How Planning for “Future You” Can Set You Up for Success
The idea of “future you” is something I have latched onto a lot as of late. This is the concept of doing a time-consuming task now that will make the life of “future you” easier and more enjoyable. Trust me, I get it--sometimes you really do need to put the needs of “present you” before “future you.” But generally speaking, I find that when I set myself up for success now, “future me” gives “past me” a pat on the back for helping a girl out. Here are just a few examples of how you can help out “future you” right now.
Document Saving
Whether physical or digital, a messy collection of documents means future confusion and frustration when looking for something specific, especially if you’re in a hurry. Think: looking back at a past medical bill to verify payment; pulling out your marriage certificate for a name change request; or gathering all of your charitable donations together during tax season. The time spent now by “present you” to set up a clear and organized filing system will pay off in spades for “future you.” For physical documents, filing cabinets are great, though personally, I took a leaf from Jordan Ferney’s book and I like filing bins like these, where each bin can be its own category or for an individual family member. For digital documents, the options are endless. Consider a cloud storage option, like Dropbox, which you can access from your computer or mobile device, and to which you can give access to anyone who needs it. Make sure to create a smart set of categories based on your needs. (Plus see more digital tips at this post!)
Children’s Clothes
The cliché is all too real to parents--kids just grow out of their clothes so darn quickly! It seems like every season, you have to buy them a whole new wardrobe (compare that to my closet and, well… hello, sweater from 2015!). This also means that you are constantly taking too-small clothes out of dressers and needing to find a new place to store them. My advice? Right away, “present you” should give them their own storage bin or bag and label it by size. This way, when “future you” has another child approaching this age, or plans to give or donate these clothes away to another family, you’ll know exactly where to pull from and when. The last thing a frazzled mama needs is a big ol’ 30-gallon tub full of mis-matched clothing items when she’s desperately looking for a 3-6 month long-sleeve onesie on the first cold day of the season. By the way, my favorite don’t-need-to-buy-more-containers solution to storing kids’ clothes is repurposing those clear plastic, zippered bags that your sheets and duvets come in. They are the best!--clear; easy to open, close and label; and structured. *Chef’s kiss.*
Kitchen Tools
I’ve spoken about kitchen tools before, and I promise I will do it again and again, because not only is it my favorite room in the home, but it’s rife for organizing solutions, since it collects so many tools. The best thing that “present you” can do for “future you” in the kitchen is to think strategically about where you should store your kitchen tools so that when you are in the midst of meal prep, your tools are literally within arms reach. To me this means:
A drawer or utensil crock right next to the stove with wooden spoons, spatulas, ladles and other tools you use on the stove or in the oven
A knife strip above the counter where you do the most chopping
A kitchen rail with oft-used tools at hand, such as a can opener, measuring cups, measuring spoons and kitchen shears attached
Glassware as close to the sink or fridge as possible, and mugs as close to your coffee maker or tea kettle as possible
I hope all of our “future selves” will be pleased with the work that our “present selves” have done to set them up for success!