Until recently, I hadn't realised that my approach to life considers the future as much as it does the right now. If I'm doing a task, I think about the most efficient way of completing it to ensure that the overall effort is minimised. This might mean that at the start of the task, I'll invest more time and effort in the knowledge that overall, I'm saving time or emotional stress.

^{Image created using Dall-E}

When I discovered this about myself, and more importantly the difference to the-mrs-gorilla's approach, it felt like a significant moment in my life. Things that I couldn't understand suddenly made sense.

Most of the examples that I can think of are pretty banal and I've little doubt that I'll come across as somewhat OCD - hopefully, some of you will understand where I'm coming from though.

Focus on the Right Now

This feels like something that is the greatest strength of young children. When they've finished with something, they'll drop it on the floor and move on to the next thing. They don't care about the future and their inability to find whatever it is they've relocated. It doesn't matter if it's part of a larger item either - for example, a key part of their favourite game which if they can't find renders it useless.

Or the decision to take the TV remote control into the bathroom because that's where you are and they can't work it themselves. Only to forget why they're there, dropping it and for the confused (and somewhat frustrated) parent to find it days later.

As we get older (and arguably wiser), we change and increasingly consider a longer time horizon (e.g. future me will be pissed off that I can't find the TV remote so leaving it in the bathroom's a shit idea).

_{Image created using Dall-E}

The Long Term

Whilst we increasingly think beyond the here and now, there are varying degrees to which we do this and there are many phrases related to "living today because tomorrow may not come" which remind us that today matters too.

It's easy to think that this is related to the big things in life - saving to buy a car or a new home. But it's very much relevant to everything - the person who chooses to wash up after a meal vs. the person who'll leave it on the side until there are no clean dishes left and washing up becomes the only option. The person who puts a pair of socks in the washing machine together vs. the person who just chucks in whatever they can find. One approach is easier right now but future you (and the people you live with) won't thank you when your kitchen is infested with rats and all you have is odd socks.

^{Image created using Dall-E}

Like most things in life, a person isn't generally one extreme or the other. I'm certainly on "the future" side of things but it wouldn't be unusual for me to eat an entire packet of maryland cookies because right now, that's what I want to do despite the knowledge that future me will want some too. the-mrs-gorilla on the other hand tends to do what's easiest right now (which generally doesn't involve eating an entire packet of biscuits (because they've all been eaten already)). Little does she know, I've adjusted where I leave certain things in the house so that the easiest option, is the option that I prefer (e.g. our plastic chopping boards that can go in the dishwasher are easier to find than our wooden ones that can't - guess who does the washing up!)

For us "future" folks, the "right now" approach can sometimes appear lazy which we find can find frustrating... but once I realised that it's the choice between "easy now" vs. "easy overall", everything becomes clear, the frustration eases and thinking of ways to make the "easy now" closer to the "easy overall" becomes a priority.

Which side of the scale do you think you're on and do any examples spring to mind?

---

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment and if you have time, please visit my other content.