I’ve always wanted to write a novel. But, every time I tried to get started, the task seemed too daunting. Then, this past summer, I took a new approach; I used backward planning.
Backward planning is keeping the end in mind and identifying and sticking to what we should do each day to get there. Easier said than done. It’s so easy to get distracted by the now—the “need” to check our phone, respond to notifications, or reward ourselves with social media. Those things aren’t bad in and of themselves, but giving in to the distractions of the now can rob us of what we ultimately want. Here are 3 areas of life where backward planning can help us resist the now and lead us to success.
Personal Goals
When I started backward planning in an attempt to write my novel, I figured that if I wanted to finish by the time school started, I had to write 1,000 words a day. Almost every day, I hid my phone from view, didn’t look up things online, and didn’t get out of my chair until I hit one hour. Backward planning helped me shoo away “now” distractions, and I finished my book.
Studies show that if we can connect with our future selves, we’ll make better choices now that will benefit them (us!) later. So picture yourself 10 or 20 years down the road, as vividly as possible. What do you want your life to look like? Is what you’re doing now leading you toward that goal?
Financial Goals
My brother-in-law is great with money. He’s not a get-rich-quick-guy; he lets time and steady investing do the heavy lifting. He backward planned by setting a goal for how much money he wanted to save by a certain age. Along the way, he resisted urges to spend. For moms, spending urges can be kid-related: nicer than needed clothes or things we never had as a kid that we want for them. But more often, they’re splurges for ourselves. Not that we don’t deserve the expensive moisturizer or the beautiful framed artwork that goes perfectly on that spot in the living room. But too many splurges put us off course. (If you’re doing your best financially but still have money troubles, here are some things you can do this week to dig out.)
What Moms Care About the Most
Backward planning is powerful in raising our children. What kind of people do we want them to be when they’re 25? I thought about that just this morning when I saw the educational posters I had taped to my children’s bathroom wall: the periodic table, an illustrated plant cell… You get the idea. But, I wondered, why didn’t I have character-building posters hanging there, too? I thought of iMOM’s Lessons From a Pencil and Inspirational Quotes. I realized I should look beyond the parenting of the now—helping them learn in school—to who I wanted them to be as adults.
Backward planning can help motivate us to use our now for what matters most in the long run. When have you tried it and seen it work in your life?
