But here's where his idea helps you combat the desire for immediate rewards without "willpower". Let's look at the impact on what sort of respect others will g

But here's where his idea helps you combat the desire for immediate rewards without "willpower". Let's look at the impact on what sort of respect others will give you with your three options: 1. Studying for a degree: high - hard worker, smart 2. Going out: medium - friends like you, but you're a party-person and don't really do anything respectable. 3. Video games: low - lazy bum. I think the argument is that the part of your brain that is trying to procrastinate understands enough about society to realize that making yourself a better and more respectable person is a worthy goal and will help you work towards it. The trick is having that goal in mind. With the goal in mind, not making progress is an immediate negative reinforcement. I used to play video games all day instead of working. Now I feel almost dirty if I do that. I know that the person I want to be is not someone who sits around and reads HN and gets no work done in a day. Of course, there's a balance. If I'm ahead on a deadline, good luck getting me to finish it early.