Possible futures

My friend encouraged me to list some of my example “possible futures”, but I didn’t want to make it part of the article, so I’ll put some here instead. (Each one has way more detail in my daydreaming files, but this is the summary.)

Buy 100 acres of abandoned land and turn it into a rich forest over the next 15 years, with a pest-proof fence to encourage bird life. Then in 15 years, build three tiny houses in the middle, for me and friends.

www.ted.com/talks/shubhendu_sharma_how_to_grow_a_tiny_forest_anywhere

Find a friend in China, India, Brazil, Portugal, Turkey, and Nigeria with a kid the same age as mine. Visit each one each year, so our kids can grow up as extended family.

Do every “Great Walk” in New Zealand, then most of the best cycle trails, too.

www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/things-to-do/walking-and-tramping/great-walks/

Live in a camper van for a year.

Produce a book “Understanding the Whole World”, with one essay per country, written by a local outsider, explaining its mindset to Americans like me. (Like these about Japan and Indonesia.)

Complete a triathalon.

Learn a bunch of intermediate life skills, like plumbing, motorcycle maintenance, bicycle building, CPR, EMT, sailing, sewing, archery, wilderness survival, etc.

Write and record a dozen new songs, with a video for each.

Learn to fly a plane, then helicopter.

Do one cultural immersion each year: Ten months of spare-time studying one country, reading a bunch of books on it, learning the language, watching their movies. Then go spend a month there, touring around, asking a ton of questions, experiencing it first-hand. Repeat yearly.

Thank you, I really can identify with the sentiments in your article.
Thanks for the encouragement and good idea.

Yes! I've long kept a Someday/Maybe type of list, but it wasn't as specified as a folder like this - it was more just a very general, basic idea list that would occasionally have ideas that get formed more fully. What I really like about the folder approach is that it simply gives greater clarity to the "future projects" possibility. I like how it simultaneously encourages you to flesh out the idea fully with research, plans, etc; while at the same time gives the freedom to leave it shelved or wait until the timing is right. Thanks for sharing!

I like all of them!

Yes. I used to worry that others would think i was flaky because i take my ideas for a test spin for awhile to see which ones have staying powerband which ones fly away.
I have a foam core board that i put my ideas on woth post it notes so i don't forget them but so they don't have to take up room in my head. It's like a waiting room for my cool ideas! There are certain people I don't fly my ideas by anymore because it does frustrate them, it's not how their brain works and they don't support my process - that's ok.
Validating to bear your process. Thanks!
Also - I'm moving from NY to Thailand next month.
Words of wisdom?

Idea # 467: research why it is that when I'm tired my rate of typos increases dramatically. 😊

Yes! Me too. Sometimes I just remember them and remember them and the ones that I can't shake, I start doing and see where it goes.

In the last 10 years, I've scratched all 100 things off my bucketlist. Now I have a new 100. Life is full of possibilities.

How serendipitous that you should write this piece Derek, just as I finish writing about my frustration with my own similar tendencies (to feel bad for having too many ideas and not enough time). I'll definitely give your little trick a shot!

I also keep a folder, I call it Concepts, in which I file ideas both big and small. Some are brilliant, some simple and others are idiotic but, like you, I have to play out the movie in my head by writing it out, looking things up and telling someone who's opinion I value.

Every once in a while one of these ideas will suddenly be relevant in a conversation I am having. This vindicates the whole thing.

Ohhh, I LOVE this! Stealing. Right now. Thank you for sharing!☺️

Another great list Derek and thanks for sharing! Keeping track of these things is key. So many ideas get lost either in your head, notebooks, or digitally. The practice of consolidating and actually posting them somewhere is crucial.

Neat neat neat!
Something specific I enjoy about reading your blog is that I can do the things you talk about. Not difficult and full of possibilities. Futures folder started!

Mahalo

Same here Derek. Why should we limit our thought, plans and lives to one future? Because the majority does so? It makes live so much interesting to see other paths and chances. And depressing sometimes when realising there is not that much time for everyting. In any case, I always loved stories about people like Da Vinci who did not limit their lives to one thing even though they could have due to their talent and ability to excel. The last thing. I agree with James Altucher that people should write down ideas every day no matter how "insane" they are. It trains our brain as exercise does for our body. And slowly it tunes our ability to come with better and better ideas - not necessary business ideas of course, but general. Of course, better for us. It does not matter if people think living such way is a time waste. Day dreaming is so powerful fuel of one's existance if used "properly". And keep the forrest there. I love the idea very much. Copied :)

Good idea, i try to work with the GTD system, in this case i classify this ideas as sometime/ maybe And the work already Made in a bloc-notes in Evernote or dropbox with the same name

Love this idea! I've often struggled with that problem of people almost "judging" my constant wanting to change direction. For a while I thought that it meant something was wrong with me - like I couldn't really commit to anything - but I don't really think that's the case.
Who says you can't switch things up every month or year or whatever? Life is so fun when you let yourself daydream and be ok with trying lots of new things.
Great list too by the way, some really cool ideas in there!

Great post, Derek. I have done something sort of similar for a while now, keeping a list of all the things I enjoy doing but can't realistically fit into my life. It's my 'other life' list. To paraphrase Foer, it makes my bones feel less heavy under the weight of the lives I'm not living. Pretty much every time I mention my 'other life' list to people, they think I'm nuts. I quickly conclude they're just jealous :)

I have a similar 'bucket' list in an excel spreadsheet called one year projects (prior to last year it was called "30 before 30"). But never thought of #2 - love that idea of raising kids with friends in different parts of the world.

