Yesterday I wrote a letter to future Turndog.
I wrote it to the version of me 90 days from now.
I won’t read it or open it until April 1st.
At which point, I’ll reflect on how much I did and didn’t achieve.
I go through this process every 90 days.
I write a letter from me to me.
It’s a little strange…
… but also one of the most impactful things I’ve ever done.
Why?
There’s a few reasons why, which I detail below.
But if you want the quick summary without all the words…
… it’s because 90 days is long enough to make shit happen…
… but not so long to lose focus and get distracted.
Which let’s face it, is one of the biggest issues about yearly goals/resolutions. You begin with such motivation, but it quickly fades.
Right now, millions of people are diving head first into a new habit or routine or wish or dream. They are killing it. This year will be their year. But come March, we all know what the score is.
The gyms are empty again…
The diet is past tense…
That morning routine is no more…
2018 is already old news, and 2019 will be “the” year…
It happens to so many people each and every year.
Whereas approaching your year in 90 day cycles….
… BOOM!
Of course, I didn’t come up with any of this.
I first came across the 90 Day Letter via Scott Oldford.
But he didn’t create it, either.
Then again, who created doesn’t matter.
The point is whether it works or not.
Maybe it will work for you.
Maybe it won’t.
All I know is it helps me, and here are the reasons why.
1: Long Enough But Not Too Long.
Again, 90 days is a good period of time. It’s long enough to progress at something, but not so long that you’ll grow tired and discouraged. You can foresee 90 days from now, but it’s also quite far away.
In short, it’s a sweet-point.
— — — — — — -
2: Writing a Letter Creates a Event.
As soon as you write yourself a letter, you create an event. In fact, you create two: one happens now, as you write a letter about what you intend to achieve over the next 90 days.
The next happens 90 days from now where you sit down, open the letter, read it, and decide how much progress you’ve made.
This is important, because usually when we create goals, they are in our head and quickly forgotten. They mean a lot now, but will they mean a lot in a few months time? Probably not.
— — — — — — -
3: Writing a Letter Forces You To Think + Reflect.
As you write your letter, it forces you to imagine your life 90 days from now. Where will you be? What will you be doing? How much progress have you made?
But as you read your letter, future you is forced to sit back and reflect. Where have you been? What have you done? What has gone right versus what has gone wrong?
So often we rush through life without stopping. These letters force you to stop and THINK at least four times each year. This alone sets you apart from the vast majority.
— — — — — — -
4: There is Something ‘Emotional’ About a Letter.
I don’t know about you, but taking the time to write a letter (even when it’s to yourself) creates an element of meaningful emotion.
We don’t just write them to anyone or at any time.
They hold significance that an email doesn’t.
— — — — — — -
5: Pressure is Removed From Your Shoulders.
This comes back to the ‘long enough but not too long’ paradigm that a 90 day period brings. You see, a yearly goal is both exciting and scary.
It gives you a lot of time to achieve it, but it’s also often pretty big. It requires you to push the boundaries, so you feel inferior a lot of the time.
In fact, you may be so far away from your goal to begin with that you struggle to make a start.
Splitting things into 90 day chunks allows you break your goal(s) into more manageable pieces. It removed some of the pressure. Over the next 90 days you don’t need to achieve everything, you just need to achieve something.
— — — — — — -
These are just some of the reasons I write a letter to myself every 90 days.
It doesn’t take long.
30 minutes to both read and write my next.
Sometimes I achieve all, sometimes I don’t.
But each time — regardless of the outcome — I bring my life back into perspective. I consider what’s just been, and I picture what comes next.
Long enough to make shit happen.
Not so long to get caught in the chaos.
In a few days, I’m going to record a workshop for my private program that dives into how I write these 90 Day Letter (and some more into why).
I won’t share that recording on Facebook, but if you do have any questions about this, hit me up in the comments.
And if you happen to write yourself a 90 day letter already, let me know (I’d love to hear about the impact it’s had on you). And if you don’t, I’d love to hear why not.
All I know is it works for me.
And I cannot wait for ‘April me’ to read what I wrote yesterday :)
