Often our everyday decisions unfold over time and what we want today is not always consistent with what we might want tomorrow. Understanding why many people do not behave in a way that is consistent with their own long-term best interests is a key challenge for behavioural economists and policy-makers. ‘Taking time’ explains how humans (and animals) suffer from present bias: we have a disproportionate preference for smaller, immediate rewards over delayed, larger rewards—a reflection of underlying time inconsistency. It considers the intertemporal tussle between our patient and impatient selves, pre-commitment strategies, and self-control. The behavioural life cycle models of choice bracketing, framing, and mental accounting are also discussed.