I feel really fortunate to be able to dream up such a list, here's 9:

1. Reverse tithe for a year (give 90% of income away). This means either living simple or earning more income.

2. Be homeless in a city for a month. Hitchhike or get dropped off in a large city like SF/Seattle/NYC and live among the homeless. Eat at soup kitchens, sleep in parks or beneath overpasses, panhandle for money.

3. Learn to play the guitar, perform a song like Heart of Gold or After Midnight whilst sitting around the campfire with friends, surprise and impress them because I am not musically inclined and very shy, and win the hearts of exotic woman as they dance and scream my name during my impromptu performance.

4. Make my own wooden canoe, float down the Yukon river for 6 weeks.

5. Buy some land, fell some trees, build my own log cabin a la Dick Proenneke "Alone in the Wilderness".

5. Make my own bow and arrow, harvest a large mammal such as an elk with the handmade tool. Better yet, acquire skills to spend a season as a mountain man living off the land.

6. Do a woofing season in Kamchatka Russia. Afterward, spend a winter herding reindeer with an indigenous population.

7. Hike the big 3 long trails in the USA (AT, CDT, PCT) or the Te araroa in New Zealand or the Great Himalayan Trail. Better yet, just walk across a non english speaking country such as Japan from south to north. Keep a daily journal about the experience.

8. Write book on experience working in mining industry (not data mining).

9. Learn video making skills, Make a video for my dad about his dad (my grandfather) when he becomes a grandfather (I have kids). He died about 15 years ago and I wish he was still here because he inspired many of the adventurous ideas listed above. I would secretly visit his hometown and collect stories, pictures, and any video about him from friends and family. I would read the transcript of the speech he performed about his life and the struggles he overcame to "make it" in America while showing the images/video from his life.

10. Bonus. Go back in time, had better grades/SAT scores, get into MIT, knew that a thing such as MIT's D-LAB (d-lab.mit.edu) existed and joined, spent my last 8 years after college doing cool engineering projects for the developing world rather than working in industry. Maybe its not too late to go back?

It's fun to dream.
☺ — Derek

I have the same issue but what I do is add it to an ongoing goal/task list

This is my overarching goals for the next 5 years alongside the method of how I will achieve them

I then break them down into a logical order of completion that will lead from one to the next

I found if I had them in front of me all the time it was too overwhelming, and if I didnt write them down then I would focus on it too much to the point of distraction

Now I have them in place, check them in the morning when I wake, listen to them while I exercise and then ignore them while I complete the current task

It seems to be working, at least its helping my sanity!

Derek - when you go back through your possible futures, do you visualize achieving them? I'm wondering if you methodologically, step by step convinced yourself you had in fact achieved them, (using EFT or similar visualization) and internalized the success, what new 'possible futures' this could open up, or how this changes your view of your 'possible future' idea as you look back at it.
Not deliberately, but of course: I picture each of these vividly when I think of them. — Derek

That is awesome. Great idea!!

I loved this thought -

"It also reminds me that I love daydreaming, just for its own sake."

In fact, this reminds of a Scott Adams' hack for increasing happiness in one's life. He writes -

"I find it useful to daydream that the future will be better than today, by far...simply imagining a better future hacks your brain chemistry and provides you with the sensation of happiness today...The power of daydreaming is similar to the power of well-made movies that can make you cry or make you laugh...Imagination is the interface to you attitude. You can literally imagine yourself to higher levels of energy."

Thanks for adding a new dimension to the idea of daydreaming and imagination.

As a 'professional' daydreamer I relate a lot with what you said. And will give your process a try. My possible futures, from the top of my mind:

* Work as concept architect (professional daydreamer..) in Moscow with a lot of travel in Russia. Enjoy a 9to5 and have time to dive in the culture. Travel by the trans-siberian.

* Work as concept architect in Poland and be able to daydream. Repeat my previous life.

* Open a small wine shop with portuguese food and a piano in Poland. A place without costumers, only friends.

* Change completely my career path and work on R&D in Ireland. Applied maths, robotics, maps (i love maps), programming.

* Live in south Brazil and raise cattle. Live for some time in Brasilia. Get kids.

* Live in Portuguese deep countryside and be a farmer. Get kids.

* Live in Portuguese deep countryside and improve nursing houses. Potentially my largest contribution to the world.

* Short-term dreams: live in Lithuania and Finland.
☺ — Derek

Derek.
Thanks I will try this. The same thing happens to me. It sounds like a great thing.

This is brilliant. A friend and I have had similar discussions for the past 5-6 years. We've shared dreams and ideas. Plotted the next chapters in our lives. And perhaps most important of all, realized we were each pulling ourselves in too many directions at the same time.

As we moved into our 40s, we had to take ownership of the fact that we were just spinning our wheels. No forward progress was being made. We were too busy dreaming.

We detached. Got focused. And re-attached to the top "life" we wanted to live. And we're doing it. Naturally, not as fast as each of us would like since there are existing commitments we must honor and people we want to still have in our lives. :)

I just checked in with my friend yesterday to see how he was doing and came across your post this morning. Synchronicity. Collecting Possible Futures seems like an outstanding way to keep a reminder of those aspirations and allow a chance to revisit them when the time arrives to do so.

