Granny's Rule
Granny's Rule is the simple sequencing principle that the unpleasant but necessary task comes before the reward. The child's version is carrots before dessert. Munger treats it as a serious behavioral tool because it applies the logic of incentives to your own conduct.
Why It Works
The rule uses reward timing to make discipline easier. Instead of relying on abstract virtue, it arranges the environment so the wanted behavior is the gateway to the wanted pleasure. In other words, it turns incentive-superpower inward.
This matters because many failures of execution are not failures of values. They are failures of sequence. People let the easy pleasure arrive before the necessary effort, and once the reward has already been taken, motivation collapses.
Practical Use
Granny's Rule works best when the reward is prompt and the sequence is explicit. "After I finish the hard review, I can check messages." "After I train, I can relax." That makes it a close cousin of habit-stacking and temptation-bundling, but the emphasis here is earned order rather than pairing.
In that sense it is a compact self-governance model. You do not wait to feel disciplined. You build a small incentive structure that makes discipline more likely.