The Basics of Understanding Desires (03/20/2008)
...S. states from seceding, and then afterward he also wanted to free the slaves. Our desires differ in their immediacy. We want to eat and drink beyond moderation tonight, and we also want not to get fat or to be hungover tomorrow. This example, and even more so the example of drug and alcohol addiction, illustrates the perennial conflict between short-run versus long-run desires....

Useful Tactics for Sorting Out Desires (03/20/2008)
... . ?” question. The aim of this article is to determine which desires are most important for you, or for an institution with which you are working. The following are useful tactics: • Assess your wants systematically, devoting a block of time to the task, rather than just doing it hit-or-miss. • Write down your thoughts, rather than just mulling them in your mind....

The Benefits of Wise Goal Selection (03/19/2008)
... Sports in which the aim is to win against another person are not a good model for goal-setting in the rest of your life and business. In my experience, a person usually does best in work and personal life by trying to do well with respect to one’s capacities and values rather than by trying to do better than another person or organization. A better sports model is trying to make good shots or a low score in golf, or a fast time in running relative to your personal history, or making cleanly executed throws in judo, no matter who wins the match. Some people believe that the motivation to defeat others increases one’s chances of winning various kinds of contests, including business competitions. It is hard to test this sort of proposition, though it is probably true that different people are best motivated by different mental schemas....