Thank you.

I do the same and keep them in different folders on my computer and physical folders in my desk. It's nice to know I am full of possibilities. Some ideas lead into others and some are completely random. The ones that stick keep resurfacing in my mind and I just need not to be afraid to try them.

A few years ago I built an html website in my hard-drive just to track all my projects and ideas. I have about 30+ written, 3 done and a few "in execution". I also have a section called "probables" and other called "unlikely to happen". I see your way is healthier :)

I used to daydream a lot when I was much younger but then I stopped. I found it to be counter productive. I'd get the satisfaction but reality did not change maybe because I felt rich or successful or like a stud.

Now I am considering daydreaming again but this time a bit differently. I want to try daydreaming about the process instead of the result. So picturing myself working my butt off and stopping just before the result is known.

An example:
Imagine doing one push up in your first week, then trying to do 5 in your next week. The pain is very real but you feel in your bones that you can do it so you put everything you've got into it and after a month you are doing 20 on a good day. That's a 20x increase! You start thinking about how you can help increase your strength. You start a strength building diet and now you can smell 100 push ups. It's not that far away.

Time to field test this :)

You're not the only one! Blessed be.

What good can I add to your life? You already know so much that I can just say thank you for sharing...

Do you mind if I steal your idea of organizing ideas into folders. I really like this as I go through something similar and things are not organized. I am going to start making folders.

Hope you are enjoying your day with your family.
Of course. I'm sharing this here so you can use the idea too, if you find it useful. — Derek

I should try this. I keep big ideas present too often. So I can't focus on the current big project. Now with your suggestion the old big idea gets the honor of worth keeping and I also decide that from now I will not put my time into this idea. This should help me stay focused on ONE big idea @ a time. Just how do you make sure that other areas of life like health or relationships don't suffer?

I do something just like this!

Really like daydreaming for idea creation. The constantly learning and trying new things approach to like is so healthy. Child from each of those countries sounds great although visiting each every year may be a challenge.

That's a great idea! All the great walks and bike rides in NZ are on my list too, so many great journeys and experiences out there.

I also put"unwanted futures" folder as a warning to guide myself away from what I fear, or help me understand it.

I absolutely do this, so many ideas, a new one each month, but after getting into it, for some reason it doesn't float my boat anymore and I move onto something else. I guess while I'm having ideas I'm living!

You just saved my sanity Derek! I thought I was the only insane person who got AMAZING ideas, started out with a bang and then fizzled out! Reading this showed me what to do, let me know that I am not alone and most of all that I am NOT crazy :)! You write a lot of wonderful post but SUPER THANKS for this one!!!!

Hi Derek,

I do the same exact thing, thank you for this post, any doubts I had about this process are now gone.

Quick question:
"...and tell my friends all about it..." This seems to contradict your note about keeping one's plans under wraps. Does telling your friends about your future plan deter you from making it happen?

Boris
Who knows. Silence is one tool in the toolbox, not intended to be used for everything. — Derek

Yes, I have an Evernote folder exactly for this reason as well! Daydreaming and thinking outside of the box is great for our brains btw :)

Hey Derek!
I do, too. I don't have a folder for EACH one of them, but I do have a folder for some of them.
And I also realized that I shouldn't feel bad about it.

Although... Recently, I've been thinking more and more about one of them that I've "started" dreaming about 16-17 or so years ago. Perhaps it's time to do it? Who knows :)

This sounds like a bucket list. Good stuff. My routine is I have an "amazing" business idea, and I buy a corresponding domain name. Then I get busy, and it sits there until I get a renewal notice a year later from my registrar. Your folder method is a much thriftier way to store ideas than my domain-buying habit. Once you decide on a new future, what's your first step to make it real?
Ha! Yes. So many domains I *want* to buy, but don't let myself until I've gotten at least half-way through building the app/site/business. — Derek

D, you'll hardly be surprised to hear I feel the same. :) Some people in my life would laugh at my latest and greatest plan - but I only ditched them for better plans, or had to change directions 'cos of external events. E.g. I'd planned to move to France, got on a TV programme looking for properties, and then the house price crash happened. I redirected to music. Then I planned to move to Japan, and as I was mid-process in a TEFL programme, I met my partner. So we started making different plans together, including moving to Finland. Some people laughed/eye rolled at the latest story, assuming it was pie in the sky... and then we moved there. And then we said we were moving to Spain, and now we're in Spain.

Letting go of needing other people's approval was key to getting over depression years ago; I still do enjoy a secret ("See? Told you I'd do it" tho'!)

Early on in my coaching career I felt a rebellion against the holy grail of goals (and 'SMART' ones at that) espoused by many in my industry - goals are great for moving you forward, and sometimes that's all you need from a specific goal. A burst of energy, enthusiasm and research - which moves you to a position where you find something even better to aim for. I like to lightly grasp general goals and let go of the details. It's worked for me...

My 'false starts' all taught me something and who am I to limit the possibilities to my first best guess at what I should be doing? I'm not in the south of France, I'm in the south of Spain; I'm not just making music by myself, I'm making music with a partner. I'm back in uni, which I hadn't thought of doing until a few years back; I've still got plans of new/old hobbies I could take up, when I choose to prioritise those. And who knows where we'll visit/live next! Life's what upgrades you when you make inferior plans.

