Moderation
“Nobody does moderation well.”
–Greg McKeown (@GregoryMcKeown) author of “Essentialism, the Disciplined Pursuit of Less”
- When moderation doesn’t work.
Author, speaker Greg McKeown revealed during a Tim Ferriss Show that he gave up sugar for a year. It was reportedly easier than cutting back, a.k.a. moderation.
The folks at Alcoholics Anonymous know moderation doesn’t work. An alcoholic cannot ‘pick up.’ Not even once, or they’re back to day one. A newcomer. AA has been around since 1935 and it has worked for a lot of people.
2. Moderation takes discipline.
Seems crazy in a way, but sometimes it’s easier to never start than it is to start and stop. One bite of that cherry pie leads to two. Then, “Ah heck. I’ll just finish the whole piece and start on my diet tomorrow.”
3. Moderation leads to decision fatigue.
We have a big toe in the water, but we haven’t moved to the immersion stage. We’re on the fence. It’s a kind of decision fatigue that author Gretchen Rubin discusses in her book “Better Than Before.” We can’t move forward or backward because we have not made up our minds. I’m tired just thinking about it.
4. Moderation undermines good habits.
Abstinence sounds monkish, but if it invokes a good habit, it’s freeing. Habit-supported abstinence eliminates temptation and saves the right kind of energy for more creative endeavors.
Lastly, we cannot forget this quote:
5. “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” ~ Oscar Wilde
