Thinking Forward and Backwards: How to Become a Rational Thinker

As humans, we naturally tend to think forward and live in the moment. This can be a significant problem when planning for the future.

It’s so much easier to put off decisions because the consequences seem so far away. But, the consequences will catch up with you.

The best way to avoid this is by thinking backwards and forward.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future,” says Steven Jobs.

Thinking backwards means going back through your life and reflecting on lessons learned and how they can positively influence your future.

Thinking backwards provides you with insight into your own life and sets better goals for your future.

Thinking forward means considering your current situation, looking at what it would take to get to where you want to go, and then taking actionable steps towards making that happen.

When you think forward, your mind goes out in front of you instead of trying to make sense of what’s happened in the past.

Thinking forward can help you better understand how past goals have played out in your life and what to do next for your future self.

If you want to create a better future for yourself, remember: think backwards when you want more of something good in your life; and think forward when you want less of something bad in your life!

If you tend to think forward, you are likely to miss out on significant lessons from the past. If you think backwards all the time, you will miss out on future perspectives.

It pays to think backwards to move forward

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” — Soren Kierkegaard

Better thinkers use both: they look for patterns from the past to make informed decisions about the future.

Stephen Covey explains beautifully, “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction”

Thinking forward and backwards is a mental hack that can help you think through all possible scenarios to make informed decisions.

Decision-making should be a simple but thorough process that involves a better understanding of your past and looking forward to a better future

if you find yourself stuck in any decision-making process, think backwards and ask yourself: did this same approach help me in the past?

If I were starting over as my younger self, would I make the same decision I’m about to make?

And think forward and ask yourself: will my future self be proud of the outcome? How will my future self benefit from this path I will take?

If you find yourself worrying about the future, think forward. What can I do now to put my future self in a better position to prosper?

You can’t change the past, but you can use it productively to your benefit tomorrow. Thinking backwards helps us repeat good habits and routines and avoid bad choices.

Thinking backwards and forward is the key to solving complex problems.

You may have heard of this technique before as a Memory Palace, or you may even be using it without realizing it. When you think in reverse, your brain does all the heavy lifting for you.

This technique can help you find solutions to challenges that seem impossible to solve, many times in just a matter of minutes.

It also enhances your memory in several ways.

Here are some steps on how to think backwards and forward when trying to solve a problem:

Identify the goal or challenge and break it down into smaller parts.
Organize your thoughts into a visual space where each item is associated with another item that leads to it.
Start with the last part of the problem and work your way back. Review your progress and keep going until you find an answer.

The decisions you make today are paid forward into your future.

One of the best ways to move forward is to turn around and look behind you. Consider all that has come before, learn from your past mistakes, and figure out how to move forward in life by going backwards in reverse.

Sometimes living in a linear world can feel like the only way to go.

We’re constantly looking ahead, trying to plan for the future and figure out what we should be doing. But sometimes we need to look back.

We need to take stock of where we are and where we’ve come from. You might be surprised by what you find!

—

This post was previously published on Thomas Oppong’s blog.

***

Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.

All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.

A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.