Hope all's great with you - look forward to a copa de vino tinto somewhere sometime!

I think this is a great idea, and (inherently) this is something I've done my entire life - dreaming up new ideas, new concepts, etc. Likewise, I think making a "repository" of all of these ideas is a great long-term strategy to keep allowing yourself to dream, and it's a good feeling (for me) to know I'm not the only one who has this mentality.

My problem with this, is that at some point, I started falling in love with generating ideas, and stopped falling in love with being productive and getting anything done. I think that's the danger for those who love to come up with new ideas - eventually, we start falling in love with the ideas and not with the process of actually making things happen.

Derek, I know you've spoken on this before when you talked about what it REALLY takes to make something happen (virtually nothing, but just an idea and some work), which I think complements this article well. It's just a danger, and it's something I think others should be aware of as well.

I've long done something like this- but had a quick question: do you just save the little snippets you've posted or accumulate a lot of research (aka turn it into a digital scrapbook folder)?
I just put everything into a text file. Whether on the web or whatever, plain text is my favorite archive format. — Derek

Hi Derek, your 2nd idea sounds so great. I really hope it will come true.

I had done it in OneNote under " Infinite Ideas", where I used to write down all the ideas that came to mind.

Now, you gave me a concrete direction on how to file those ideas.

Thanks

Rakesh

You should check out the book GTD by David Allen and the tool omnifocus. This system you describe is called "Someday/maybe" list; It's for all the projects you are interested in doing but don't have the time for. This is just one of many aspects that GTD allows for you to get your mind clear and focus on what's most important.
Yep! I use GTD and have a Someday list. But this is different. This is like an entire vision for a whole different future, a different way of living/being, a new direction. At first I felt that one path/direction was right and the others wrong. Now I do this. — Derek

I dream of a tiny house for the past few years since hearing of them. I really like your idea of putting them on land, growing a forest and enjoying it with friends. I've recently been considering something similar actually. Mine is acquiring property in northern Michigan and then putting a tiny house on it for sort of therapy vacation purposes. Of course there is plenty of forest already present in my idea though. The therapy for me would be to escape the city and enjoy northern Michigan campfires, beaches, sand dunes, northern lights, wine tours, fishing and more. I can make room for another tiny house in my dream if you're interested! ;)
☺ — Derek

Great idea! It reminds me of the 'someday/maybe list' in GTD.

Thank you for sharing a few examples in the first few comments -- inspiring! There is a part of me that used to dream like that -- it is starting to re-awaken! :)

Derek-as you are already aware, a great person to tap for life skills learning quickly is the one and only Tim Ferriss! Will cut your learning time by 80 percent!

#Dream 100 Acres forest

Check this link

http://www.thebetterindia.com/16294/couple-man-made-wildlife-sanctuary-hosts-animals-like-bengal-tigers/
Yes! I love that story. There's a great documentary about it. Very inspiring. — Derek

Escape from 9-5 works, own a profitble self-driven business, travel around the world with my wife and family.
btw, Derek, the above picture yon insert, the chinese was incorrect in my opion. "扈"should be"息","扛"should be"打".
Thanks for share.

Love this.
I'm here in Brazil right now. But my daughter is just about to be 2. (Younger than your son).
Still I'd love to help you understand Brazil more.
Keep up the inspiring work.

Yes its perfect to share your dreams. Maybe its more beautiful then do them yourself. So much dreams as little seeds, they find fertile ground again. They grow like tiny grass, see al the grass whats dreaming now.

It doesn't fit in the folder any more, yes you create Big Data ;-)

Thank for being part of your dreams.

You have just described the blessing and curse of my life. I definitely would not give it up, but it would be so much easier for my family (and myself) to live with me if I just stuck to just one or two ideas for my future. I feel like I have to fight this part of me if I am to be seen as trustworthy and reliable. When you have a wife and kids, these things matter.

Cheers

The one with the kids from different countries are really good.
Imagine them after 10 - 15 years :)
What experience and happiness is that :)

Thank you for this post, glad to know that are more people with multiple dreams out there :)

I first started by using a notebook, because sometimes the idea of a future life project was so intense, that I had to write it down, or else my brain would be bugging me all the time.

I also have some folders for some projects I've been researching more. Nowadays I use a notebook whenever I have an idea, but I also use Evernote, with notebooks for each future project, and notes with links for research.

Good luck with your future(s).
I don't have kids, but if you need I can help on the Portuguese Parent search :P

I LOVE this! I do the same thing. I have dozens of GoogleDocs full of "possible future" plans. But I've always felt guilty about it, too, like I'm just failing at everything because I can't make up my mind. It helps to know I'm not the only one out there.

Please support my studio project here
igg.me/at/66kIN8Z4fJ4/x/14009487

I'm the exact same way!

I love the folder idea.

Great Idea, love your blogs, I find that you are inspiring. We met once in DC where you held a CD baby get together when you first started it. I am still a full time musician but have also grown into an owner of a music school, recording studio and video production facility.
I feel that my next chapter is to help inspire people on a wider scale, blogging seems to make sense.

Thanks
Damon

First time I add a comment.
Fantastic post. Thank you.

I do the same in many ways. My folders titled "Someday"

Thanks

I still feel bad when it seems like I don't follow through on a project. Then I started keeping all my projects in a BackBurner folder so I can come back to them when I have time.

