How delayed gratification can make achieving goals faster

Each week, Vera Vaslova makes herself wait until Friday to enjoy her favorite iced coffee. “And that makes me disgustingly productive,” she says in a video she posted on TikTok. “Getting coffee out is one of my favorite things in this entire world, but I only let myself do it on Friday morning so that I have something to look forward to all week,” she explains. “And that’s what we call delayed gratification training.” Delayed gratification, or the idea that good things come to those who wait, is a concept many are familiar with. Those who are able to delay gratification tend to have stronger emotional regulation and decision-making skills, and often reap the rewards in both their personal and professional lives. And yet, in a frictionless world of next-day delivery, instant notifications, and get-rich-quick schemes promising overnight success, delaying gratification is a muscle many have let atrophy. “It’s a very weak muscle because it’s hard work,” says Philip Gable, a professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Delaware. “It’s like exercise: You definitely see benefits from it, but they’re delayed.” Like exercise, it’s also a muscle you c…