Outsmart Yourself: A Gift to Your Future Self

Greetings from Scottsdale, Arizona! I’m here at a conference, catching up with friends and clients who work in professional development in the legal profession. 

Conferences are always a mix of connection and chaos, so I’ve developed a few habits to make things run smoother.

Take my nametag, for example. After forgetting it too many times, I now hang it on my hotel room door at night before I go to bed and put my bag and anything else I know I’ll need right by the door. That way, I know I can’t physically leave my hotel room without remembering the things I’ll need each day. The next morning, I grab it and go, no stress. It’s a small but meaningful way to outsmart myself - a gift to my future self that saves time and avoids embarrassment.

I take the same approach to the holidays. By December 1, I’ve finished all my shopping and wrapping. Why do I do this? It’s not to be some sort of holiday overachiever, but because December is packed with work and family commitments. It’s stressful enough without the mall parking lots, shopping lists, and piles of wrapping paper. By outsmarting myself and clearing my holiday to-do list early, I get to enjoy this season I love - lights, music, good food, and wonder - without the overwhelm. 

Outsmarting yourself is about taking small actions now to make your life easier later. These little gifts save time, money, and mental energy, all while reducing stress. As the old saying goes, “Do something today your future self will thank you for.”

Here are a few specific, practical ideas to help your future self across a few different dimensions of well-being - just to get you thinking. What would you add to this list that would work for you?

Ways to Outsmart Yourself

1. Physical Well-Being

• Pack a "just in case" kit: Keep a spare phone charger, painkiller, and stain remover wipes in your bag, desk, or backpack.
• Gas up your car when you drive by a gas station: Even if you aren’t on “empty,” fill up when you have a few minutes. Better than hopping in the car to an empty tank on a busy morning! 
• Schedule workouts or walks ahead of time: Block workout or walk times on your calendar and set reminders, or make a plan now to do it with a friend. That accountability makes it infinitely more likely you’ll follow through!
• Keep an emergency snack pack available: Keep healthy snacks in your office and in your car. It will save you when you’re running late and need to fuel yourself. That way you can grab nourishing food like protein shakes (pre-mixed and sealed - I buy them at Costco), nuts, or jerky instead of reaching for junk food or the drive-through on the way to your next commitment.

2. Emotional Well-Being

• Write yourself a note for tomorrow: Write tomorrow’s top three priorities on a note before you log off for the day, clearing mental clutter. Or just write yourself a quick note of anything you can’t forget to do.
• Set up a wind-down alarm: Set an alarm to remind you to start winding down 30 minutes before bed for better sleep. Do the same before you want to leave work for the day so you can start wrapping up thoughtfully rather than rushing out the door.
• Have “thank you” notes handy: Gratitude always goes a long way, especially on our legal teams. Have a “thank you” note email template handy for when you want to send a quick note of thanks. I also keep a pile of physical thank you cards on my desks and always have stamps handy so I can send a thank you card when the need arises to colleagues or clients.

3. Social Well-Being

• Pre-buy small gifts: Stock up on gift cards or thoughtful tokens (like candles or books) for last-minute birthday, holiday, colleague, or client gifts. When I find lovely things (especially on sale), I stock up so I’m always ready and not making an emergency run to Target! 
• Plan ahead for birthday cards: I keep a card organizer for the whole year (kind of like this one), and I stock up on birthday and anniversary cards once a year. That way I always have them to send and don’t have to make an emergency trip to the store. I also put people’s birthdays in my calendar as an annually recurring “tasks.” Your team members and loved ones will be so touched to receive your birthday email, card, or gift!  
• Set reminders for check-ins: Use your phone to schedule a text or email check-in with a colleague, client, or friend this week.  
• Plan an easy group outing: Book a casual coffee meet-up or walk-and-talk with a colleague instead of waiting for a “perfect” time. Send that email and calendar invite now to make sure it happens!

4. Financial Well-Being

• Automate savings today: Log into your bank and set up an automatic transfer into a savings account, even if it’s just $10 a week. You can do this to create other designated savings accounts for things like travel, holiday spending, etc. 
• Pre-schedule payments: Set up auto-payment on everything you can. You have enough to think about - you don’t need to manage paper bills, too! 
• Unsubscribe from sales emails: Take 30 seconds and declutter your inbox by unsubscribing to anything that isn’t serving you - sales emails, newsletters, etc. You’ll thank yourself for doing it when your inbox gets leaner and leaner and you aren’t wading through useless emails to get to the ones that matter. 

5. Professional Well-Being

• Pack your "meeting survival kit": Add snacks, a notepad, and extra pens to your conference bag so you’re ready for anything. I carry some extra cords and chargers in my work backpack at all times. 
• Pre-draft an out-of-office email: Even if your next time off is weeks away, save a polished draft you can quickly activate later. I use the same one over and over, just tweaking dates and details.
• Set a Monday morning agenda today: Write out the top three tasks you want to tackle first thing next week to hit the ground running.

Why It Matters

Outsmarting yourself is about more than convenience; it’s a way to create ease, clarity, and breathing room for your future self. By taking a little time today to prepare, you’re setting yourself up for less stress, fewer last-minute scrambles, and more room to focus on what truly matters.

Ask yourself: what’s one thing I can do right now that my future self will thank me for? Fill out the form here and let me know what you come up with or if you need ideas!

Whether it’s hanging your nametag on the door, scheduling a coffee chat, gassing up your car, or leaving yourself a reminder to do something important, these small actions can have a big impact.

Outsmart yourself today. It’s the ultimate gift to your future self, and you deserve it!