Talking

Intertemporal dialogue.

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Talking with your past and future self

Talking across time, intertemporal dialogue

Intertemporal dialogue. Two words, and a whole idea behind them. It means talking across time, between the person you were, the person you are and the person you will become. We do it more often than we think. Every plan is a message to our future self. Every regret is a reply to our past.

Economists study a version of this called intertemporal choice. Should I spend now or save for later? Should I rest today or work for tomorrow’s reward? Our answers often favour the present, because the future self feels like a stranger. Studies by Hal Hershfield even show that people think about their future selves almost like other people.

Better talking between your selves

So how can the conversation improve? One method is to make the future self more real. Some researchers showed people aged photos of themselves, and those people saved more money afterwards. A simpler version is writing a letter to yourself ten years from now. Describe your hopes and worries. Then read it again next year.

Talking with your past self can help too. Instead of regret, try gratitude. That younger version made choices with less information and fewer resources. Therefore, judge those decisions fairly. You can learn from them without carrying unnecessary guilt into every new project.

In the end, intertemporal dialogue is about continuity. You are one person stretched over many years. When your past, present and future selves talk kindly to each other, decisions become easier. You save a little, rest a little and keep promises that span decades. That is a quiet but powerful way to live well.

Also, make the conversation regular. A short yearly review, for instance, lets your present self check in with the plans of your past self. As a result, you notice drift early and adjust without drama, which is far easier than fixing years of quiet neglect.