A while ago, I came across a reddit comment that said "do favors for your future self". After trying to internalize it, it has become one of the most impactful ways to be more productive and it really changed my approach to life. I wanted to share some specific tips on how to actually put this idea into practice.
"How can I apply this idea in my daily life?"
Finish your work early in the day, so your future self can enjoy the rest of the day with a sense of accomplishment.
Start your work well ahead of deadlines, so your future self can handle unexpected situations without the intense time pressure of "the last minute".
Prepare for events/activities in advance, so your future self isn't overwhelmed and less likely to make easy mistakes in the moment.
If something takes less than 2 minutes to do, do it right away, so your future self doesn’t need to constantly keep track of it.
Keep your body healthy, so your future self doesn’t suffer from preventable health-related issues.
Sleep at a reasonable time, so your future self can get out of bed easier when the alarm goes off in the morning.
Plan your next day the night before, so your future self can start the day with a clear direction.
Take notes that your future self would find useful.
Take opportunities that your future self would regret missing out on.
Address your issues early on, so your future self doesn’t have to deal with those issues getting worse because they were neglected.
Set up your environment to make it easier to start doing something, so your future self doesn’t need to use up a lot of discipline/willpower to get started.
"How can I learn what my future self wants?"
Often, it’s as simple as asking yourself “What can I do now to give my future self an easier time?” and answering it honestly. For example, “Oh, my future self is giving an important presentation next week. They would really appreciate it if I worked on the presentation draft now, so they have enough time to rehearse and make edits before it’s due.”
Figuring out whether you’re actually doing favors for your future self is to just try something and reflect on it later. Your present self is dealing with the decisions your past self made. Think about something your past self did (or didn’t do), and how that worked out. What do you wish your past self had done differently? Keep that in mind when you have to make those same decisions again.
Be aware that some events are out of your control (hindsight is 20/20), so think about the information you had at the time you made that decision. For example, “I wish I bought bitcoin in 2013” isn’t helpful because you didn’t have the insight at the time that bitcoin would blow up. Something like “I wish I went for a run after work, instead of turning on the TV” is more reasonable, because you knew that going for a run was the better option at the time, and still chose against it.
It’s helpful to keep a written log of decisions your past self made and how they turned out. Write out the decision, the consequences, and, most importantly, what you would do differently in the future. For example, “My past self decided to start the day by scrolling through Reddit in bed, and the consequence was that I wasted half of my day because I couldn’t pull myself away from Reddit. If I had the chance to make that decision again, I would decide to start the day by leaving my phone out of sight, and making myself a nice breakfast instead”
Also, be aware that everyone’s situation is different. All of the practical tips I wrote above were things I actually tried and they worked for me, but they might not apply to you. You have to try coming up with your own favors for your future self and see if it works out. You know your future self better than any stranger on the internet would.
When you reflect on how your past decisions turned out, you learn more about what your future self would want. It all comes down to gaining experience and trying new things. Genuinely try to forgive your past self for the mistakes that they made, and be thankful that you can use those experiences to make better decisions in the future.
"Are you saying I should always sacrifice what I want for what my 'future self' wants?"
No. You don’t always need to be doing favors for your future self, because you might miss out on enjoying the present moment. Actually, sometimes enjoying the present moment can also be a favor for your future self: If you spend every day “maximizing productivity” and turning down fun activities, your future self will regret not having fun memories to look back on.
"If you shouldn't do this all the time, what's the point of doing this at all?"
The point of this exercise isn’t to "live your life only thinking of future self at all times". The point is (actually, multiple points):
- to be aware that all of your decisions have consequences that you will experience in the future
- to choose your actions more consciously, knowing there are tradeoffs
- to visualize positive benefits of things you are uncomfortable doing
- to think ahead (what can you do now to influence your future?)
- to give responsibility to your present self, rather than offloading it to your future self
- to feel a sense of purpose, if you’re the type of person that enjoys helping others
- to learn from mistakes you made in the past, and prevent making the same mistakes again
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