Hooray. It's not just me.

People are surprised (and exhausted) at how much I have done because I go from one project to the next, without a spell. I don't see it that way because I am one of those who is still seeking "my purpose in life". At 59 I have to get cracking.

However, I have begun to get frustrated with continually having great ideas but not always doing something about them.

So, thank you Derek, I have labeled a file: Possible Futures.

This is very similar to Steven Johnson's "Spark File" (medium.com/the-writers-room/the-spark-file-8d6e7df7ae58#.c0qv5in79). I've been keeping one for a few years and find it valuable.

Calling them "Possible Futures" is a great idea.

I have a pile of books beside my bed that I am gradually making my way through - does this count???
Good example we can all relate to. ☺ — Derek

Awesome as always. I like this for keeping track of the many small and large projects we dream of as well. One must act swiftly when inspiration strikes - and the timing is not always convenient. We may not have the time to act on the project at that moment either and abandoning all of the research done is an additional loss.

Hi Derek, I like it and do a similar thing done in 2 parts.

First is my “B.I.D File” which stores all my ideas for work and business, there are 29 at the moment. Then when I have time I go to the file and pick one I am excited about the most and start the process of trying to develop the idea.

The Second part is my “Fun File” which stores all the fun stuff I want to do and when I can fit some more fun stuff into my life I start the one I’m most excited about.

The 10 examples you gave would go in my “Fun File”.

Brilliant! I love it. Daydreaming is such an important part of being human and processing stuff that can be and stuff that was. Something moving all that stuff into reality when the time is right. For some reason I'm thinking how to fit this into the GTD method.. This could be like a bunch of Projects inside a Someday/Maybe GTD style bucket. Or maybe a bunch of Projects tagged with #future.

Great, I like this rich forest idea!

Derek!

I love how you express yourself. I first "met you" on the Tim Ferris show and have loved getting to know your work.

I've been doing this same thing in the last few months and it's done so much to clear up my mental space for thinking and dreaming. Plus, when I review the good ideas, the ones that really fire my passion, they really POP!

Since I've started I've learned focus on the good ones and let the immature ones slide towards the bottom of the priority list.

Thx for sharing bro, be great to meet u one day.
Darnell - in Manila

Haha! Your website really rocks! :P I love the way you post your random thoughts here. I just noticed that I can totally understand what you have written here as I also do things like this... day-dreaming to make a difference and be of help for the future I will be with (if that'll work). Great, I'll probably be visiting this site from time to time. God Bless!

Hi Derek,

Its not just you. I do it too. I now have a big vision for my future but I am scared/hesitant of pursuing it because, among other reasons, I am not sure if it is my one true calling. The idea that life is a series of projects is a happy one. I would like to believe it.

I am trying to figure out what to do with my life. As I go about it my thinking, for better or for worse, is heavily influence by the notion that I should find my one true calling. It's burdensome to think that it has to be a thing I will never get bored of. Reading your article made me feel lighter.

I thought I found my calling in value investing after I started reading Poor Charlie's Almanac. I wanted to start my own hedge fund with perfect alignment of interest with investors by not charging any management fee i.e. modeled after Warren Buffet's Buffet Associates Ltd. But then I wonder if it is the things that are incidental to this version of value investor dream that I am more attracted to: I get to read, learn, and living life on my own terms.

I love learning more than anything else, as Warren and Charlie say one should in order to be a successful investor. But I also like change and novelty, a tendency that does not fit very well with my idea of a true value investor. I like the idea of building something, of doing things in a different way, of helping others by solving problems, of being unbound to anyone or anything and being mobile. Value investing is not the only path that leads to all these good things. Moreover, these likes and preferences can and do change as I change as a person. So how do I find my true calling and how will I know when I do?

I am also not sure if it is the right market to enter. The asset management industry, especially the active version of it, is very crowded and is shrinking. Value investing i.e. convincing people not to pull their money when markets fall because you disagree with the market's estimate of value, is an especially hard sell and only a small group of investors get it. Is it wise to enter such a crowded market? Can't I read, learn, and live life on my own terms by being an entrepreneur or by doing something else? Should I follow my passion irrespective of what I think the result is likely to be like he says in Bhagavad Gita? Doesn't Charlie suggest that one only play when odds are in your favor?

Since a life time is a long time I can, perhaps, try running a value hedge fund for say 10 years and see for myself if it indeed is my calling. We grow in passion and insight by doing and over time don't we?

I am mostly thinking aloud and sharing it with someone is a reward in itself but if you have any thoughts I would love to know them. Also how do you find new projects/ visions and what goes in to deciding whether to pursue them or not?

Best Wishes,
Sarath.

It's easy to grow a forest; all you need is dirt, water, little seedlings and 10 years. I've done it with 3 houses (ok, an acre each time, not 100 acres, but I have friends who do another 2-5 acres each year).
So get started on this one right away; just downsize the dream to start. Buy 10 acres somewhere, get seedlings from the conservation service and start planting. They may need water the first year but only in a drought after that.

This is great! Now I don't have to feel bad either!

Derek,

I do the same thing, tons of ideas, research, then another idea, more research... etc. glad I'm not the only one that does this. Thanks for making me feel normal. :)

The "possible futures" folder system is great. I apply your "hell yes or no" advice. That helps me decide what to do.

