Most of us don’t have crystal balls. In fact, we suck at predicting the future.
Think about a year ago – did you fully picture your exact circumstances now? I’m guessing no.
Life is chaotic and magical and all sorts of unexpected things happen.
You know this logically: Your actions today directly impact your future self.
Yet, it can be so difficult to do things your future self will thank you for.
Can you relate?
Well, I’m going to let you in on why exactly you self-sabotage and how you can prevent it in the future.
Quick Access
Why
The psychological reasons behind why it’s so hard to do things your future self will thank you for.
Studies show that despite logically knowing that we are indeed our future selves – we think about ourselves as a different person.
We put hard things off until later because we think that our future self will have their sh*t together and have all the motivation and discipline that our present self lacks.
(spoiler alert: we don’t)
Present Bias
This is something in psychology which you may have never heard of, but you probably know it very well.
It’s when your mind exaggerates benefits in the present and minimizes benefits in the future.
In our world of instant gratification it can be difficult to put off feeling good now for feeling even better later.
That’s why it’s easier to spend money than it is to save it.
It’s the reason you can rationalize breaking your diet even when you’re focused on losing weight.
It’s also why we engage in stupid arguments with people that we love, even though we should know that it doesn’t really matter in the larger picture.
I think everyone struggles with it and I definitely struggle with it too.
But the first step is knowing that your mind does this and knowing that it is wrong.
Decision Fatigue
The more decisions that you have to make, the worse you get at making decisions.
That’s why it’s easier to give into cravings and bad habits later in the day after you’ve used most of your mental energy making a million tiny decisions.
There was a study done with judges that found that in the cases earlier in the day prisoners had a 70% chance of getting parole, while prisoners who were seen later in the day only had a 60% chance of getting parole for the exact same crimes.
Why? Decision fatigue! (You can read the full story here.)
How
Ok so now you know why you aren’t doing things your future self will thank you for, but now I’m going to explain to you how you can start doing those things.
Planning
Prevent decision fatigue by planning things in advance.
I like to plan on a weekly basis.
If you don’t have to think about or decide as many tiny things, you can save your mental power and decision making energy for the bigger things and make better decisions.
When you have a full morning routine, you don’t have to think about what to do next because you’ll already know.
If you plan your meals in advance you’ll be less likely to resort to fast food or skip the meals entirely.
Planning your outfits ahead of time can also be a huge help.
Staring into a closet full of clothes when you have no idea what to wear can be overwhelming early in the morning.
If you don’t want to plan your outfits for the week, at least plan them the night before.
Make it a part of your evening routine.
That will not only save you decision fatigue but so much time in the mornings when you’re getting dressed for work.
No one knows what your weaknesses are better than you do.
What do you need to plan in advance to avoid making poor choices?
Limiting
Sometimes planning just isn’t enough.
Some things are just too tempting.
For me personally, it’s my sweet tooth. I can’t resist grabbing something sweet if I see it in front of me.
Sometimes it can be difficult to avoid these things – like someone in your office or place of work bringing in treats – but you can at least control what you keep in your own home.
Make the things that you don’t want to do harder for you to do.
If you can’t resist eating sweets when you have them – DON’T BUY THEM.
If every time you see a bag of chips you need to have a handful – DON’T KEEP THEM AROUND.
It doesn’t just have to be about food either. Not at all. That’s just my personal weakness.
But if it’s not one of yours, I have other examples that you might be able to relate to better.
If you can’t avoid charging to your credit cards – ONLY USE CASH.
If you can’t stop watching Netflix/Hulu/Insert Streaming Service – TURN OFF AUTO-PLAY.
Basically, if you struggle with making good decisions – MAKE THEM IN ADVANCE.
Make it harder to do the things that could be bad for future you and make it easier to do the things that will be good for future you.
This can be especially helpful if you struggle with discipline.
Seeds
Planting seeds is basically the opposite of instant gratification.
Growing things takes time, but is ultimately so worth it. Future you is still you after all.
There are quite a few different kinds of “seeds” you can plant for your future self.
Daily watering required:
– use SPF (for future healthy skin)
– get your body moving (for future fitness)
– floss (for future healthy teeth)
– wash your face (for future glowing skin)
– practice gratitude (for future happiness)
– learn one new thing (for future knowledge)
Lower maintenance:
– give yourself a bedtime (for energy in the morning)
– clean your dishes before you go to bed (for a clean kitchen in the morning)
– clean up after yourself (for future clean spaces)
– keep healthier snacks around (for future wellness)
Higher maintenance:
– create systems instead of goals (for future success)
– make time for reflection (for future wisdom)
– make a budget & stick to it (for future profit)
– forgive yourself (for future peace)
– get clear about your goals and the things that you want (for your future life)
Once you’ve planted your seeds – be grateful for the good things that you’ve done for yourself!
Feel gratitude for the saplings that will one day grow into mighty trees!
Make life better for your future self, not worse.
Be sure to value your time, energy and resources.
Sit up straight and stop slouching. Spend more time with your loved ones and doing things you enjoy.
Invest in yourself and eat your vegetables. Future you is still you so eat the damn frog too.
I hope this has left you feeling ready to do things your future self will thank you for instead of things your future self might hate you for.
Start planting those seeds today. 🌱
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