It is a tool for self-development, which helps to explore, record and systematize our ideas about our own future life. It is based on the idea of futurist and management theorist Peter Drucker that the future is being created day by day, here and now. It consists of our thoughts, desires, ideas, plans and actions.
In fact, the diary of the future is a repository where you put your thoughts, dreams, hopes, values, priorities, ideas, philosophy and opinions about how you see life in perspective. You also write down in it what you have learned from various sources, what you have learned from other people and what you have learned about them. Over time, all of this will probably change and adjust, which will give you the opportunity to compare stages and evaluate the progress you have made.
You can choose any method convenient for you and keep records electronically or make them by hand. If you stop at the paper version, in order to connect the tactile experience as well, look for notebooks and diaries , which will last at least a year.
In any case, you need to keep a diary of the future regularly and as often as possible, and also try to make it practical. You can first divide the entries into eight main categories, and then personalize them as you wish.
This category includes family members, friends, idols, colleagues, useful contacts, as well as people from the past with whom you would like to resume communication. Make a list of those who, in your opinion, know how to navigate the future, and think about what you can learn from them and how you can help them.
In this section, you can show imagination, and the goals themselves can be both specific and more general. Record here your hopes, aspirations and views on the future related to your career, personal life and other areas. You can look forward several decades and imagine what you would like to do in retirement.
Add books, websites, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, TV and radio shows, collections of inspirational quotes and other resources to this category that will help you stay motivated. In addition, it is possible to describe here what Peter Drucker called "the future that has already happened." These are past events, the consequences of which are not yet known.
This part of the diary of the future includes a list of advanced training courses, additional education programs, workshops, conferences and other options for professional development. If you are ready to act as a teacher yourself, the section can be supplemented, for example, with opportunities for mentoring or volunteer work.
Elements from this category will be associated with everything related to physical and mental health. You can write down everything here that helps you maintain well-being and develop in the spiritual sphere, for example, rituals of self-care or mindfulness practices.
This space of the diary of the future is designed to complement thoughts with diagrams, drawings, sketches, collages, intelligence maps or use any other creative formats. Inspiration can be found not only in magazines, but also in libraries, museums or art galleries.
These are the specific steps and tasks that you want to complete in order to create your future. For example, to resume contact with an old acquaintance whom you mentioned in the "People" category, or to enroll in courses from the "Education" category.
They are needed to record random thoughts, stories and ideas that are not suitable for other categories. Perhaps these notes will help you create a new section dedicated, for example, to personal finance.
The main purpose of the diary of the future is to understand how you imagine your world in perspective and what kind of life you dream of, and then understand what needs to be done in the present to make this future a reality.
