I recently read Nikki Cox’s blog post “Let’s Think of Future Us,” in which she talks about how she introduced her kids to the phrase. "Let's think of future us."
After coming in from playing outside in the snow, her kids would fling their wet stuff everywhere, leaving their boots and coats in various places. When they wanted to leave to go somewhere or go play outside again, the kids would be frustrated and unable to find their things.
One day she stopped her kids and said, “let’s think of future us.” Let’s hang up all our wet clothing so it’s dry when we want to go out and play again and not stinky and wet. Let’s put our boots away in their cubby so we know where to find them later and we don’t get frustrated.
From that day on, the phrase let’s think of future us became an integral part of their day and had a positive impact on their behavior.
Inspired by her narrative, I began to integrate this sentiment into my daily choices.
Scroll Instagram mindlessly or meditate? Let’s think of future us. Go out till 6am on the weekend or go to bed early to accomplish my goals? Let’s think of future us. Eat a Popeyes chicken burger or a salad for dinner? Let’s think of future us.
Yet, as someone who is more analytical in nature, and having spent most of my adult life building financial models in excel, I yearned for a more quantifiable approach.
A metric, not just a mantra. That's when I stumbled upon the concept of the 'ROI of Time'.
I was talking to an investment banking friend, and he was telling me how he got over someone he was dating in less than a week.
He described how he was distraught for two days (the girl broke up with him) but by the third day was completely over her.
“Honestly brother, it’s not worth it. The ROI on being sad is negative.”
The ROI on being sad is negative. Let’s break that down for a second.
The fact of the matter is that if you are upset about something that made you sad, it is only going to make you sadder in the future.
Wallowing in sadness often breeds more sorrow. Succumbing to melancholy is essentially embracing a negative Return on Investment (ROI).
We're forfeiting the chance for future happiness.
Sh*t happens in life but to get over that sh*t, you need to be in a positive ROI state. What is a positive ROI state then? It’s controlling your negative emotions, accepting the past and investing in the present for a better future.
And if you are stuck in a negative ROI state, how do you get in a positive ROI state? Well, just *think* you are in a positive ROI state.
Have you ever seen someone laughing and started laughing with them, even though you have no idea why they are laughing? The mind works in a very similar way. If you tell it that you are positive, you will start to feel positive.
The best way then to deal with a setback is to not give it too much thought. It’s to channel your positive ROI state and make decisions that give you positive ROI.
Start thinking about your daily actions in terms of ROI. What is the ROI on small decisions I am making throughout the day? Consider the ROI of having a healthy breakfast versus ordering a pricey, less-healthy DoorDash meal. Clearly, the former promises a better ROI for both your body and your bank account.
So, as you navigate your day, ask yourself: What's the ROI of my current action or thought?
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