If we’re wasting money now, we might have to go into debt in a few years. If we don’t spend much time with our children right now, we won’t have a strong trusting relationship when they grow up. If we’re wasting time on nonsense right now, we’re not going to make progress in life or in our careers. Therefore, it is very important to think about the future. Well-known blogger Trent Hamm identified three main principles of such thinking.

Three principles of long-term thinking

1. If what you’re doing today isn’t going to be useful in the future, it’s not worth doing at all

If you cannot clearly formulate what positive result a particular action will bring in the future (in a few months or years), then this action should not be taken at all. This principle can be applied in any field.

For example, when we sit down to eat, our short-term mindset advises us to put as much of the tastiest food on our plate as possible, although this is not good in the long run. It would be healthier to eat a varied diet, but not to overeat.

Or when we’re thinking about what to do in the evening, short-term thinking pushes us to relax, surf the Internet or watch a series. But this is of no use in the long run. It would be much more useful to spend time with family or friends, take online courses or read to learn something new, exercise to improve your health, or do some household chores that you won’t have time for later.

2. Thinking about the future doesn’t mean suffering in the present

You’ll just need to take a fresh approach to your habits. For example, you want to cut down on your expenses. This may seem very difficult at first. But you need to try different financial strategies and find out which ones are right for you.

If you want to spend your free time differently, try to replace what you are doing now, find something that gives you pleasure and helps you realize yourself. Anything else is just not worth wasting time on.

3. Constantly evaluate your choices and don’t be afraid to criticize yourself

We are all predisposed to short-term thinking. This helped our ancestors survive. But that kind of thinking can get in the way right now.

This does not mean that you should always think only about the future. Sometimes it’s good to take a step back, evaluate your actions, think about why you’re doing things the way you do, and try to change things for the better.

For example, you can consider your daily decisions while you’re driving to work or doing something that doesn’t require you to be fully focused. Just think about everything you’ve done recently and assess the impact of these actions on your future. If you don’t find any positive consequences or even see negative ones, think about how you could spend your time, effort, and money differently.

Another approach is record keeping. Take a few minutes a day to evaluate your actions and mistakes. Think about how to turn good actions into habits and what to do to avoid making the same mistake again.

How to improve your future

First, imagine what your future will look like. This is quite difficult because people tend to be overly optimistic about their future. But you shouldn’t invent an apocalyptic scenario either. Just try to imagine what exactly would happen if you kept on living the way you did today.

Does your capital increase year after year? How much has it grown or fallen over the past year? If things continue to develop in much the same way as they do now, what will your income be in 10 years?

How are you doing with your career? Are you learning new skills that you might need to improve? Is there a risk that your work will be automated in 10 or 20 years? What are you going to do about this?

Are you happy with your relationships with others? Do you have close friends you can count on? If not, what are you doing to find them? Is your marriage strong? What do you do day in and day out to maintain close relationships with your family?

What is your health condition? Are you at a normal weight? Are you moving enough? Are you eating right?

There is almost always an area you’re not entirely happy with. And that’s a good thing, because it means you want to improve your life in the future.

Identify the areas you’re most concerned about and start making regular long-term choices.

If you’re concerned about your health, start eating better and exercising more often. You don’t have to change your life radically right away. Just think about your future self when you’re sitting on the computer or choosing what to eat for dinner.

Whatever area of life you want to improve — financial, professional, social, spiritual — look at what choices you’re making today and then ask yourself what will be more beneficial in the long run.

And don’t forget that the goal of such thinking is not to become a person who always leads an ideal lifestyle. This is not possible. You just need to remember your future. You want to have a good life in a few years’ time, so let that motivate you to make the right choice today. Let this help you set ambitious goals and achieve them.

Source: https://lifehacker.ru/future-self-thinking/

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