Be Better: Future-oriented In A Short-term World

Focus on the macro, not the micro. On the big, not the small. What you want is to leave a mark. Something that will be here when you are no longer. A life you can be proud of. A legacy is not achieved by stressing the micros. It is by mastering and staying consistent with the macros. By having the basics—the psychological, physiological, relational, and material basics—in check. Forget the details—the calories, minutes, wars, gas prices—sometimes. Think months and years—and even decades—not days and weeks.

Back In My Day…

Easier said than done. No, really. You are wired precisely against what I’m advocating. Humans have a pronounced tendency to focus on immediate, short-term gains. Long-term outcomes are nowhere in our evolutionary biology. What, you’re going to “invest” into the “Sabretooth 401k” to “retire” prosperously? As a primate who recently discovered fire and lives roughly twenty years? Yeah right. Preserving food for campfire dinners and macabre rituals is the most you would do—and rarely still.

There is no question that our ancestors benefitted from short-term thinking. Early humans faced threats. Constant threats. Predators. Scarce resources. Harsh environments. After all, the hairless monkey genius only took over earth relatively recently. Previous environments demanded quick and reactive decision-making. A survival-focused state of mind. This prevailed for thousands of years and ingrained itself into our brain. The same brain that now favors the here and now and informs you via the neurotransmitter you love, dopamine.

The Brain Gets Emotional Too

Delayed gratification is hated. Sorry. You and I can’t tell those ancient neurons to fuck off. We’re in this together. The propensity to undervalue long-term gain—temporal discounting—is a planet-wide problem. You might be cognizant—consciously at least—that foregoing enjoyment now pays then. But your brain? It does not give a damn. Not about your visions, plans, or goals. The present is understandable. The future is abstract. Takes more math—more cognitive effort—to envision the future. Thus, we consider the future vague and uncertain, and the present concrete and pressing, further reinforcing our inclination to stress the details.

This bias also connects to psychological phenomena. Beyond ooga booga ancestors. For instance, the present bias, where people disproportionately weigh the present. Or Barry Schwartz’s principle of choice, where the feeling of overwhelm by future possibilities makes us impulsive and short-sighted. Stress plays a part, as it engages the amygdala, the region responsible for the fight or flight response. The amygdala is to blame for that fast, impulsive, reactive, short-term-oriented behavior. It’s the archnemesis of planning and anticipating things rationally.

Here’s The Silver Bullet

The heart of the matter? Short-term thinking kind of sucks. Prospect theory reveals our aversion to loss and risk, which causes the loss of long-term benefit. Because we choose things that seem safe short-term. Safe, as in they don’t make us lose—loss aversion—and don’t put us at risk—risk aversion. Safe from discomfort, uncertainty, and change, too. You have a three-pound, wrinkly, mushy, and outdated coward beneath your skull. He or she costs you in finance and career decisions. Oh, and don’t get me started on what happens when we get emotional and/or stressed.

The way out? Embracing long-term thinking, of course! Long-term thinking is awesome. It enhances everything. Well-being. Productivity. Resilience in the face of stress. Individuals and professionals prioritizing the long-term are more successful. This is because short-term losses are easily weathered, and long-term growth opportunities are invested into. A clear sense of purpose and vision—vision, like, verbatim seeing into the future—certainly help.

Research Approves!

In practice, this is delaying gratification. Which is known to be wonderful. Wonderful for you, the environment, and those around. The classic Marshmallow test by Walter Mischel represents this, showing that children who could delay gratification—by choosing to wait for a second marshmallow instead of chowing on one—were more successful in life. Similarly, Angela Duckworth in Grit highlighted that self-control and concentrating on the macro over micro is vital for personal and professional achievement.

Rooted in evolution, psychology, and culture, there is no escaping short-term thought patterns. We have them. We are dominated by them. We need to accept them. Long-term thought is a challenge. Exploring ways to cultivate it is worthwhile. It illuminates paths to a holistic, rewarding life at work and at leisure. Thank God grittiness—what Duckworth calls it—discipline, self-control, and mindfulness are skills. They are not stagnant, inherent abilities. Trainable. Attainable. Improvable.

Connect To The Future

The thesis of a long-term mindset always boils down to a few pivotal elements. You won’t find a different answer, now or in the future. Awareness of the present moment—mindfulness. Vivid imagining of the future—vision. Reduction of stress—to deactivate the amygdala and shift from reactive, short-term thinking, to proactive, long-term thinking. Developing a variety of skills—building expertise takes sustained effort, deliberate practice, and patience, which are the essence of delayed gratification. Revisiting, reflecting on, and revising the past—to foster a better understanding of what consequences past actions have on present results.

Notice the pattern? Anything which helps us “feel” into the future—be it by seeing it (visualization) or exploring history (reflecting)—works to our advantage. We are retraining your short-term biased brain. The things I mentioned each have hundreds of ways to be implemented. Set goals with small milestones—helps the future feel concrete and accessible. Visualize or write future you a letter—envisioning what is coming clears up ambiguity. Reflect and learn from setbacks—seeing how you acted then and the repercussions of those actions makes you rethink how you act now. Countless other ways—journaling, meditation, online courses, mantras, reading—exist to achieve the same outcome.

Examples, Good and Bad

Here are some instances of this in practice across different fields. Scratch your brain on how it might appear in your situation. Career: take time to develop skills or jump into a less fulfilling job to get paid immediately. Fitness: gradually build muscle or choose quick weight management methods. Entrepreneurship: build a strong band and loyal customer base or prioritize quick revenue. Financial investments: allocate resources in diversified assets or day trade for rapid profits. Relationships: develop authentic connections or network with people who benefit you right now. Writing: produce quality, well-researched work or publish quickly to maintain a high output. Nutrition: adopt balanced eating habits or follow a crash diet for fast results. Academic research: pursue comprehensive, peer-reviewed studies or publish frequent and less rigorous papers. Mental health: engage in long-term therapy or indulge in short-term relief.

Final Thoughts

In the end, embracing the macro over the micro, the long-term over the short-term, the delayed over the immediate, all comes down to future-oriented thinking. Broader, more meaningful objectives are attained. Better strategies are formed. Prosperous individuals and teams adopt this approach. Why shouldn’t you? ****“Maturity is achieved when a person postpones immediate pleasures for long-term values.” said Joshua L. Liebman.