Do A Favor For Your Future Self

We are home! And Scotland was amazing—even more beautiful than I dreamed it would be. On one hand, I’m sad that it is now a memory. But on the other, I’m so grateful to have it. Stay tuned for pictures and stories. Until then, I want to tell you about one thing I did right before we left.

A dried flower arrangement at Dunvegan Castle, Scotland. Photo credit: Ariel Lawhon

The only way I know how to survive the strange seasons (both the literal and figurative) is to consistently do favors for my future self. Here’s a perfect example:

Several weeks before we left for Scotland, my husband and I made a big Costco run. Most of what we bought was to keep our kids fed and watered while we were gone. But we also grabbed some premade meals that we could pop in the freezer and use upon re-entry. Because let’s face it—re-entry turns me into A Very Dumb Person. Travel Dumb Ariel does not remember how to boil water, much less effectively grocery shop for at least seventy-two hours post international travel.

But we’ve almost been home a week and it’s far past time to get back into our usual routine. So I made a grocery list today, fully intending to make soup for dinner tonight. But! Guess what I found in the freezer? A box of Kevin’s Tuscan-Style Chicken Soup (a family favorite) and a ready-to-bake loaf of Wildgrain Rosemary Garlic sourdough bread. Thanks to a little help from my past self, I don’t have to cook dinner tonight. I can stay at my desk and keep writing instead. (*Waves at my editor*)

Speaking of writing, here’s how I apply the principle to my work. First drafts are the hardest part of the process for me. I want them to get easier but they never do. It’s taken me fifteen years to make peace with that fact. And it’s not just the first draft of the book that I find difficult, but scenes and chapters too. So every day when I sit down to work, I open my document and revise what I wrote yesterday. And I’m always so thankful to Past Ariel for giving me something to work with! There are words! And some of them aren’t awful! It gives me a soft launch into the work (and has the added benefit of creating a tight manuscript by the end). But once I’ve worked through those pages, I must once again do a favor for my future self. I must draft the next scene so that when I sit down at my desk tomorrow, I’m not starting cold. The great thing is that those pages don’t have to be good. Future Ariel is in charge of making them good, Present Ariel just has to make sure they exist. And so, I rinse and repeat, until I have a finished draft.

Trust me: do a favor for your future self.

Write that terrible scene so you can revise it tomorrow.

But an extra grab-and-go meal so you can throw it in the freezer.

Put those clean sheets on your bed now so you don’t have do it at midnight.

Pack your lunch for tomorrow or get the coffee maker ready or schedule that haircut.

It doesn’t matter what the thing is, do that favor for your future self.

Because not having to cook dinner on a Monday is really nice.