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Quick Spoon: The pull of the immediate
Episode 63 • 25th September 2026 • People Soup • Ross McIntosh
00:00:00 00:01:51

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How often do we get pulled towards what's going to give us relief or reward right now?

In this Quick Spoon, Dr Ryan Kemp describes how addiction can change someone's experience of time, so that the immediate becomes much more important than what might happen in the future.

I'm not suggesting that ordinary human behaviour is the same as addiction. But Ryan's insight got me thinking about something we can all recognise: the difficult conversation we put off, the easier option we choose, or the short-term reward that gets in the way of something that matters more in the longer term.

So here's the Quick Spoon:

The next time you find yourself choosing the easiest or most rewarding option, pause and ask:

What might matter here if I widened the time horizon a little?

This Quick Spoon comes from my conversation with Dr Ryan Kemp about addiction.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation: When the future gets smaller: Dr Ryan Kemp on addiction

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Transcripts

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[00:00:43] Hi there, and welcome to People Soup Quick Spoon, real conversations about work, leadership, and being [00:00:50] human.

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[00:00:53] In this clip, Dr. Ryan Kemp describes something I found really fascinating about addiction

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[00:01:04] The cigarette they want now. The drink they want now. The relief they want now

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[00:01:13] Because we can all get pulled towards the immediate

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[00:01:18] The thing we do because it's [00:01:20] easier than doing the thing that really matters

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[00:01:27] But Ryan's insight got me thinking about the difference [00:01:30] between what gives us relief right now

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[00:01:36] The next time you find yourself choosing the easiest or most [00:01:40] rewarding option

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[00:01:43] What might matter here if I widened the time horizon a little? That's your quick spoon. Until [00:01:50] next time, take care

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