Recently, a few movies and TV shows have explored the idea of one person possessing two distinct consciousnesses.
In the TV series Severance, each employee has two personalities: their “Innie” while at work, and “Outie” for their outside lives. Their minds are completely compartmentalized, so neither self has any memory of what the other experiences.
Similarly, in the movie “The Substance”, Elisabeth injects a serum and swaps consciousness with Sue, a younger version of herself, for seven days.
These stories got me thinking: what if I treated my future self as a completely different person? It’s interesting how we’re often kinder to others than we are to ourselves.
For example, after dinner, I make a point of cleaning the dishes instead of leaving them for the next morning. I know my future self will wake up hungry and grumpy, and that’s not the best time to face a messy kitchen. By taking care of the dishes at night, I try not to leave any “debt” for my future self, whom I imagine as a separate person.
Try it for yourself: start thinking of your future self as someone else. You might be surprised by how it changes your behavior.