There's something about [cyclically] doing something over and over and over that seems to be particularly demotivating.

That’s a lesson we can all learn: the more we have, the more we want. And the only cure is to break the cycle of relativity.

What you should do is wait until the end of each month, and then say, "OK, how much money do I have? How much do I need? Let me send the rest to retirement."

We are all far less rational in our decision-making than standard economic theory assumes. Our irrational behaviors are neither random nor senseless: they are systematic and predictable. We all make the same types of mistakes over and over, because of the basic wiring of our brains.

But suppose we are nothing more than the sum of our first, naive, random behaviors. What then?

Do you know how much money you would save if you changed your light bulb to compact florescent light bubs? How much would you save if you decreased your temperature of your house in the winter by one degree, or increase it by one degree? We just don't know these numbers, but I think displays could make it a memorable change in terms of attention, and also help us translate it in terms of concrete ways on what you can get.

The people who need to overcome temptation to the highest degree have the hardest time doing it.