to build the pleasure of having fun on top of the sense of accomplishment after completing an important task. While "fun first" is fun at first, it can lead to boundless energy, procrastinate on important tasks, and leave you feeling empty and anxious as time goes by. After repeated experiences, the caveman in the body also tends to favor post-entertainment, which is more comfortable, after all. If you're lucky, the gratification of hard work may also replace the immediate pleasure of pleasure -- since there are higher-level pleasures to choose from, you're less dependent on lower-level ones. Of course, the road to habit formation is not as easy as I said, for example, sometimes we get up and reach out to open the wechat, the impulse to not look uncomfortable is too strong. What to do? The strategy is still to talk to yourself: "Just look at the headline, see what's in it, and then quit." Don't force confrontation and don't beat yourself up. It's also very helpful to let your impulses go. If you still can't resist, tell yourself again, "Finish this article immediately." Patience is all about not rushing things, allowing yourself to change slowly and even fail often. Whatever the outcome, talking to yourself will produce results. Finally, in the face of difficulties, take the initiative to change the perspective, give meaning to the action. In the face of difficult things, why do some people easily give up, while others can persevere? In addition to knowing the aforementioned rules, another important reason is that they are better at exploring principles and actively changing their cognitive perspective to find the meaning and benefits of action. For example, when we understand the nature and meaning of reading, we may put down the mobile phone and take the initiative to pick up a book. When we understand the meaning of deep learning, we may give up listening to books and speed reading, and start intensive reading and output. When we understand the true benefits of exercise, we may be able to stop being lazy and keep exercising. So find ways to see the meaning and benefits of what you want to do. The more dimensions you see, the more patient you will become.

When faced with temptation, learn to delay gratification and turn confrontation into communication. Comfort and temptation are the favorites of the instinctive and emotional brain. To completely give up comfort and temptation is equivalent to direct confrontation with the instinctive and emotional brain. Obviously, the rational brain is no match for them, and defeat will come sooner or later. The sensible thing to do is to communicate with them, which is what the rational brain is best at. Just like talking to yourself above, gently tell them, "They will enjoy every bit as much as they deserve, just not now, but after the important things are done." This is an effective strategy, because by giving up the enjoyment, they won't agree, but by delaying the enjoyment, they will. Take mobile phones, for example.

At first, I slept with my phone next to me so I could reach it the first time I woke up. Later, I put it on my desk, and I still can't help going to my desk in the morning. This distance gave me a chance to talk to the caveman inside me. I said to myself, "Those messages have been on my phone all night. It's not too late. We'll see later. After a few tries, I found that I could stay away from my phone because there really was nothing to lose and I still felt the hum of concentrating on reading or running. I use the same strategy in the mornings and afternoons before I start work. I say to myself, "Hold on for a while, do the important stuff first, and then I'll have half an hour or an hour to just play on my phone, whatever I want." Through self-communication and guidance, the instinctive and emotional brains feel secure, and are usually willing to let the rational brain get in the way. The benefit of this kind of "post-fun" is that it is relaxing and dependable, like a reward, to build the pleasure of having fun on top of the sense of accomplishment after completing an important task. While "fun first" is fun at first, it can lead to boundless energy, procrastinate on important tasks, and leave you feeling empty and anxious as time goes by. After repeated experiences, the caveman in the body also tends to favor post-entertainment, which is more comfortable, after all. If you're lucky, the gratification of hard work may also replace the immediate pleasure of pleasure -- since there are higher-level pleasures to choose from, you're less dependent on lower-level ones. Of course, the road to habit formation is not as easy as I said, for example, sometimes we get up and reach out to open the wechat, the impulse to not look uncomfortable is too strong. What to do? The strategy is still to talk to yourself: "Just look at the headline, see what's in it, and then quit." Don't force confrontation and don't beat yourself up. It's also very helpful to let your impulses go. If you still can't resist, tell yourself again, "Finish this article immediately." Patience is all about not rushing things, allowing yourself to change slowly and even fail often. Whatever the outcome, talking to yourself will produce results. Finally, in the face of difficulties, take the initiative to change the perspective, give meaning to the action. In the face of difficult things, why do some people easily give up, while others can persevere? In addition to knowing the aforementioned rules, another important reason is that they are better at exploring principles and actively changing their cognitive perspective to find the meaning and benefits of action. For example, when we understand the nature and meaning of reading, we may put down the mobile phone and take the initiative to pick up a book. When we understand the meaning of deep learning, we may give up listening to books and speed reading, and start intensive reading and output. When we understand the true benefits of exercise, we may be able to stop being lazy and keep exercising. So find ways to see the meaning and benefits of what you want to do. The more dimensions you see, the more patient you will become.