I have previously argued that self-discipline is essential if you want to excel beyond the level of a monkey. But just how much does intelligence depend upon self-discipline, or how much self-discipline do you need to have in order to make full use of your cognitive abilities? Ricky Raw elaborates:

Pick something you are really looking forward to and get much joy from. Now delay experiencing it. Or miss it altogether. Miss your favorite show. Don’t even tape it. That new blockbuster movie you were planning to spend the night outside waiting for to open? See it three weeks after it comes out. Procrastinate on the things you eagerly look forward to and do some chores you’ve been avoiding instead. Leave that dessert you’ve been craving on your desk and don’t eat it until the end of the day. American Idol results tonight? Live? Go home and go to sleep instead. Feel like taking a break to check email or Facebook or Twitter for the umpteenth time? Finish your work project first and take the break in about five hours.

This will be a fascinating investigation to track. If Mischel is right, raw intelligence isn’t so much the primary cause of future success but rather one of a series of causes of future success, a series that begins with capacity for self-control and capacity for delay of gratification. Rather than focusing on intelligence and whether it is mostly hereditary or can be changed, it may be more beneficial to study self-control and whether that is mostly hereditary or can be changed. It sounds like a subtle distinction, but it’s actually quite the paradigm shift.

I've had similar experiences and can confirm this. It's not about trying to be some spiritual Buddha. You simply learn to evaluate what your primary goals are and then set aside your short-term whims. Here are a few examples on how you can exercise sound procrastination in everyday life:

• Food: if you seriously need to eat candy or drink soda, don't begin consuming it the same day you bought it just to satisfy some sugar need, or "congratulate" yourself when doing something good. The fine art of procrastination starts with realizing that you're unlikely to ever get credited for any personal success of yours. Also, learn to postpone favorite dinners of yours. I once waited a week to cook tacos. When I'd cooked it on a regular Sunday, it was the best food I've had in a long time.
• Exercise: self-discipline here means maintaining consistency. People who're looking for immediate satisfaction in exercise are the kind of people who top themselves at the gym for a few months, then disappear, because they fail to see body building as an ongoing process, not a static goal line you cross at time x because you lifted as much weight as you could. The elite athletes I know go for less reps than me at the gym, but lift more, and understand consistency in a way I am still learning to emulate. They're kicking ass because they're looking for long-term results that may not always be physically evident (like diet), but will nonetheless be crucial when they pursue their goals.
• Relationships: I defend a sound beta culture, because it's scientifically proven that there's a close correlation between below-average IQ and promiscuity. People with lower intelligence have more sex because they fail to look at long-term consequences. Therefore, if you value long-term relationships, you want to practise sound chastity. This is mostly relevant to women: if you wait with sex for a few months after initial dating, you will have less reason to complain over a careless boyfriend later on. Men who screw women over, do so simply because they can. Waiting months for sex isn't fun for these men, so you do yourself a favor if you restrain yourself and develop the proper emotional and social connection instead.
• Work: most people jerk around at work nowadays, simply because they're browsing a dozen different sites that have got nothing to do with work. They lack motivation. Same with college students who spend their time drinking or surfing the web instead of working towards graduation. Well, you need to start thinking on the essentials again. If you need to close the browser while working on a report or essay, do so. Shut everything else down, including your cell phone, and just focus on work. You'll be amazed how fast it goes once you've started. When you're done, you can dedicate some time to engage in random activities. Or read a good book, it's your call.