The Three Me’s
Consult past, present, and future you — and decide together.
Faced with a choice, put three people in the room: past-you (what did you already commit to, learn, or set up?), present-you (what do you want right now?), and future-you (who has to live with this?). Let them argue and reach a decision together, rather than letting present-you — with the loudest voice and the shortest horizon — decide alone. It’s why future-you skips the last drink even though present-you wants it: you gave the person who wakes up hungover a vote.
Where it applies
Skills this lens bears on — open any to see the lesson.
finitude Protect your time; say no
Every yes is a no to something you already chose — guard the calendar.
self Save coins toward a goal
Want something? Save for it — delay is a superpower.
society Take a “no” without making a deal
Your freedom ends where another’s begins.
self Manage debt wisely
Debt is a tool that bites — use the good kind, kill the bad.
self Start investing
Put money to work early — time is the ingredient you can’t buy back.