Ever wondered what your past self would think of you today? I know I have, many times. That’s why I write letters to my future self to reflect on how I’ve grown over the years.
FutureMe Lets Me Write Letters to My Future Self
FutureMe is a website that lets you write letters to your future self in the form of an email. Once written, your letter is automatically delivered straight to your inbox on your chosen date.
Writing a letter to yourself using FutureMe is extremely easy. Once you head toFutureMe’s website, you’ll see a text box with “Dear FutureMe” already written. Click on it and start writing your letter.
If you’re struggling with ideas, clickInspire me, and a prompt will appear at the top of the text box. Need more? ClickNew inspirationfor another suggestion.
Once you’re done writing, choose when you’d like to receive your letter. Under theDeliver insection, you’ll see options for6 months,1 year,3 years,5 years, and10 years. If you have a specific date in mind, like your birthday, you may clickChoose a Dateand select the exact month, day, and year.
Now, decide whether you want your letter to bePrivateorPublic, but anonymous. If you choose the latter, your letter will be featured in FutureMe’s Public Letters section when it gets delivered.
While your email address won’t be visible, the full content of your letter will be. So, only pick this option if your email isn’t personal!
Once you’re all set, you can choose to send the email for free or support FutureMe with a $3 contribution. Then, hitSend to the Future.
You’ll receive a confirmation email in your inbox and need to verify your email address. Then, the waiting game begins. All that’s left to do is sit back and wait for your email to arrive.
Unfortunately, whileFutureMe’s FAQpage states that while the site is free for basic use, there is a limit on the number of emails you can send without a premium subscription.
I’ve been using FutureMe for nearly five years and have written 19 emails during this time. But now, whenever I try to send a new one, theSend to the Futurebutton stays frozen, and I’m prompted to upgrade. At the time of writing, FutureMe has two premium subscriptions: Community and Lifetime.
The former is for $9/year, and the latter is a one-time payment of $119. With the Community Membership, you can write “unlimited” letters to yourself per year…but who would actually want to do that?
FutureMe’s free letter limit doesn’t seem to be consistent. The site doesn’t mention a specific cap, and users on Reddit and other forums all seem to have different limits.
You Can Also Send Letters to Friends and Loved Ones
Writing a letter to your future self is one thing—but what if you want to surprise a friend or loved one with a message from your current self? FutureMe lets you do that too, as long as you have an account.
Once you’re registered, follow the same steps as above to write your letter. Before sending it, clickAdd Additional Recipientsunder theMake sure you get your letterheader, and enter your loved one’s email.
Don’t worry, they won’t receive a confirmation email. The letter will be delivered to their inbox when the time comes, and you’ll get a copy too.
How Writing Letters to My Future Self Is Helpful
The first time I wrote a letter to my future self was in primary school, and I’ve kept the tradition alive ever since. The problem with writing physical letters and sealing them in an envelope was that I’d usually forget about them entirely, only to stumble upon them years later. Since I likeincorporating tech into every part of my life and using it to romanticize the little things, I started looking for websites or apps that would let me do this digitally.
Other than being a fun tradition, I’ve found that writing to my future self is a great way to reflect and track how I’ve grown over the years.
If you struggle with sticking to goals at times, I’d recommend writing a letter to track your goals. Sure,goal-setting apps are a neat way to stay on track, but what’s better than receiving a guilt-tripping email from a highly motivated past version of yourself?
Since you can choose to have your letter delivered on a specific date rather than just after a set duration, I’ve also scheduled letters for days I knew would be significant. For instance, I wrote a letter during my GCSEs while cramming and stressing over exams, and I received it on results day, which was a neat way to reflect on how far I’d come. It’s always interesting (and sometimes hilarious) to see what past me was thinking at the time.
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Once you have a FutureMe account, you can also revisit all the letters that have already been delivered, making it even easier to track personal growth. Having them stored in one place lets me look back on my thoughts, worries, and achievements without relying on memory or digging through my email inbox.
You won’t truly know what it feels like to receive an email from your future self until you experience it. Besides, what do you have to lose by writing one? So, why not give it a try and surprise your future self?
