Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today Hardcover – June 6, 2023

Will I be happy about/proud of the decisions I make today in 5, 10, or 30 years in the future? If I think about how I may feel about those decisions from the perspective of my future self, would I change my “today”decision? Can I use reflection to engage my younger self to provide perspective on my current decisions?Hal Hershfield challenges us to consider these and other thought-provoking questions. The book takes one on a temporal journey that offers insights on how to navigate the decisions of the present while engaging our “future self.”The author guides us through how framing current decisions while contemplating our past and future selves provides a critical perspective for improving our decision making processes. By envisioning ourselves in the future, we tap into a broader perspective on the potential consequences of our choices. This mindset encourages us to make decisions that align with our long-term goals, values, and well-being. Further, visualizing our future self can create a sense of connectedness and accountability to that future version of ourselves.I found myself seeing potential of the research beyond financial decisions (aprimary use case of the book) to corporate decision processes. A commonly thought of challenge in Corporate decisions is the need for long-term performance versus the need for short-term results. Could the concepts presented by Professor Hershfield offer a pathway into improving those corporate decision makers? I think so….Pick this book up today and begin your own temporal journey!!!

After reading this book, I wonder how to balance mindfulness that helps reduce anxiety symptoms... Without losing sight of my future self... and gain a lot of anxiety. Just kidding!The book is as interesting as it is repetitive.

It's nice to fantasize about rocketing to the future in a time machine but real time travel is slow, and also unavoidable. We will all get to the future soon enough, just by waiting. None of us can avoid become our future selves, and this is the book that tells you how to make choices so that your future self is the best it can be. It's fun and funny and full of science (including a lot of science conducted by the author himself). A great, useful read. Into the future!

I came across this book via an Adam Grant recommendation and the other "blurbers" on the back cover include Oliver Burkeman, Angela Duckworth, Carol Dweck, and Daniel Pink...wow. But I read it because it's a perfect complement to Sirois' "Procrastination: What It Is, Why It's a Problem, and What You Can Do About It." Hershfield provides a lot of advice on how to think about and deal with your Future Self, most of which can be applied to Sirois' understanding of how to handle procrastination.

I loved this book. It is reminiscent of Malcom Gladwell's style of books, but this one is actually based on the author's own research! I found it fascinating to ponder the question of whether you are the same as your past self, whether you are like a chain of linked selves with your past and future, and what really makes up "self." The book was very approachable and fast to read - I highly recommend it!

The first part of this book is promising, but the remainder is insultingly trivial. The basic message is: Don't make decisions of what is best for your future based on your fleeting feelings you have today. Instead, create an image of yourself 10, 15 years in the future and then make decisions for that person. To do this, write a letter to your future self and use age progression software to create an image of yourself 10, 15, 20 years older. Then tell someone what you're trying to achieve, whether it's losing weight, stopping binge drinking or saving money, and ask them to be your commitment enforcer. Really Adam Grant? This book changed how you think about the future?

The media could not be loaded. …with insights on how to connect with our future selves and make better decisions today. Our future selves often look like strangers in our minds, and therefore we tend to disregard our health and well-being in the years to come. The author provides advice for imagining our best future, so that we can make that vision a reality. The book is fascinating and is based on groundbreaking research from the frontiers of science. Highly recommended read indeed!

I knew my future self would appreciate this book, because Prof Hal Hershfield's research is so interesting and useful. Happily, my present self also enjoyed reading the book, filled with great stories, dad jokes, and poignant reflections. A wonderful and helpful book!