Are you constantly making to-do lists? If so, how far ahead do you plan? A day? A week? A month in advance?
While it’s common to set ourselves tasks to tick off, it’s unlikely that we put any real time into planning for our future selves. After all, who could have predicted some of the events that have taken place in the last year?
But it can be beneficial to take the steps now to plan for our future. Who do we want the future versions of ourselves to be? Once we have an idea in our heads, we can then do the things we need to get us there.
If you’re making the ultimate to-do list for you in the decades to come, here are some ways that you can steer your life in the direction you want to go.
Story Stages
Think about your career
If you’ve been in your current role for a while, you might be hoping for a promotion soon. While this is a good ambition to have, your future self will need an end point.
So, what’s your ultimate career ambition? Is it to become the CEO? Or to make it to headteacher of a school? Look forward to the ultimate position you want and consider the path you’ll need to take and the skills you’ll need. Plotting out the route you want to take will give you the opportunity to follow each stage to reach the end point.
Set goals
Where do you see yourself in 40 years? Can you picture where you are as a retiree, after you’ve left your dream role? Maybe you want to set up home on the coast or move to a village. Whatever you have in mind, consider the goals you’ll need to set to get you there.
Some of these goals might take years to achieve. For instance, you might be in the middle of saving up for your first property right now. For you to retire to your coastal cottage, you will need to set and achieve a few goals to get there.
Part of the goal setting process involves looking at your finances. While the role you’re currently in might mot make it easy for you to save, beginning to put money aside is key to building towards your future. This can help you put down a deposit on your first home or buy your first family car.
Take the time to manage your finances and look at ways to cover things you need. After all, once you’ve bought your first home, you’ll need to buy furniture for it.
Plan for the future
Regardless of where you are in life, you can always plan to help your future self. For some, that may mean planning for a home purchase like mentioned above. For others, this may mean being later in life and planning for retirement. Working through retirement planning is important to finalize your end-of-life wishes and ensure the financial burden doesn’t fall on your loved ones. Sites like everdays.com make this so easy you can complete this without ever having to set foot in a funeral home.
Surround yourself with good people
The relationships you have help to form who you are at different stages in your life. They can last a lifetime or can come and go. You might have a friend who you thought would be there with you in old age who you don’t hear from anymore or you might marry your first love.
Having good people in your world at every stage of your life means that you will have a support network around you when you reach the age of the future self you’re imagining.
What will you do for your future self? Whatever it is, you’ll thank you for it.
