Develop a strong connection with your future self through techniques like writing letters and using visualization tools.
Overcome biases and misconceptions in mental time travel by considering future self's needs and avoiding projecting current emotions onto future self.
Implement commitment devices like online platforms or financial consequences to maintain commitment to future self's best interests.
Deep dives
Maintaining a Strong Connection with Your Future Self
To bridge the gap between our present self and future self, it is important to develop a strong connection with our future self. This can be achieved through techniques such as writing letters to and from our future self, allowing us to step into their shoes and better understand their desires and needs. Additionally, using tools like age progression apps or virtual reality experiences can help us visualize and empathize with our future self. By strengthening this connection, we become more motivated to make decisions and take actions that will benefit our future self.
The Challenges of Mental Time Travel
Mental time travel, which involves projecting ourselves into the future, can be challenging due to biases and misconceptions. One common challenge is the tendency to focus too much on the present, leading to a disregard for the needs and desires of our future self. We may also engage in poor trip planning, failing to deeply consider the changes our future self may experience. Furthermore, we can make the mistake of packing the wrong clothes for our mental time travel trip, projecting our current emotions and preferences onto our future self, instead of acknowledging that our future self may have different needs and wants.
Using Commitment Devices to Support Future Self
Commitment devices can help us maintain our commitment to our future self. These devices involve creating external supports that hold us accountable for our actions and decisions. For example, online platforms like stick.com allow us to make commitments and enlist the help of accountability partners who check on our progress. We may also utilize financial consequences, such as donating to a disliked organization if we fail to meet our goals. By implementing commitment devices, we enhance our ability to make choices that align with our future self's best interests.
Balancing Present Self Indulgence with Future Self Needs
While it is important to prioritize our future self's well-being, it is also essential to find a balance between present self indulgence and future self needs. Constantly sacrificing present enjoyment for future benefits can make life less enjoyable, and planning solely for an ideal future self may lead to disappointment if our preferences and goals change. It is crucial to find a middle ground where we can indulge in present pleasures while still considering the long-term consequences for our future self.
Recognizing the Fluidity of Our Future Self
It is important to acknowledge that our future self is not a static entity but a fluid and evolving version of who we are. Just as our past self has transformed over time, our future self will continue to change and develop. It is crucial to make decisions and plans that allow for growth and adaptation, while also recognizing the ethical and moral implications of certain choices. By maintaining a flexible mindset and learning from our experiences, we can navigate the uncertainties of our future self with awareness and compassion.
As you move through time, you exist as a present self who makes decisions, an in-between self who should carry out those decisions, and a future self who will benefit from those decisions. Yet as we all know, in-between self often fails to follow through on what present self resolves, leaving future self pretty bummed out.
The solution to this dilemma, my guest says, is for your present self to become much better friends with your future self.
His name is Hal Hershfield, and he's a professor of marketing, behavioral decision making, and psychology, and the author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today. Hal and I spend the first part of our conversation taking a really interesting philosophical dive into what the self even is. We talk about why our future self can feel like a stranger, why it's hard to know what he'll be like, and what this dilemma has to do with becoming a vampire. We then discuss how building a stronger connection with your future self makes your present self more willing to help him, and how you can become closer to your future self by engaging in mental time traveling. Hal shares a couple techniques that can facilitate this mental time travel, three mistakes people make in taking this cognitive trip, and how to start making tomorrow better today.
