1: “When we’re asked,” Google productivity expert Laura Mae Martin writes in her book Uptime, “to schedule a meeting on Monday at 8:00 a.m. the day we’re returning from a two-week vacation, we think ‘Sure!’ and add it to our calendars.”
What don’t we do?
“Envision future 7:45 a.m.-Us that day trying to make that happen,” Laura notes.
The psychological research is clear: There is a disconnect between our current self and our future self.
“The results of a study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science show,” Laura writes, that “people who perceived greater similarity to their future self, experienced greater life satisfaction ten years later.”
The same principle remains true for “Two Weeks from Now” Future You.
“When we try on clothes at the store, why do we sometimes think, I don’t love it but I could maybe see myself wearing it later?” Laura asks.
“Won’t we be the same person later who also won’t want to wear it?”
2: There is a simple truth here that we can apply in our lives.
“We want to be constantly planning for our future selves instead of our current selves,” Laura suggests.
Whenever we ask: “What will Future Me wish I had done right now?,” she writes, “we find our schedules smoother, our priorities crisper, our output more effective.”
When Laura works with Google executives, she challenges them to ask, “What will Future You wish you had scheduled or not scheduled after that four-hour meeting block next week?
“What will End-of-Year You wish that you had spent more time on? Less time on?
“What will Parent-with-Grown-up-Kids You say that you wished you prioritized more during these early years?”
3: This idea impacts all aspects of our lives. From how we set priorities to who we hire. And especially how we plan our time with our calendars.
“When it comes to clarifying priorities,” Laura explains, “I find it useful to think about Future You—the version of you that will exist weeks or months or years from now, when today’s actions are in the past.
“What will Future You be glad that you spent time on?” she asks. “What will Future You be glad that you turned down so you could be more focused on the right things?”
It’s why planning is so important. Why we want to spend time imagining where we want to end up. And then making consistent decisions to get us there.
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: Am I making decisions with my future self in mind, or am I sacrificing long-term satisfaction for short-term convenience?
Action: Before adding anything to my calendar or committing to a new responsibility, pause and ask: “What will Future Me wish I had chosen right now?”