Set a fixed lifestyle floor and route surpluses above it

Define the lifestyle that is genuinely enough, freeze it there, and invest all income above it.

Why it works

Without a defined ceiling, each small upgrade becomes a new floor to defend, and every further raise feels small against the expanded baseline. Explicitly naming the lifestyle level that meets all genuine needs and is satisfying — then treating income above it as entirely investable surplus — converts the infinite treadmill into a finite, achievable system. The mechanism is combining the concept of "enough" with a concrete decision rule.

How to do it

1. Write down the specific lifestyle elements that genuinely matter to you (housing, food quality, experiences) versus ones you’d barely notice if absent.
2. Set a monthly spending cap for discretionary categories that reflects those genuine priorities.
3. When income rises, direct the difference between new income and the cap to savings or investment automatically.

Evidence

The benefits of defining "enough" and stopping upward comparison are supported by wellbeing research showing that above a modest income level, additional consumption contributes little to day-to-day emotional wellbeing — though the exact threshold is debated and varies by context. (observational)

Kahneman & Deaton’s income-happiness findings are widely cited but debated; a 2021 Killingsworth study suggested the relationship may not plateau as sharply. The practical principle — spending beyond genuine need yields diminishing wellbeing — is broadly supported directionally.

Sources

• Kahneman & Deaton (2010), "High Income Improves Evaluation of Life but Not Emotional Well-Being," PNAS

Common mistake

Setting the lifestyle floor at the current spending level rather than at the genuinely-sufficient level, which means you’ve already accepted the creep and the floor is already inflated.