Think about your future self more often

At some point you’ve heard about the importance of prioritising your future self ahead of your current self.

But we all know how hard it is to actually put it into practice.

Say we want to lose weight but eat junk food in the moment. We are harming our future self instead of prioritising.

Or we stay awake the extra hour, which affects our exercise performance the next day.

Listening to and reflecting on this Diary of a CEO podcast episode featuring Chase Hughes led me to change the way I think about my future self.

The crux of the idea posited is that the reason prioritising our future self doesn’t work is that we generally don’t think about our future self on a day to day basis.

So, if we start thinking about our future self so that it is always top of mind, we will start making the right decisions.

The trick is to show the current self that our past self has our back, which makes us more likely to have our future self’s back.

Here are some experiments I am introducing to my life:

• Leaving a message for my future self on the coffee machine every evening so that I see it in the morning

• Preparing for the next day before I sleep, including deciding what workout to do, what playlist or podcast to listen to, meals I will eat, and what the key tasks for the day are

• Completing a 5-minute prompt every day: “What am I thankful to my past-self for?” and “How can I make my future self’s day better tomorrow?”

• Preparing the clothes I will wear tomorrow the night before

• Changing my phone wallpaper to take care of my future self

Today’s Prompts

Prioritising your future self

What actions can you take to remind you to take care of your future self multiple times a day?

How can you be grateful for your past-self and all the positive things they have done for your current self?

Quote of the day

"The future depends on what you do today." – Mahatma Gandhi

4 - The 'If you don’t have time’ Prompt

What is one small action you can take today to make sure you acknowledge my past self daily?

Get the most out of your journalling:

• Choose one prompt: Focus on just one prompt each day to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• Be brutally honest: Reflect openly and honestly. This is your safe space to explore your thoughts and feelings.

• Take your time: Sometimes it takes a few days to clarify your thinking. Here’s permission for you to take your time to unravel a prompt and not take on any new ones during that time.

• Journal your way: Whether you prefer writing, audio recording, or video, choose the method that suits you best.

• Don't stress about streaks: If you miss a day, don't worry. You can always revisit a previous prompt.

I’d love your feedback

What was your favourite prompt of the day? Is there any specific challenge you want prompts for? How can I improve the content of the newsletter? Reply this mail and let me know!