# How do you draw the line between what's good for now and what's good for later?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-draw-the-line-between-whats-good-for-now-and-whats-good-for-later/561341>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 20, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-draw-the-line-between-whats-good-for-now-and-whats-good-for-later/561341 "2010-11-20T16:58:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-draw-the-line-between-whats-good-for-now-and-whats-good-for-later/561341/1 "2010-11-20T16:58:00Z")

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I think for me one of the biggest daily battles I face is between what I know is beneficial for me in the long run and what I want right now and will feel good immediately. Some examples:

I know that later I will regret the hot chocolate with whipped cream, but I know that it will be quite delicious while I’m drinking it.

I know that spending an hour at night mindlessly surfing the internet is bad for sleep hygiene, but I enjoy it so much while I’m doing it.

I know when I take my test that I will regret spending so much time on the Dope, but it’s so fun right now 🙂

So how do you draw the line between destructive hedonism and ascetic denial of gratification?