(Ulysses and the Sirens, Herbert James Draper, 1909)
Background on Ulysses' Promises
Greek myths (although mythical in nature as their name implies) contain important morals and lessons that are as relevant today as they were many moons ago. Countless myths have helped shape systems and contexts that are part of our lives today. One Greek hero, Ulysses (otherwise known as Odysseus) the king of Ithaca, has inspired what is now known in behavioural economic circles as the “Ulysses' promise”. The story goes that he and his men were sailing close to the Sirens, half-bird, half-women who lured sailors with the sweetness of their voices. Fearing this, Ulysses had his men tie him to the mast of his ship so that he could hear their voices but wouldn’t approach them and thus fall under their spell.
In essence, Ulysses made a pact between his future self and his present self to resist temptation. And thus, the Ulysses' promise is loosely based on how he anticipated his faltering willpower and overcame this via some self-imposed extrinsic motivation.
In Behavioural Economics
Richard Thaler, who in 2017 won the Noble Prize for his work in behavioural economics, has philosophised that “it is sometimes good to have our freedoms restricted if we’re to act in our own best interests” (Ubel, 2014).
Ulysses’ promises, or commitment devices, are a way to “overcome the discrepancy between an individual's short-term and long-term preferences; in other words, they are a way for self-aware people to modify their incentives or set of possible choices in order to overcome impatience or other irrational behavior” ("Commitment device", 2020).
Human behaviour, at times so seemingly irrational and subject to so many outside forces, can benefit from a personal contract. Ulysses’ promises in the gym sector and financial markets are gaining mainstream credibility as health clients or investors make promises to themselves on how they will behave, despite how they feel like responding to what appears to be happening in the outside world (gym/health sector see reference Kojin, 2020; finance see reference: Riley, 2018).
There are several mechanisms by which we can reduce our temptations in the future. These include:
Making our commitment public: to our friends/family or more widely through organisations such as Stickk (see reference: "Self-improvement. Powered by behavioral science.", 2020)
Creating more obstacles in the way to decrease our temptations (think not having unhealthy food in the house/turning phone off at dinner time to reduce screen-time after dinner)
Making a bet with someone or yourself, or choosing a consequence for yourself for not following through
In Education
Ulysses' promises are useful in any sector, including education. How many times have we been ‘on a good thing’- doing some high-yield activity regularly that our students and ourselves enjoy and learn from and then, for no apparent reason, we stop. Perhaps we stop because we found something better, but usually we stop simply because we found something different.
Often we drop the important for the sake of the urgent. We know what works but (take your pick). . . :
"It’s report card time."
"It’s assessment time."
"I couldn’t find the time."
"I was introduced to a new idea."
"My colleagues are no longer doing it."
"I’d forgotten about that one!"
My Ulysses' Promise
There are many activities that, once I’m re-introduced to, wonder why I stopped utilising them. For what it’s worth, here’s my Ulysses' Promise – my public commitment. I know that students at my school benefit from, and enjoy Open Middle Problems (Kaplinsky, 2020) Despite how manic this term may get, despite what is happening in my/the world in any given moment, I will ensure that I utilise these Open Middle problems each week (I have even ‘smoothed the path’ by placing a shortcut to them on my desktop and scheduled it into my calendar).
Conclusion
So, what is your Ulysses' promise to yourself this term, and how will you keep it? It could be around your work in schools, or even personally to ensure the world gets the best of you.
References
Commitment device. (2020). Retrieved 4 October 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commitment_device
Kaplinsky, R. (2020). Open Middle®. Retrieved 4 October 2020, from https://www.openmiddle.com/
Kojin, S. (2020). How to Use the "Ulysses Contract" to Motivate Stubborn Clients. Retrieved 4 October 2020, from https://www.theptdc.com/how-to-motivate-clients-with-ulysses-contract
Riley, A. (2018). Want a Great Investment Outcome? Use a Ulysses Contract - Bunker Riley Financial Planning. Retrieved 4 October 2020, from https://bunker-riley.com/2018/08/22/ulysses-contract/
Self-improvement. Powered by behavioral science. (2020). Retrieved 4 October 2020, from https://www.stickk.com/
Ubel, P. (2014). The Ulysses Strategy. Retrieved 4 October 2020, from https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/ulysses-strategy-self-control
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