Hi Derek

As always thank you for sharing, I lover the Idea of making a folder with one's Idea's and store them if one doesn't have the right timing when entering the mind. This one I will keep and use

Thank you Derek

Kent

This is a much better way to look at things then an ever-growing to-do list that is bulging with "some day" items.

Thanks Derek,
Best regards
Jan

This is amazing! I find myself waiting on your next email and I know that as I follow the link, that my mind is going to be 'accosted' with a fresh and new and yet sagacious piece of insight. I love the picture! Keep going Derek. Thank you for being such an inspiration.

text files: (relevant title).txt, and development
in note form. then chuck 'em all in my documents
periodically, think about starting a blog, move
again, don't start blog, get wrapped up in
something else, clean up hard drive, start over.

anything that survives the stream of incidences
may end up in a folder with txt files of same type.

currently IN a wood cabin in woods, wondering how
the roof will hold up come winter... ?:(
(i'd say you need to have your **** together, and
that bricks+mortar could be a better bet ultimately ;-)
eg: mosquitoes+insects, roof insulation, etc. - otherwise,
*highly recommended* to all you urbans!! )

oh...and how a decision made by others, Brexit, will
affect our possible futures + outcomes ;-(

Beautiful.

Been there. Done that. The collection kept growing. Nothing on it got done. Now, instead, I do a quick and dirty 'beta' right away. If I enjoy the experience, I put it on a short list. More often than not, putting rubber to road takes away the magic - and reveals the 'hard, practical' part... which isn't so rosy. Then, I lay the idea to rest - semi-permanently, with few regrets!

(I notice Mathew Bailey #17 above has the same approach!)

I use to feel guilty for being overly excited about a new idea, but
from each carried out I learned something valuable. ("Don't do that again"
Or "that works!")

Thanks for sharing this great idea. I am having a similar problem. Will try this. Common sense say this is going to work for me as well.

You have a great day!

I'm so happy I read this! Thanks Derek, I would make myself feel bad about the same process you described in the article. This is an excellent way of keeping my possible futures organized and "at the ready" should I want to make a move on any of them.

I'm so happy I read this! Thanks Derek, I would make myself feel bad about the same process you described in the article. This is an excellent way of keeping my possible futures organized and "at the ready" should I want to make a move on any of them.

I write a list like this too. But i also write one for the family, ie i ask my wife and kids this: "What do you want to do?"

It takes the focus away from me and I get to see an alternative perspective. Often times I think I know what's best for my family... But when I ask them, it's not what they think is best for them!

It's a humbling experience but also allows me to relinquish some control and relax.

Thank you for your post! I feel as if you were speaking about me! I can't wait to unload the burden of my dreams to a positive possible future project! Amazing how that new look makes me smile 😊

Just a side note one of my possible futures was to go to the Olympics and feel the passions of the countries and participants! #HereIComeRio!

Cheers,
Conni

I've always done this. Daydreaming for me is just as much a reality as reality. And, of course, we are beginning to find there is more than one reality.

The only problem with this is:daydreaming the money to pay for these day-dreamed projects is never a reality!

I'm a dreamer, too! It keeps me going and reaching for something more than what I have right now. I love my "someday, maybe" files! Thanks for sharing.

Over the years I've had a number of ideas for inventions that I didn't act on, mainly because I didn't know how or have money to invest. Most of those ideas are now invented by others and are on the market making them money. Ideas not acted on are like seeds not planted, you get no crop. LOL

Thanks Derek for this article, this is a real problem and your solution converts something disheartening into a productive outlet. The idea of possible futures is an encouraging reminder that you can choose to do something completely different or even choose not to despite many alternatives.

Now and then we take a piece of paper and write at the top:
Wouldn't it be nice if...........fill in the blank.
I number each entry. I write until we can no longer think of anything.Then I forget about it.
It no longer amazes me when I find one of these lists and see
How many have been realized. The first time I did this I wrote "go on a cruise".
I had never been on a cruise. That year we went on five cruises including two transatlantic.

I can definitely relate to this. Thanks for sharing a cool solution and a new perspective.

Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this. I have so often felt bad about this very same thing. Nice to know I'm not the only one with a new idea each week!

I'm glad I'm not the only one - I have ideas all the time and I love them and then, if I don't do them (because I can't do all of them at the same time) I feel foolish for 'just' having lots of ideas and never doing them. But the truth is that the ones I do do take time - I'm enthusiastic and energetic. I want to do it all - but I can't, and that's a hard one to swallow :)

I do this big ideation thing also. They're almost all too big for me to actualize. At some point this folder of files got so big that it started to get depressing. What's the point of all this excitement and work writing things down I'll never do?

Then I got the idea that maybe I just need to make this list of projects/ideas public. Maybe the poi tisnt that I need to do these; maybe the point is that here are possible solutions for things that need fixing in the world and I should share them on a site somewhere and let people who do have the means to actualize them see the ideas and riff on them if they want.

So I added an item to my file to create a site for this… and it sits undone like the rest.

maybe putting this here is a form of putting ideas out there (kinda meta) and someone will like this idea and actualize it.

☺

58 different futures!! A huge fan of yours AND daydreaming myself, and find daydreaming even more important for my child. (I try to give her mental space within a day to do so instead of scheduling every minute of her life with activities and lessons.) Thus I disagree with most parents. Someday, I want my child to intern for you when she is older.

