Stories of My Future

Ideally, you’ll write your story of the future near the end of each day. You may want enough of the day to have elapsed so that you have a fairly good grip on what you’ve done, but not so close to bed that you’re still thinking about tomorrow when you go to bed. I’ve found that’s a recipe for insomnia. I wonder what I’ve forgotten. How can I improve my story? Is it enough? Between the time that I write my story and the time that I go to bed, I create a buffer. I might take a bath or read a book—anything that allows me to release the day and prepare to sleep.

But.

If it hasn’t happened to you already, it will: You’ve reached the end of the day, and you’re beat. Tomorrow’s going to be busy (again), but you don’t think you have it in you to sit down for the few minutes it will take to at least grasp the outline of tomorrow. At this point, you have a few options.

1. Take 5-10 minutes to preview tomorrow. Tomorrow’s coming whether or not you write your story. Even though you’re tired, you’ll still want to give yourself the best chance to make tomorrow successful, and your best chance involves taking these few minutes—anyway.

2. Write it first thing in the morning. Like sleep medication, this option works best if you if can get an adequate night’s sleep. If not, you’ll find writing your story first thing in the morning may be harder than getting out of bed.

3. Forget the whole thing—because that’s a choice, too. But you’re not here to learn how to do that, are you? I didn’t think so.

What do you do at the end of a long, tiring day to prepare for tomorrow?

Next week: Why Every Day?

Undoubtedly you’ll find (as I already have) that there is more than one way to write your daily story. However, there are five essential actions to making it happen.

1. Find a quiet space. Mine is here at my desk, in between the dining room and the living room. I’m rarely alone when I write, so I put on a pair of headphones and listen to music on Pandora (a channel I call Writing Radio). That cuts out most of the background noise and lets the family know that I’m busy.

2. Look at the past before you look to the future. Take a look at what you’ve done today. Does it match what you set out to do? Are you satisfied with what you accomplished? Based on today, do you want to make changes tomorrow?

3. Review what you already know about tomorrow. Pull out your calendar, your to-do list and any other supporting materials—health club calendar, school calendar, arts and entertainment calendars. You’ll find it helpful to have a file of anything that will help you write this story.

4. Write. Start at the beginning and work your way through the day. Be as granular as you need to be to create this story. Are you aiming to eat more fruits and vegetables? Open the refrigerator, note what’s available, and then make it part of your story. Do you want to drink more green tea? Add “Drink a cup of green tea” wherever you’d like to have one.

5. Make it portable. Write longhand in a notebook. Write on your computer. Write in whatever way you’re most comfortable, but make sure that when you’re done, you’ll be able to carry this story with you throughout the day. You’ll want to refer to it whenever you need to remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing.