We all thought time travel was something out of a sci-fi movie, with DeLoreans, hot tubs, Quantum Realms, wormholes, and quirky inventors. But what if it’s been with us all along? Well, believe it or not, you’ve been time-traveling your entire life.
Whenever you procrastinate, overcommit, or put off doing the dishes, you are borrowing from your future self. At that moment, it feels like you’ve freed up time. In reality, you’re creating a debt of stress and undone tasks that your future self will have to repay.
On the other hand, every time you prepare in advance, automate a task, or invest in learning a new skill, you’re gifting your future self. In the long run, these are strategic choices that save you hours and reduce stress.
While you can’t bend the laws of physics, you can master the art of what’s called “time shifting.” In other words, you can borrow and gift time. And, it’s one of the most powerful tools you’ll ever use.
Borrowing vs. Gifting: The Two Sides of the Time-Travel Coin
Think of time travel as your personal financial ledger. But instead of money, the currency is your time.
Borrowing from your future self is like taking out a high-interest loan.
When you procrastinate or put something off, you’re not just delaying a task; you’re taking out a loan from your future self. Human psychology describes this as temporal discounting, which describes how we value immediate comfort over longer-term comfort. It’s why staying on the couch feels better than organizing your files, even though you know you’ll be scrambling tomorrow.
There is, however, a high interest rate associated with this loan.
By borrowing time recklessly, you accumulate time debt, which is a backlog of undone tasks and mental clutter that feels like you’re always catching up. As with financial debt, time debt also accrues interest. As you put off a task, it becomes more complicated. If you delay responding to an email, it can snowball into several follow-up messages and apologies.
In short, due to your current actions, you’re paying a price in mental energy, lower quality work, and overwhelm.
Gifting to your future self is like making a high-yield investment.
Alternatively, you invest when you do something today that saves time and energy later. By dedicating just a few minutes now, you can reap the rewards in the future — whether it’s meal planning, organizing digital files, automating a bill payment, or finishing a report ahead of schedule. As a result of this investment, more time is available, stress is reduced, and mental clarity is increased. That’s how “time wealth” is built. As you adopt these habits, you will create a life that is freer, less stressful, and allows you to pursue what you truly value.
Ultimately, this cycle of gratitude helps us sustain positive habits.
The Science of Time Shifting
Even though you can’t leap into the future physically, your habits can affect how your actions ripple in the future. When you create structures today, you greatly reduce decision fatigue tomorrow, according to researchers studying implementation intentions — a fancy word for “if-then” planning.
For example, a simple “if-then” plan could be;
- “As soon as I get home from work, I’ll pack my gym bag for tomorrow.”
- “When I’m done with dinner, I’ll put away all the dishes so the sink is clean.”
As a result of these micro-decisions, time seems to be rewritten. By using them now, you can save hours of time and reduce stress later. For future-you, they decide to take them out of the equation. Now that you’ve made your decision, you just need to put it into action.
Practical Ways to Be a Better Time Traveler
It’s time to get concrete. The following strategies will help you master the art of time travel and make your habits work for you.
Automate repetitive tasks.
Your future self will appreciate not having to repeat what you’ve already done. Some examples include;
- You can set up automatic payments for your utilities, rent, and subscriptions.
- To book meetings without email back and forth, use calendar scheduling tools.
- Email templates can be saved for recurring responses.
It might only take a few minutes to automate, but over the course of several months, that’s an amount of time that can be reclaimed.
Front-load effort.
Rather than spreading tasks thinly, do the heavy lifting once. In other words, it’s all about batching your work.
- For quick meals, double or triple the portions and freeze the extras.
- Instead of starting from scratch each time, compose multiple social media captions or blog outlines in one sitting.
- Avoid re-explaining the same thing to new employees by recording standard instructions.
By compressing work into one block, future-you will have multiple afternoons free.
Prep before resting.
One of the easiest, yet most underrated time travel hacks is to end today by setting up tomorrow.
- Lay out your clothes and shoes.
- Put loose papers in a file and tidy up your desk.
- Write down the top three priorities for the next morning on a short list.
Just ten minutes tonight can save you thirty minutes in the morning, when your brain is groggy and slow.
Borrow wisely in emergencies.
There are times when you should borrow from your future self, like staying up late to finish a project due the following day. But make sure you do it intentionally. You should ask yourself:
- “What will this cost me tomorrow?”
- “Can I offset it with an extra gift later in the week?”
The goal of time travel isn’t perfection; it’s balance. When a traveler borrows strategically, they are time-conscious enough to repay the loan intentionally.
Learn the compound effect of small habits.
Taking five minutes each day to complete a few tasks, like filing a document, backing up photos, or clearing your email inbox, prevents time avalanches in the future. It’s like paying the minimum balance on your “time debt” before it snowballs.
The Emotional Side of Time Travel
There is more at stake here than just hours; it’s about your peace of mind. Overborrowing creates resentment toward your past self (“Why didn’t I do this sooner?”). In contrast, giving creates gratitude.
If you pack a lunch or finish a report ahead of schedule, you’re essentially sending yourself a care package. Tomorrow, you feel empowered, lighter, and more supported. As you create this loop of gratitude more often, it becomes easier to sustain. Instead of dreading tomorrow, you start looking forward to what’s in store for you in the future.
Time Travel for Big Dreams
Borrowing isn’t always a bad thing. There are times when borrowing from your future self is worthwhile. Staying up late for a book manuscript, training for a marathon, or investing hours in a side business may drain you today, but set you up for incredible success in the future.
Intention makes all the difference. Borrowing recklessly wastes time. Borrowing strategically, however, multiplies its effects.
To begin time traveling today, try these simple exercises;
- The “thank you note” test. Before going to bed, ask yourself: “Will tomorrow-me be grateful for what I did today?”
- Reverse journaling. Write a short entry from the perspective of your future self. Is there anything they are grateful you handled ahead of time?
- The borrow and repay cycle. Do you need to stay up late to finish work? By setting aside a short time to prepare breakfast or schedule a short break, you can repay the debt.
- Weekly gifting ritual. Spend at least thirty minutes each weekend on a task you know will save you at least two hours in the coming week.
Final Thoughts
A flux capacitor isn’t necessary for time travel. It requires awareness, intention, and a willingness to treat your future self as you would a close friend. Each choice you make today ripples into tomorrow. Whether you give your future self time, space, or peace is up to you.
When necessary, borrow. Give whenever you can. But don’t forget your future self is waiting. Make their lives easier, so you can create a timeline worth living.
FAQs
Isn’t this just procrastination vs. planning?
In some ways, yes. However, framing it as “time travel” makes the trade-off more tangible — you’re not just putting things off, you are giving them directly to the future.
What’s the difference between time debt and time wealth?
Like money, your hours can accumulate debt or wealth.
- Time debt occurs when “tomorrow-you” inherits chaos. There’s a feeling of rushing, apologizing, and always having to catch up.
- Time wealth is inherited freedom tomorrow. In turn, you can enjoy the spacious mornings, unhurried work, and guilt-free leisure.
A simple question to ask yourself daily is: “Will I leave my future self in debt or in wealth?”
How do I stop over-borrowing?
Keep track of your “time debt.” When your to-do list gets heavier, pause and rebalance by gifting instead.
What if I’m already in deep time debt?
Start small. Today, choose one task you’ve been avoiding and clear it for your future self. Eventually, the debt will shrink.
How can I make gifting a habit?
Tie it to routines. For example, never end your day without jotting down your priorities for tomorrow.
Image Credit: Варвара Курочкина; Pexels
Deanna Ritchie
Editor-in-Chief at Calendar. Former Editor-in-Chief and writer at Startup Grind. Freelance editor at Entrepreneur.com. Deanna loves to help build startups, and guide them to discover the business value of their online content and social media marketing.