Delayed Gratification, a Lost Art of Life

Delayed gratification is a very important life skill. It has been proven to be one of the main determinants of future success in children as well as in adults. Unfortunately, this life skill seems to be lost in this era and culture of instant gratification, opulence, and hedonism. This is why I started a DooGoo Delayed Gratification Habit Tracker for sharing streaks with friends and collecting points, to encourage a disciplined yet fun lifestyle. Everyone has experienced times when you have a spurt of motivation, then lose the initial enthusiasm. A good way to stick to good habits is to share streaks and badges with friends, so that you can encourage each other.

When I look back at how I was raised, I see a huge contrast to how the current generation is brought up.  My sisters and  I were subconsciously trained to learn delayed gratification, because our parents would say no to most of our requests to buy any toy or clothing. This was partly due to our middle class family's thrifty habits, growing up in a developing country where our parents had to work hard for every penny, and saving money was a virtue. It was also because a simple lifestyle was a virtue. It is this lifestyle of delayed gratification that has contributed to our academics and careers.

In America, the percentage of families living from hand-to-mouth is 42% and the percentage of families who do not pay off their credit card debt every month is a staggering 48%.  The total amount of household debt in the US has surged to a new record level of $18.04 trillion at the end of 2024. This is due to the culture of instant gratification, keeping up with the Joneses and hedonistic lifestyle. Such a lifestyle  has definitely contributed to the obesity epidemic, now a worldwide problem. As a wound care doctor I am reminded of this epidemic every day.

Habit tracking is one of the tools to practice delayed gratification. When I came up with the idea for the app, I realized that I have already been practicing habit tracking in various aspects of my life like skipping breakfast, denying desserts, denying myself hash browns every time I walk by McDonald's in the morning on the way to work as well as keeping track of my workout every day.

After working out, one of the most satisfying things to do is to write down the exercise that I have completed. Another gratification is looking back and seeing my track record (the list of workouts that I've done for the week or the month). This app allows you to see history and analytics of various habits. Another feature that this app has is keeping track of every time you say No, either to yourself. It could be saying no to yourself or having a dessert at dinner or saying no to your children when they ask to buy yet another toy. On a personal note,  I just clicked on the No tracker, and am patting myself on the back for having just said no to my daughter who requested to go with a friend to Jamaica for a beach vacation during spring break.

Use DooGoo to practice delayed gratification, share streaks and badges with friends, so that you can encourage each other. Download DooGoo (it’s free!) and change your life today!