Ponder Post: Instant Gratification

Why is it that I have a tall stack of books squirreled away in my bedroom (and admittedly, also in several other dusty cubby holes about the house) just waiting for me to read yet, when I actually go to select one, none of them appeal? When I bought each book, it was intended to be my very next read. But I'd rather dive into the book I just got out of the library or just bought online.

Life Animated, the book currently at the top of the stack, is a true story of how
Disney animation helped reach an autistic boy.

Why is it that my fabric closet has several quilt kits queued up to be sewn and yet a fabric and pattern I have just purchased a day or two ago jumps to the head of the line when I am freed up to start a new project? I am most excited about the most recent purchase. As parents we faulted our kids for wanting the latest and greatest toy that was advertised but chastised them for their waning interest when they did receive the once coveted item. Are we any different as adults? Are our tastes and desires that fickle?

Contrary to popular teaching that you need to be longing for something for a while to appreciate it when you do get it, I think the opposite is true. You like and enjoy something more when you get it at the peak of wanting it. If you want to maximize your ratio of happiness to dollars spent, H/$, then you'd best get that new widget right away while your longing is the strongest. That is why Amazon prime is a good thing! You order an item and within two days or fewer, the shipment arrives pretty much at the peak of your desire.

What's so bad about instant gratification?

Instant gratification has been getting a bad rap. You might argue that if you had waited and then decide you no longer wanted the item, then you would be ahead of the game, having not spent any money. Surely, with a zero in the denominator for dollars spent, the H/$ would be infinite, wouldn't it? But not so fast. If happiness from the non-purchase were zero also, then H/$ would be 0/0. And, as we all know, 0/0 is undefined! So why is the general consensus that instant gratification is somehow tainted? Is it some ploy used on us during our formative childhood years to drive us into thriftiness?

All this lead-in helps me introduce a book that leapt to the top of my to-read stack. I think I enjoyed it all the more because, after learning about it from Gretchen Ruben's Happiness Project blog, I was able to get it out of the library the same day with no wait, a prime example of instant gratification. This engaging non-fiction book was titled Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. It was published in 2007 so I guess I am a bit behind the times in the greater scheme of things but perfectly timed in terms of my oscillating reading preferences.

I love the realistic duct tape printed on this book's cover.

The book is chock full of examples of memorable ideas and urban legends that have persisted throughout the years. Many, in fact most, of the book's examples were familiar to me. There was Jared the college student who lost a ton of weight eating Subway sandwiches. There was Disney's themed approach to on-the-job behavior for his employees, referring to them as cast members who were on stage, in costumes - not uniforms. There was the Southwest Airlines model as being THE low priced airline. There was JFK's impassioned challenge to put a man on the moon that started the space race.

Made to Stick uses the acronym SUCCESs as a memory tool, illustrating why ideas survive. SUCCESs stands for Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories. I almost wished I'd read this book and had the opportunity to use its techniques before I retired, while I was still at my job. On the other hand, I can still apply this book's teachings somewhat in my lifestyle today. Having just redecorated the living room, I pointed out to Frank that our master bedroom still has the original decor from when we moved in 26 years ago. I mentioned to Frank it would be refreshing to have the wallpaper in there, pressing in on us from all sides, gone. Could the idea, "It's time for a change" be made to stick?

 Simple - wouldn't non-patterned painted walls be simpler?
 Unexpected - Frank didn't expect me to part with wallpaper I'd so lovingly chosen
 Concrete - this was a well-defined task that would show progress
 Credible  - Frank believed he could take off that paper
 Emotional - just think how happy that would make me in the bedroom ...
 Stories - think how much milage he could get from the stripping stories/jokes

Almost as tenaciously as the wallpaper itself, the idea to remove it had stuck. Frank started stripping the walls. Not. An. Easy. Job. That wallpaper fought back. It was Made to Stick!

The wallpaper is delaminating and coming off in two layers.
First, the printed outer layer comes –  our cat had been making a head start on that one.
The second brown glue layer needs a bit of soaking before it is willing to part with the wall.

Frank has been working very hard all week on stripping that wallpaper. From the time I suggested it to when he started peeling away was just a couple days. Now that is instant gratification!