The Writer’s Secret Weapon: Envisioning Your Future Self

By Rochelle Melander

Imagine that you have someone who’s eagerly awaiting your next writing project. She will rejoice when you finish it. He can’t wait to get it out into the world.

How would you behave differently if you knew someone was waiting for your work?

I’m guessing you might get serious about your writing time. Procrastinate less. Write more. Ask for help when you get stuck.

In short, you’d do everything in your power to finish on time.

Here’s the thing: we are always working for a future someone.

Ourselves.

The Science Behind Envisioning Your Future Self

Most people think of their future self as someone separate from who they are in the present moment. No relation. Sorry, future self.

But when people vividly visualize their future self, feel empathy toward them, and imagine what that self might be like, they:

+Make better financial choices

+Increase their motivation

+Experience less stress

You’ve Done this Before

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”

But you’re thinking, I don’t do that.

Sure you do.

• When you make the bed for your future self.
• When you wash the dishes at night so your future self can wake up to a clean kitchen.
• Or when you plan that trip or buy the ticket, so your future self can relax and have fun.

Apply it to Your Writing Life

The research seems to suggest that for this to work, you must envision your future self with clarity and detail. You must also place value on your future self.

But how?

For years, I’ve encouraged people to imagine what their best possible future self might want.

The exercise comes from the field of social psychology.  Professor Laura King discovered that when people who wrote about their future self , they experienced many benefits. These included improved moods, health, and ability to set and achieve goals.

In the study, psychologists instructed participants to write a vision of their future lives, imagining that they had worked as hard as possible and everything had gone as well as possible. Better than a crystal ball, the exercise gives us the ability to sketch out the details of our happily ever after.

So are you up for the challenge? Here are the basic instruction for the exercise:

Imagine yourself a year from now. Everything has gone as well as it possibly could. You have worked hard and succeeded at accomplishing your goals. Write in the present tense about your life.

In the original study, participants did this exercise four times. I like that. I found that the first time I tried this exercise, I was so tethered to the present that I could not vision the future. The second time I did the exercise, my tether was looser. Each try brought bigger dreams. As I worked at it, my description of my best possible life became more detailed.

Make a Plan

Once you have a rich vision of your future self, choose one to three goals from your vision and imagine what small steps you need to take to finish the project for your future self? Break that goal into as many small, doable steps as possible. If any step feels scary, then it’s too big. Break it down into smaller steps until each one feels doable.

Schedule It and Write!

Block out time every week to work on this project. Remember that you are working for your future self. Do anything that helps you stay accountable—such as keeping a time sheet or writing a daily report. Whenever you get stuck, remind yourself that your boss—your future self—believes in you and is counting on you to do your work.

Review and Revise

Once a month or once a quarter, review your progress toward your goal. If you’re keeping up with the project, give yourself a pat on the back! But if you’re struggling, you might need to make some tweaks to your project, plan, or schedule.

TL; DR

Your future self may feel like a stranger until you envision them.

Envisioning your future self can help you set and achieve goals.

Try a simple exercise to vision your future self THEN make a plan to achieve your goal.

I can help! Reach out for a consultation or join Show Up and Write. Contact me for more information.