Short-Term Thinking

Ever since social media has been a regular part of our lives, there's been a slow and steady decreased in appreciation for delayed or long-term gratification. We are accustomed to consume A LOT of content right now, almost immediate feedback, and short-lived dopamine hits. Carried by the hype and connections you could create via any of those platforms, I didn't realize the effect it had on me. I was able to focus for hours, working on something that I might see flourish later in the year or even further down the line. Now I'm surrounded by viral posts, viral videos, viral this, and that. There's an almost immediate response (or so it appears) that grows by orders of magnitude quickly. Rampant shortcuts for any aspect of life are all around: fitness, career growth, spirituality, ...

As I complained before in Distractions or The Illusion of Mastery it's hard to take control of your attention levels. I'm probably not the first to think about this, but I see how this instant gratification phenomenon has affected little things in life. From filling the dishwasher from the front, to keeping a plant alive (arguably not the best examples but hopefully you get the idea). Once I started to notice it, I could see it everywhere. And it gave me pause in every action I take in life. I inadvertently ask myself: am I doing this because it benefits me right now? Would future-me be happy about it?

I've been trying my best, ever since, to work on things that I might benefit from it years from now. A side project that I contribute to weekly, writing, journaling, reading, working out. Instead of chasing the immediate gain, I look at things that I would impress myself with in the future. I have tried to integrate this in my life daily, not always successfully but I keep trying. I'm trying to slow down, enjoy the ride, and learn as much as I can throughout the journey. Every year (maybe every quarter or so) I look back and asses if I made any progress, I adjust where necessary and try again. I am looking at long-term goals: what do I want to be able to do physically ten years from now? Where do I want my writing to be like 5 to 10 years from now? I admire efforts that take years to deliver and I constantly look around to find inspiration, and look back to see where I came from and how far I got.

Thoughts

I'm afraid that the aggressively attention-grabbing nature of many social apps have ruined how we approach short-term vs long-term goals. Spoiled by instant gratification, I see myself and my peers struggle to plan for the future and invest our time with focus on things that might take years to mature. My next long-term effort is the 5 year journal, let's see how that goes.

• Is there anything in your life you would like to achieve but are afraid of not being satisfied with it immediately?
• Have you tried working with bonsai?
• Is there anything, 10 years from now, you would love to impress yourself with because of your dedication and consistency?