Turning frustration into inspiration:
I've been working on a musical instrument with a then friend 11 years ago. It was a huge undertaking.
During the next 11 years, I've been playing what we've created, and realized that it was less and less what I wanted it to be, plus what I want things to be is not set.
Right now I listed every detail that needs a fix, and every feature or big feature that needs to be more natural for musicians. Feedback from other plus my feedback/ideas, then searching for solutions (that won't create other issues).
I feel like each idea I have stems from this instrument.
The best thing so far is that it led me to study ergonomics, anatomy, becoming osteopath, luthier, bow maker... Still need some help with electronics, but I know I won't be short of possible ideas/futures.
Both are the same to me actually.

This is a cool idea. I use a note taking APP on my cell phone to apply a similar concept to my songwriting. Not every poem, phrase, or even naked melody becomes a complete song instantly. So I store each fragment. I often find upon revisiting my secret stash that things from a month, or week, or even a year ago suddenly fall together perfectly to design a new song start to finish. And, other sometimes I discover that one special part for a song that just needed a little touch up.Each new finished song is a dream come true for me. Thanks for the wisdom, Derek!

This happens to me all the time! Great idea to put them in one folder.

I do the same thing but with mine I call it Current Inspiration. I put in all the ideas and pictures that inspire me as an artist at the time.
Will I do anything with it? Maybe, maybe not. But it is there in case I want to.
I tend to do the same with bookmarked webpages and articles. I bookmark them thinking that, "I will go back and read that one day." But more often then not I dont.. But it is there if I need to!

Procrastination? Wishful thinking? Probably a bit of both! More than likely it is just taking up space in the back of my mind... man I need to do some culling!

Derek, I suspect you learned / began this process as a musician / songwriter. As one of those myself, I frequently come up with little song snippets (even wake from a dream with one in my head) and immediately record a few tracks to preserve the ideas. I put it in a "future" folder along with written notes on what I was thinking and my ideas of how it should be fleshed out. When I feel like developing a song I usually start with my "Future" folder and find one I'm in the right head space to work on.

I love the idea, but in your case, how many of those "Possible Folders" have been revisited and fully realized? Sometimes my brain imposes a "shut-down" filter on writing new songs until my latest album is fully mastered. This is an example of how I'm interpreting your gist. I does bother me, but I do complete more projects. What is the happy medium?

Tony Mecca
Philly, PA
www.tonymecca.com

Loved reading the some of your dreams and others who have commented.
On a much, much smaller scale, I wrote a 40/40 list when I was 37 (40 things to experience before I was 40). By the time I reached 41 they had all happened. Literally, just happened. Opportunities simply presented themselves.
The big dreams here are...inspirationlal. They show the reality that the world and our lives are what we make them.

You said:

"Ha! Yes. So many domains I *want* to buy, but don't let myself until I've gotten at least half-way through building the app/site/business. — Derek"

BRILLIANT! Why didn't I think of that about 50 domains ago?

www.DownloadDereksBrainIntoMine.com

Watching the Wheels.
People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing,
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,
When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,
Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,

People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away,
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,
When I tell that I'm doing Fine watching shadows on the wall,
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball?

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go.

(I sing that often)
------------------------------

Imagine.
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

(Nice to see here that - I'm not the only one.)
------------------------------

Yes I have a Planned Projects folder on my desktop that I make sub-folders in - and often they fill up with TextEdit files or saved web pages. Endless bits of paper on my desk and post-it notes on the wall... and 17 'folders' (I just counted them) of A4 paper notes and scribbles (I just fold a blank A4 page in half and write a heading on it and slip associated notes into it as a cheap 'folder').

I have even developed a talismanic 'map' where I can arrange the ideas and see how they all relate to each other. It looks uncannily like a nerve dendrite or snowflake - central core invocational symbol with connections radiating out around it divided into basic categories like - Video, Audio, Design, Web, Personal, House etc. Then smaller sub-threads leading out from those categories. Having ideas and dreams is essential - relationships between the dreams can be interesting and synergistic.

I know for a fact that Richard Bach has a Post-it note on his Mac for when he's writing - and it applies to any 'Creative':
Have fun.
Don't think.
Don't care.

Back to dreaming...

Blissings...
Jay

I love this idea. I am going to start doing that. I also have a casual interest in quantum theory. I enjoy the thought that somewhere some version on myself is actually doing what my version of me just thinks about. Also, I have had a chance to do interesting things just because I had the whim at the time. It's nice to come back to research after a while with a fresh pair of eyes. Who knows, it might be something I decide to really pursue.

I do talk about things I never end up doing and it does frustrate people. And confuses people I haven't seen in awhile when I'm on a different train of thought than the one they thought I was on before. I am a curious person though; people who have known me awhile get that about me. I like engaging with people who are excited about life's possibilities. It is hard for me if I am interacting with neysayers for too long.

It sounds like brainstorming within a creative group, you let all the ideas in, you say yes to everything, and research all the possibilities. Nothing is a bad idea, you just chose not to pursue some and to pursue others. I love this idea of daydream organisation!

My problem with making little folders is that they seem to beget more little folders, until I have reached the equivalent of my mother's small package neatly labeled:"Defective light bulb 1973", or Grandma Moses' little box labeled, "Strings too small to use", neither having a reason to be other than occupying precious intellectual space. Thank you so much for your thought provoking comments. I have made folders for all of them. But in those cases,I would like to review them more than once.

