Hey Reader,

When you’re setting your New Year’s resolutions, it’s easy to look at your goals and values and decide that you’re going to avoid eating cookies this year to help you lose weight and break your sugar addiction.

But when you’ve got a project deadline coming up at work, you’re behind schedule, but you’ve also got other priorities demanding your attention, it’s easy to look at that cookie as a source of relief from all your work stress.

You make better decisions for the future than you do for the present.

You want to think about your goals and values to make good decisions. However, it can be hard to focus on these things when emotions are running high--whether they're painful (e.g. I'm exhausted--I don't want to get out of bed at 5 am) or enjoyable (e.g. I'm excited to lay on the couch and binge watch Beef).

So... where can this knowledge be applied?

Here are three places you can start making better decisions today for future you:

1. You can plan your week.

When you don't plan your week, how often do you reach the end of the week and realize you didn't finish your highest priority?

When you plan your week, you can ensure you have time to finish your highest priority.

How will you know? Because you know precisely when you're going to do it.

2. You can plan your meals.

When you don't plan your meals, how often do you find yourself hungry and reaching for whatever food is in reach (e.g. cookies, instant noodles, chips)?

When you plan your meals, you can ensure you always have food when needed.

My freezer is currently full of my meals for the week. I prepped them earlier so I can pull them out and microwave them as I'm hungry throughout the week.

3. You can plan your reading, listening, and watching.

When you don't plan your reading, listening, and watching, how often do you consume interesting or entertaining information that doesn't help you progress on your goals?

When you plan your reading, listening, and watching, you can choose what's coming up next--the most important things to help you reach your goals (e.g. learn how to start an e-mail newsletter, relax and recharge after a busy week).

I have a list of books I plan on reading (and re-reading) next. This helps to keep me on track with my goals, avoid getting distracted by the next new cool book to get published, and prevent forgetting the books I think will be most valuable for me to read in the coming weeks and months.

To wrap things up, respond to this email and let me know:

1. What are you going to plan?
2. What problems have you encountered (or do you foresee you will encounter) with planning in advance?