Show Up to Your Future Self

A few years ago, I came across Peter Bregman’s book called '18 minutes'. He spoke about creating areas of focus for your life as opposed to goals.Peter suggests that we should have five areas of focus: three work related and two personal. He says ‘(Almost) everything I do must fit in one of these five areas. If it doesn’t, then I politely decline’.These are his 5 areas that work for him and I have adopted the same ones:Business: 1. Do great work with current clients 2. Attract future clients 3. Write and speak about my ideasPersonal: 1. Be Present with family and friends 2. Have fun and take care of myselfI love this concept of areas of focus because they bring you more into the present. They’re where you want to spend your time. It also helps me get over the myth of balance because as long as I know each area is getting some attention over a period of time, I know overall I am achieving my version of work/life harmony.Now this worked for me for a long time but recently I found there was a huge lag on my new writing projects. Because there isn’t an official deadline, I found myself constantly telling myself ‘you can’t possibly spend this time because it isn’t that important compared to your other real work’.It made sense in my head – I have workshops and talks booked into my calendar, naturally all my time must be dedicated to this because I have an accountability to my clients. But to be honest, I felt frustrated because creating new work is what fuels my soul.The universe works in amazing ways. I had downloaded Peter Bregman’s latest book, Emotional Courage, months ago and just the other day I decided to start reading it. And then I came across this passage:

‘Here's the key: you need to spend time on the future even when there are more important things to do in the present and even when there is no immediately and apparent return to your efforts. In other words – and this is the hard part – if you want to be productive, you need to spend time doing things that feel ridiculously unproductive'.

I can't tell you the impact this had on me because it was the permission I needed to allow myself time that feels like I’m not doing something productive compared to other areas of focus. The truth is, every minute I dedicate to my new work is actually an investment for future me. I have carved out space in my calendar for the upcoming weeks dedicated to this writing time, even if its 30 minutes. I also use a Saturday morning for new work only. It is my weekly date with myself and I look so forward to it now. Very important - I don’t focus on result but the process.Think about your work or personal life - what are the projects or goals you are putting off because it doesn’t feel like it’s validated to work on it? Or perhaps you want to study something or start an online program. Give yourself permission to make time for future you. In the words of Seth Godin:Here's to your future self,Warm wishesLori