Time travel, of the mental variety, can help you envision future success, as well as the multiple possibilities to get there. In Jane McGonigal’s book Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything―Even Things That Seem Impossible Today, she says, “Futures thinking is an incredibly useful, practical tool to prepare your mind to adapt faster to new challenges, build hope and resilience, reduce anxiety and depression, and inspire you to take actions today that set yourself up for future happiness and success.”
Futures thinking, or mental time travel, involves mentally stepping into a future time period and imagining - realistically - what could be happening. Depending how far into the future you imagine, your brain might be inventing new possibilities for the unknowns that inevitably arise. Your brain draws on past experiences, current hopes or fears, and intuitions about what might possibly change going forward. This exercise helps uncover and define risks or possibilities you might not have previously considered. It can be part of connecting who you are today with what you might actually feel and do in the future. This can be especially powerful if done as a team.
STAND-UP EXERCISE
This exercise can take place over two weeks.
In session one, ask the team to imagine it is the end of the calendar year - what are you most proud to have accomplished in the last 3 or so months? What would you describe to your manager as your greatest achievements over the last couple months? What did you just squeak in at the last minute? What were the expected wins? The unexpected wins?
In session two, ask the team about what happened on the journey to those accomplishments? What were the biggest challenges? What were the expected roadblocks? The unexpected ones?
Next then is more individual engagement - having folks work with their managers, teams, and stakeholders to keep an eye out for those roadblocks or ways to mitigate them before they even arise.