Wow, I like the samples that you have shared. Loving the forest, extended family in different country, and the book about the Whole World.

You are inspiring, happy dreamer!

One can develop a sound mission/visson statement

This is so great! Enjoyed your examples too.

I admire your way of thinking, but I'm more rooted in getting things done. In fact, when I don't get something done that I've been planning on doing, it drives me nuts. It will irritate me until I finish it. I simply must complete what I started. Unfortunately, that doesn't allow for creative thinking such as this. That's OK, we're all wired a little differently.

Derek,

I think you are on to something here. The idea of having a dedicated spot to store the crazy ideas should free up gray matter. As per David Allen's Getting Things Done, this could free the mind to move onto other ideas without the fear of trying to keep it all in the brain bucket.

Appreciate your work,

Ken Woodward (iotd365.com)

After reading this article and hearing you talk about this in an interview i created my own folder system and organized multiple "possible futures". It is an awesome method to stop worrying and stressing and it have helped me a lot. Thanks for the great content Derek!

This sounds like a great technique to limit ones monkey brain from getting in the way of true productivity. I also do this but use Evernote as a safe place for all my monkey thoughts. Thumbs up!

Dear Derek,
I love this! I used to had the same thoughts but I never really put them in place! Now that you have mentioned it I shall make one folder :)

Nice.

I love you, man. You are just so full of inspiration, vision, and simplifying these things down to a potent, powerful form.

Great stuff.

Maybe, if you have "too many" possible futures (it seems you probably do), you can also search out ideal people to take some of them forward (the ones you can't get to).

I know -- that's just one more thing to do. But maybe you can then realize more of these futures. :D

Fabulous, Derek - You're amazing and truly inspiring

I often forget to dream like that. Or at least I thought. turns out my mind swirls everything to a thousand choices by the minute. I have a hard time sorting "what if's" from the "could be's" sometimes...maybe a running list is the way to go. Not so much the celebrated bucket list...more the random "hey, this thing looks good today, I'll muse on it"

As always, thank you for sharing your words and joy. (:3

Finish development on my revolutionary karaoke machine.

Yeah, I'm totally with this! I definitely love daydreaming and ideation (like I love reading and laughing and loving)... and I'm also sometimes troubled... feeling like it's not so adult to do so for it's own sake. Anyway, I appreciate it!

Derek, love the idea! Because I suffer from this. Severely. And I do take action on my new exciting "future" and then feel like I'm some kind of fickle flake for hopping from one idea to another to another. I'm totally borrowing and implementing this idea. I kind of do some of it already in my Workflowy list, but instead of jumping with action on these 'futures', I will record them only as you do. :)
Take care!
Lena

Guilty. But, most of my "possible futures" are scattered. Not neatly put into a proper folder.
Thanks, Derek

I keep coming back to this, Derek. It's so simple, but so useful (like so much of your content). To add, I like the distinction between "I'm committed to this" and "I'm merely interested" when it comes to qualifying a possible future.

Future 1 - Live on a boat (interested)
Future 2 - Live in the city (committed)

Thanks for your work. It ages so well!

OK, I suppose if I get silent and centred and still, then my brain might just remember that oh, I do have some ideas.

But right now I just want to say, "Wow! My daydream plans are so barren! Like I'm living in a desert, but without seeing the beauty." Not like the painter Georgia O'Keefe.

Sometimes a "wow" lifts you up. Other times it points to life rather flat.

Love this! Thanks, Derek!

Thank you! I needed this; I am also a serial envisioner and will try this practice. And love the nudge to stop feeling guilty about my daydreams.

That's pretty interesting. The thought of a possible futures folder never occurred to my mind before.

I think that each of our experiences brings something new to the table and we kinda evolve how the idea actually becomes. We research something, but often don't give our ideas time to mature. In theory, our ideas if executed would be amazing, but some things just take time.

What about using our daydream to reconnect with how we see the world.

@Derek regarding #6 and #11, I started a blog called www.culturalreads.com with books, movies, and music from around the world. The idea is to quickly get an idea of a country and its culture by featuring the best local recommendations and interviews with local artists to explain the mindset and thoughts behind it. Hope it comes in useful!
Thank you! https://culturalreads.com/">culturalreads.com/">https://culturalreads.com/ looks great. — Derek

Interesting idea. Seems like it could be depressing as much as motivating, though. But that could just be me.

I'm also facing the same problem, but didn't get any better solutions for it and now I'm going to try the writing thing.

Hi, this idea is great. I use a note-taking app to make my own system to draft and update possible futures. In my case, it's more like "big options," major interests to pursue, or personal milestones than a whole future path.

How do you curate your approach to prevent overloading your folders with unexploitable details? How do you update, refine and take to live your "most promising ideas"?

Do you let it go or have a way (system) to nurture insights and provoke the chance to make something interesting emerge?
I enjoy the unexploitable details! Like someone “thinking out loud”, I daydream in writing. The more details, the more vivid it feels. As for turning ideas into action, I do it (rarely) when I’ve finished a big project, and am looking for something new to do. — Derek

I find this quite lovely. I am in mid-30s, and though I work two jobs I relatively like, I often get the feeling there is more to be had and I will find it. I like this idea.