In his book, “Wait: The Art and Science of Delay,” Frank Partnoy writes that, “given the fast pace of modern life, most of us tend to react too quickly.”

The result is that many of us cause ourselves more headaches through our rapid response instead of solving the issues that bother us so much. In the case of eating and weight, it’s especially true.

Yet, people think that when they’ve gained weight they need to grab the first promising diet program that comes along.

It’s far better to take the time to understand how we tick as individuals and learn about what weight-loss research has found yields the best results.

Here are a few ideas to help you hone the skill of delaying for success:

Evaluate your program: When something has gone wrong with your latest weight-loss attempt, take some time to ponder. Why was it hard to follow? Was there anything about this program that might have set you up to fail? Don’t stop there. Think deeply about why things might have gone wrong.

Educate yourself: With the Internet, information is at our fingertips so there’s little excuse for not being better informed. Be careful, however, not to be led by “get thin quick” promises offered by advertisers.

Explore who you are: For example, are you an introvert – someone who would prefer to exercise alone? Or an extrovert – someone who thrives with plenty of company in most things they do?

Experiment: This is one of the biggest tools of success. By experimenting we discover what works and doesn’t work for us.

It may take some time to do all of these things but, in the end, it will take less time than repeatedly failing with old methods. Delaying action to do the right things is just what the doctor is ordering.