I learned a technique for scheduling the future while I was a young radio reporter, and I have been using it ever since. It is a simple method, but it has great power. If you want 2014 to be a better year than 2013 (and who doesn’t?), I highly recommend this future file tool. I learned it from my favorite boss, Randy Wheeler, who used it to make sure we covered news conferences, governmental meetings, and special events. He also used it to schedule follow-ups to stories that other media outlets might not think of doing. I adopted a version of the box for my personal life, and when I use it faithfully, life is so much easier. 

I have a file box which contains 44 file folders. The bulk are numbered 1 through 31. Twelve are marked with the months of the year, and one is marked “More than a year away.” Here is how I use them to communicate with my future self.

As you can see from the picture, the file in the front of the box is marked with the current day of the month. Inside that folder are reminders of things to do, appointments to keep, bills to pay, events to attend, and whatever else needs to be scheduled for that particular day. Today is a vacation for me, so the contents are slim. Tomorrow’s folder holds a treat: tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. Monday’s folder contains a note to remind me to take the dog to the vet. Everything I need to remember for future dates goes into these files in one form or another. When I removed the “27” folder (on the night of the 26th) and examined its contents, I easily scheduled the day. I can look ahead to any of the future 30 days and see what is happening, based on the notes I find there. If an event or reminder is more than 30 days out, it goes into the corresponding month. For example, in June’s folder, I have a copy of the invitation to last year’s family pool party, so I can create a new one using the old one as a template. November’s folder might hold our menu from Thanksgiving 2013. Family birthdays go into the appropriate month. You get the idea.

On the 26th day of the month, I pull the folder for the next month and distribute the contents into the folders for the appropriate days. The file for the next day is always in the front, with the month files behind the day files, upcoming month at the front of that section. The 44th file is marked “More than a year away.” I review that one annually, in January. It contains a note reminding me to schedule a medical screening in 2018, as well as a date I want to remember in the year 2030. Yes, really.

The file system allows me to go beyond just keeping a calendar. I can write a note to my future self any time I want to. It’s like the most personal of intra-office correspondence. 

Do I always use the file system effectively? In a word, no. If you saw the blog post about how I cleaned my office using thestash and stow method, you know I don’t. Still, I use it more often than not. When I do use it, I am happier and feel more in control of my life. Maybe it will work for you, too.