Time orientation is yet another problem with self-discipline. Some of us are present-oriented – this will not serve you well because you won’t be able to act in the best interests of future you. Others of us are future-oriented – we think about what we want in the future and work backward to create it. This perspective meshes much better with self-discipline. In the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, the diligent ant is future-oriented and survives the winter, while the hedonistic grasshopper is present-oriented and starves.

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