Seven Things Your Future Self Will Thank You For

I am not the worlds most organised person.

Sometimes I do great with keeping on top of things, more often I feel like I will never catch up, let alone get ahead, but I am not giving up.

At the moment I am working on the whole ‘planning and preparing ahead’ thing.

I have experienced the pure joy and shear relief that happens when I’m totally at the end of my rope and I suddenly remember that I already set myself up for success weeks earlier. That feeling is enough to motivate me to do things now, that my future self with be over the top grateful for.

Seven Things You Future Self Will Thank You For.

Making a double batch or prepping dinner in advance and freezing it.

Some nights making dinner nearly has me undone. Those nights I am so tempted to just grab some take out or ignore the complaining and feed everyone cereal, but instead our health, and our budget, and my sanity are extremely grateful that my future self made a double batch of chilli last week, or that I made meatballs the other day and they are just waiting for me in the freezer.

Buying when things are cheap and storing it.

When your budget is tight your future self will be very glad that you bought up big when things were in season or on special.

I buy red capsicum when it’s cheap, dice it and freeze it. I buy loads of pita breads when they are on special and freeze them for pizza bases. We never say no when friends offer lemons or other fruit from their trees – freeze the lemon juice in ice block trays, cook up loads of apples for the freezer, or dry a huge batch of fruit.

Related to this, I am very thankful that my past self bought a big upright freezer when it was on special, and that we built a large walk in pantry with loads of storage!

Planting a garden.

The ‘plant now wait forever to harvest’ aspect of gardening used to put me off. Who has time for what? Well it turns out that if you spend a little time planting herbs and veggies and even flowers your future self will be very grateful.

I always have some kind of herb, or a green leafy veg (like spinach or silverbeat/chard) to add to meals. We grow rhubarb year round so there is always something to add to muffins and cakes, and before spring is even properly hear there are daffodils popping up and a bunch of those in a vase makes me very thankful to my past self!

Putting stuff on the calendar.

I always think I will remember stuff, but I never do, and then I am late with paying bills, or I double book events, or I forget to turn up to appointments entirely. So my future self is very grateful when I write stuff on the calendar, and she likes it even better when I add it to my digital calendar and set my phone and computer to beep at me and remind me of whatever it is a few days before it is due!

Do your future self a favour and put that stuff on your calendar as soon as it comes in.

Cleaning up after dinner.

I really wish this wasn’t true, but cleaning up the kitchen and the rest of the house after dinner will make the next morning a lot more happy making.

Even if all I do is put the dishes in the dishwasher and give the floor a quick sweep my future self is well pleased. But if I go the whole hog and make sure school lunches are done (my kids mostly pack their own), uniforms are ready, and anything else we need for the next day is sorted then my future self is deliriously happy, and very relieved!

Saying no.

I am getting better at saying no. Reminding myself that I’ve chosen to care less about some things helps, but the joy of my future self not being stressed and having time to enjoy life is by far the biggest motivator to say no and to let stuff go.

Scheduling Self-care.

For the last couple of years, my girl friends and I have had a weekend away together. Every year I wonder if all the organisation and preparation that is needed for me to spend two nights away from home is worth it, and every year my future self comes home so incredibly grateful that I pushed through all that stuff and decided I was worth the much needed break.

I know a weekend away might be out of the reach for some of us, but it doesn’t have to be such a big event, scheduling in some smaller self-care items every day, or every week, will make your future self very happy.

Freezing cookie dough.

This needs no explanation. Just go make this big batch of cookie dough and put it in the freezer. Your future self will love you for it.

What things do you do that your future self is thankful for?

Are there things that you don’t really like doing, but you do them because you know it will make your life easier, or better, or happier later on?
What would you add to this list?