The ancients emphasize developing habits that ensure equal distribution of costs and benefits across past, present, and future selves, focusing on activities of long-term value like healthy eating, strong connections, and character virtues. Acting as if you already embody the desired qualities, creating intertemporal fairness. Engaging in uncomfortable activities like exercise or delaying gratification helps in self-regulation and self-care. Establishing rituals and habits, like a weekly bath with bath bombs, helps in distributing resources across time, connecting past, present, and future selves through routines and habits.