There has to be a better mental model than a game to represent the benefits of long term thinking / delayed gratification. For me, I look at as nudging my timel

There has to be a better mental model than a game to represent the benefits of long term thinking / delayed gratification. For me, I look at as nudging my timeline by a minute fraction of a degree each time I do something that feels unnatural / like a chore, but that I know is beneficial in the long run. Hundreds of such small adjustments over the years result in major course corrections... I'm sure other mental models are possible. Edit: Forgot another point: the further away in space/time an effect of your actions is, the weaker its emotional response in you. You can motivate yourself to act by finding strategies to amplify that response. To me, it is what sets us apart from animals, who operate mostly in the here-and-now.