A Joosr Guide to The Marshmallow Test by Walter Mischel

Looking at the pros and cons of each choice will allow you to see the difference between what you need and what you want. So, do you need a car, or a sports car? Do you need to eat, or eat fast food? You’re probably not going to jot down a list of pros and cons for every decision, but you should practice making a mental list to get in the habit of thinking choices through.

What you need, and why you need it, can alter the way you see something you want. You can spend all your savings on the sports car because you need a car; emotionally, you believe you’ve fulfilled a need, but in reality you fulfilled a want. This is where making a detached list of pros and cons becomes a strategy for letting your brain use its reasoning skills once again.

Change how you make decisions—use reasoning instead of emotion