Loving your Future Self
The treatise of ‘love yourself!’ has become much more common and accepted in modern society, but it can be a funny concept to think about coming from a home organiser like myself!
You might be thinking this means treating yourself to a spa day, or saying to yourself, ‘I worked really hard today, I'm going to buy that new dress on the way home’. And all these are logical explanations for being kind to your Future Self. But at Beautifully Sorted, we have another explanation for this term, related to our home or work spaces is doing the little habits that we have heard about but have maybe never gotten around to deploying them in our lives.
So its 8:38pm. Kids are tucked up in bed and the house is quiet. You look around at the kitchen and see a bit of a mess. Here’s your dilemma…
Do you:
A. be kind to your current self or
B. be kind to your future self?
Plan A would see you make your way to the sofa and get watching, enjoying some time to yourself and starting to chill out. (A completely understandable option!) Being kind to the exhausting person you’ve become after a long day of juggling priorities and getting things done.
Plan B would be to stack the dishwasher, fill the sink with hot water to quickly wash those remaining items and finish with wiping down the kitchen bench, before heading off to your night-time routine (or straight to bed, whatever tickles your fancy).
Wait for the surprise in the morning your future self is going to get when they walk to the tidy kitchen and merely has to flip the switch to the coffee machine. Maybe I'm strange but I love that feeling. Sometimes, I almost forget that it was me, my 15 minutes of sorting the kitchen the night before, that made this morning a whole lot easier for current self.
This idea has been around in several different forms, and it can look different to different people. Some call it eating the frog or getting the hard thing over first. To others, it can look like a good habit they want to get into. So what does this look like?
Current self might make their bed well before leaving for work. Future self walks into the bedroom later that evening and falls in love with how the room is 5-star-ready for a good night’s sleep, and again almost forgets that it was past self that made the bed so beautifully. Google is right, it is about self-love.
What about some other home-based ways to show love and look after your future self?
It could be to get your clothes ready for the next day. Future self loves that they don't have to select or iron clothes the next morning in a rush. Current self is going to put in the click and collect order so future self only needs to collect the groceries. Speaking of groceries, current self is going to have a red hot go at meal planning and help save time, money, and stress when you have to dream up a dinner at the 11th hour whilst the kids are crying, and you didn't remember to get mince for the tacos.
OK so we are starting to get the message. A little bit of hardship for current me can make all the difference for future me. I shared this philosophy with a friend that has 3 boys, 3 fast-paced jobs, and little time to mess around. She said this perspective is something that helps her move past procrastination and instead giving a gift to the woman fronting up to the next day to do it all over again.
So what do these little changes look like in real life? For me personally, I set an 8pm alarm every night - this is so my current self can check out the lay of the land for the next day.
Do I need to pack up my organising bag with client files, or prep lunch for my child? Sometimes I pack the car up with the organising materials I'm going to need for the next day (this feels so efficient and special the next morning), lay out my clothes for work the next day, and pack some healthy snacks that can be eaten on the go (current self always does this better for future self in a hope of healthier eating :P).
My Future self is now in love with my past self! Having a full kettle of water and cup at the ready for the future self can make a difference, even with a rough night’s sleep and a later start to the day. As my perspective started to change from looking at these 15 minute tasks as chores on a never-ending to-do list, to a gift to myself in the future for a smoother day, I started to see the huge benefits that a little planning could bring.
And this concept isn’t just applicable in your home life; it can be used for work too! Obviously, it will look different for everyone. My current self (in business mode) creates a mind map for the following day so when I hit my desk in the morning, I've got a solid plan for the day.
These seem like little things, folks, but they can make a huge difference in your day to day.
But I get it, sometimes you’re just exhausted after a long day, or someone’s sick or a deadline has come up, and just sometimes you won’t be willing and able to lay out your clothes for the next day. Sometimes, your bed will not be made as soon as you’ve gotten up, because your alarm didn’t go off and you need to race out the front door.
Give yourself grace, both your current and future self - everything new takes some getting used to. But try to see how your current and future self can work together - I suppose it’s all a little farcical but it’s worth giving it a try someday.
For a great list of loving ideas that your Future Self will really love and appreciate simply sign up for our regular newsletter (via our website) and we will send you a guide for 10 ways to love on your self-to-come. Sign up is really easy - it’s just at the bottom of our website.
