How to Write a Letter to Your Future Self (Prompts + Template)
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To write a letter to your future self, pick the date you’ll open it (one year from now is the easiest place to start), then write to that person the way you’d write to a close friend. Tell them where you are right now, what you’re hoping for, what you’re scared of, and the small things you’re doing about it. Seal it, put the opening date somewhere you can’t miss it, and set a reminder so the letter actually finds you. Below you’ll find 25 prompts, a fill-in template, a short example and a few ways to make sure you get it back.
Why it’s worth 20 minutes
A letter makes the future version of you feel like a real person instead of a vague idea, and that seems to matter. A research review on “future self-continuity” found that when people see their future self as similar to who they are now, picture that self in vivid and realistic terms, and see it in a positive light, they’re more willing to make choices today that pay off years later (Hershfield, 2011).
Letters have been tested directly. In studies with students, writing a letter to their future self and then writing a reply as that future self raised how connected they felt to their future self. Students randomly assigned to the full exchange also showed bigger gains in career planning and in choosing to delay gratification for their studies than students who only sent a letter (Chishima & Wilson, 2021). That’s why this guide ends with a short reply step.
When should it open?
| Open it in | Good for | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | A first letter, a birthday or the New Year | This year’s goals, habits and worries |
| 5 years | A move, a new job, school or a new relationship | Who you want to be, what you hope still matters |
| 10 years | Big milestones, or kids writing to their adult selves | Values, the people you love, what today feels like |
If you can’t decide, write the one-year letter. You’ll find out quickly whether you like the practice, and next year you can write a longer one.
What to include
- Today, in detail. Where you live, what a normal Tuesday looks like, what’s on your mind. These details feel ordinary now and fascinating later.
- What you’re hoping for. Be specific enough that future you can tell whether it happened.
- What you’re doing about it. One or two small, regular actions you’re starting now.
- What scares you. Future you will know how it turned out.
- Kindness. Say what you’d want to hear if things went sideways.
- Questions. Ask future you things only they can answer.
25 letter to future self prompts
Pick the ones that pull at you. You don’t need all 25.
Right now
- Here’s what an ordinary day looks like for me right now:
- The thing taking up most of my thinking lately is…
- Something small that’s making me happy this month is…
- The people I spend the most time with are…
- If I had to describe this season of my life in one sentence, it would be…
What I’m hoping for
- By the time you read this, I hope you’ve…
- A habit I hope you’ve kept is…
- Something I hope you’ve stopped worrying about is…
- A place I hope you’ve been, or a thing I hope you’ve tried, is…
- A feeling I hope you have more of, and one I hope you have less of:
What I’m doing about it
- The one small thing I’m starting this week is…
- When it gets hard, the plan is…
- Something I’m practicing, even though I’m not good at it yet, is…
- A choice I’m making now that I hope you’ll thank me for is…
- Here’s what I’m saying no to, so I can say yes to that:
Worries and kindness
- Right now I’m scared that…
- If that happened, here’s what I want you to remember:
- A mistake I’m still learning from is…
- If things didn’t go to plan, I’m still proud of you for…
- Please go easy on yourself about…
Questions for future you
- Did it turn out the way I expected?
- What do you know now that I’d find hard to believe?
- Who are you closest to these days?
- What’s one thing I’m worried about that turned out not to matter?
- What should I start doing today that you wish I’d started sooner?
Fill-in template
Copy this, fill in the brackets, and cross out anything that doesn’t fit.
Dear [your name] of [date you’ll open this],
I’m writing this on [today’s date]. Right now I’m [age], living in [place], and most days I [what a normal day looks like].
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about [the big thing on your mind]. I’m hoping that by the time you read this, you’ve [one specific hope]. To get there, I’m starting with [one small, regular action], [when and where you’ll do it].
Honestly, I’m worried about [your worry]. If it happened, remember [what you’d want to hear].
A few questions for you: [question 1]? [question 2]?
Whatever happened, I’m proud of you for [something you’re proud of today].
Love, [your name, today]
A short example
Dear Sam of next October,
It’s a rainy Thursday and I’m writing this at the kitchen table before work. I’m 29, still in the apartment with the loud radiator, and most evenings I scroll until midnight and feel bad about it.
I’m hoping you finished the design course. I’m starting with 20 minutes after dinner, Monday to Thursday, phone in the other room. I’m worried I’ll quit by December like last time. If I did, remember that quitting once didn’t stop you from starting again.
Are you still running on Saturdays? Did you ever call Grandpa more often?
Whatever happened, I’m proud of you for trying again.
Love, Sam
Write the reply
This is the step most people skip. A day or two after you finish, write a short reply from your future self back to you today. Imagine it’s a year from now and you just read the letter. What would you say? What would you reassure yourself about? What would you tell yourself to keep doing?
It can be half a page. In the study above, it was the send-and-reply exchange, rather than sending alone, that came with gains in career planning and delayed gratification (Chishima & Wilson, 2021). Keep the reply with the letter, or read it whenever you need a push.
How to make sure you actually get it back
A letter only helps if it reaches you, so pick at least one of these:
- Set a calendar reminder for the opening date, with a note saying exactly where the letter is (“blue envelope, top desk drawer”).
- Seal it and label it. Write “Open on [date]” on the envelope and put it somewhere you’ll see once a year, like the box with your tax papers or holiday decorations.
- Give it to someone you trust and ask them to hand it back on the date.
- Schedule an email to yourself if your email app lets you send a message at a later date.
- Use our free letter to your future self tool. It gives you prompts as you write, then lets you print the letter, save it as a file and add a calendar reminder to open it. Everything stays in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
If you want a regular habit instead of a once-a-year letter, future self journaling works on the same idea in five minutes a day.
Today’s small step
Set a timer for ten minutes and answer prompts 1, 6 and 11 in full sentences. Then put a reminder in your calendar for one year from today that says where you saved them. That’s a letter to your future self, and you can add to it anytime.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a letter to your future self be?
One to two pages is plenty. A short letter you finish beats a long one you abandon halfway. If you only have ten minutes, answer five prompts in full sentences and sign it.
What shouldn't I put in a letter to my future self?
Leave out passwords, account numbers and anything you'd hate a stranger to read if the letter got lost. Be careful with predictions about other people, too. Write about your own hopes and choices, which are the parts you'll still recognize years from now.
Should I handwrite it or type it?
Either works. Handwriting feels more personal when you open it, and your handwriting itself becomes part of the time capsule. Typing makes it easier to keep a copy and set a reminder. Some people type a draft, then copy the final version out by hand.
What if I open it and nothing has changed?
Then the letter has done something useful: it shows you exactly where you were stuck. Read it without judging yourself, pick one hope from it that still matters, and write a new letter with one small step you can start this week.
Sources
- Conversation with a future self: A letter-exchange exercise enhances student self-continuity, career planning, and academic thinking, Self and Identity. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Future self-continuity: how conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (via PubMed). Accessed October 30, 2026.