💭
going through my old clothes before getting new ones, believing i can stick to a budget, stretching, learning to stay the course when trying new foods
Mar 27, 2025
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📆
Technically I’m using this term wrong—it’s from the “marshmallow experiment” (iykyk). But in the last year, I have been developing a stronger muscle for delayed gratification as a counter to instant gratification. We live in a very wild moment in modernity / late-stage capitalism where seemingly everything we desire (to own, to know) is at our fingertips. And I’m not entirely convinced we were meant to live like this. Yearning, waiting, longing for something, being patient—these are an important part of the human experience. So why deny ourselves the distinct pleasure of waiting for or working toward something by instantly having it? Slowing down is very very good for us and part of what keeps me going.
Here are some ways I practice my delayed gratification:
🕐 film photography, it takes a long while to finish a roll and more time to get the pictures developed
⏲️ borrowing media from the library (bonus points for requesting the library purchase something for me, then hoping and waiting with no guarantee)
🕰️ buying myself a present and then not opening it until the right moment. both of the gold charms that i wear daily i waited a couple of months to open to mark major life milestones
⏰ making sourdough bread. i have to decide three days in advance that i want to bake it and start feeding my starter so she’s ready to bake with.
⏱️ keeping a wishlist instead of buying something the second i want it. this gives me time to consider the purpose it serves, determine if i already own something similar (especially clothing), figure out if i can get by borrowing it (books! music! tools!), and ultimately save up for it. also our shopping impulses are often a response to something deeper inside of us, which is how we often accumulate so much stuff!
💌 sending letters / having pen pals, which gives us the chance to slow down our responsiveness and availability. i love anticipating their letters and sitting down to draft my own.
🪷 having an orchid in my house. she blooms once a year, but i nurture her throughout the year to reach that moment each spring.
Mar 25, 2025
🚯
i try to resist the temptation to buy new things that fit a very specific need. in all likelihood, i have something that can work. a bag that might be slightly too big, a lens that might have a range slightly too slim, a pair of jeans that don't quite fit perfectly, 1.5 tupperware containers full of leftovers. all of this is fine and i will make it work.
Oct 31, 2023
💸
to the furthest extent you can as an experiment in asceticism. Ask yourself if you want something or need something but be strict with your definition of need. Tell yourself no more often than you would like! Reevaluate your priorities. Find simpler pleasures to indulge in! Try to buy secondhand whenever possible.
May 12, 2024
