Although self-continuity tends to increase steadily and moderately with age, according to Joshua Rutt, Ph.D., that doesn’t mean you have to wait until you’re 90 years old to connect with the future your. Here are five easy ways to get closer now.
1. Write your future self a letter.
This forces you to really consider him in a thoughtful, directed way," Hershfield says. He coauthored a recent study finding that college students who wrote letters to themselves 20 years in the future were more likely to exercise in the next ten days than those who wrote letters to themselves just three months forward.
Though the study only tracked exercise, focusing on your future can trigger a host of small behavioral changes that can affect you positively over time.
And it's pretty simple.
"Think about who you will be 20 years from now, and write about the person you are now, which topics are important and dear to you, and how you see your life," Hershfield says.
2. Put eyeballs on him.
Snap a photo of yourself and use an app (e.g., AgingBooth or FaceApp) to digitally age your face.
Print the photo and stare at Future You whenever you’re making a big life decision, handling your finances, or budgeting what to spend for craft beer.
Hershfield’s research shows that people choose to save a third more for retirement when regarding digitally aged photos of their future selves. It makes sense; try to look him in the eye and tell him he’s eating cat food because you always need the newest iPhone.
Just don’t leave the photo out perpetually, Hershfield advises, or it could lose its impact.
3. Set range goals.
Instead of telling your future self, "I want you to have saved $100,000 in ten years," use wider-range targets such as $80,000 to $110,000. By doing so, you’ll be less likely to quit.
“The lower end of the goal makes it a bit more feasible to reach, so you stay involved,” Hershfield explains. “But once you reach that lower goal, it’s easier to remain motivated because you can reach for the higher end.”
4. Use mental contrasting.
Gabriele Oettingen, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at New York University, created this well-researched technique. It adds a critical piece (your main obstacle) to the old-school imagery exercise in which you visualize yourself achieving a goal. Here’s how it works.
Sit in a quiet place for about five minutes and mull on these four questions:
1. What’s your most important wish?
2. What would be the best outcome of fulfilling it?
3. What inner obstacle is holding you back?
4. What’s one action or thought that’ll help you overcome it?
From there, implement the plan. You can also use guided tools to help follow your thoughts and turn them into action.
5. Find a role model.
You’re not limited to envisioning an imaginary future self; seek out a real-life proxy.
For example, if you want a glimpse of likely career paths, find people on LinkedIn who had your current job (or its equivalent) ten years ago. Then see where are they now and how they got there. They’re not you, but similar factors can show trajectories you can aspire to.
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