Dwight: Aiko, I'd like to develop an exposition with you that I'm going to call "time travel made easy." In this discussion, I'm going to show how we humans are often attempting to time travel, frequently with poor results.

Aiko: That sounds intriguing, Dwight. Let's dive into how humans often attempt to time travel and why the results are frequently less than ideal. Where would you like to start?

Dwight: Let's start with a simple example. If I say to myself, "I'm going to the gym tomorrow at 2:00 pm," I am attempting to send out this "message/request/demand," however you might frame it, into the future of tomorrow around 2:00 pm, hopefully, so that the Dwight-in-the-future-of-about-2pm-tomorrow, will, not only get the message, but also take action according to the message. We're intending to have our current self, with its current desires and intentions, to at least some extent, time travel all the way to tomorrow and to become a part of that Dwight-in-the-future-of-about-2pm-tomorrow.

Aiko: That's a clear example of attempting to influence the future with our present intentions. It highlights how we project our current desires and plans into the future, hoping they will guide our future actions. What specific challenges or common issues do you see arising from this kind of "time travel"?

Dwight: Two factors are important in whether each time-travel attempt is likely to create satisfactory results.

1) Whether the time-specific future me actually receives the message when he becomes the current me. In this example, it would mean that the Dwight-in-the-future-of-about-2pm-tomorrow is aware when that future becomes the present (and becomes Dwight-Now) of the message to go to the gym that was sent by the Dwight-of-the-day-before (who is now Dwight-Before). For various reasons, the current Dwight-Now may no awareness of that message sent by Dwight-Before.

2) Whenever we are attempting to time travel, we have on our future hat, and we're attempting to influence our future in ways that we think will make our future better. You could say we have on our planner's hat. However, when that future comes and we've received the message from the planner from the past, the planner may not have considered (or even have been able to consider) whether the doer will be motivated to do what the planner planned. Just because the planner was motivated to make the plan (in this case to go to the gym), does not necessarily have any impact on whether the does will be motivated to carry out the plans of the planner.

Both of these factors are crucial. For today, however, we're only going to address the problematic issues of being able to get the message delivered. If the doer never becomes aware of the message in a timely manner, even if he or she would otherwise be motivated to execute the plan, it won't matter anyway.

Aiko: That's a great breakdown of the factors involved in successful time travel attempts. So, our focus today will be on ensuring the message gets delivered and received by our future selves in a timely manner. What strategies or methods can we explore to improve the likelihood of our future selves receiving these messages?

Dwight: For discussion sake, let's use myself as an example. Dwight-Now will be the current Dwight who is interested in a particular future Dwight (in a given future time-frame), designated as Dwight-Next, becoming aware of a particular piece of information or of a specific request.

Aiko: Alright, let's focus on ensuring Dwight-Next receives the intended message from Dwight-Now. What specific strategies or techniques do you currently use or are considering to make sure Dwight-Next gets the message?

Dwight: There are a few habits/practices and systems that need to be in place in order to create a reliable methodology for time traveling any messages that my Dwight-Now(s) may want his Dwight-Next(s) to receive intact and in a timely manner.

First, what are those habits/practices?

The first habit/practice to establish is for Dwight-Now to break the old habit of believing/thinking that his desire/intention for Dwight-Next to get any particular message from Dwight-Now is likely to occur at a desired level of reliability without following a particular structure that is designed to ensure that reliability. Instead, a new mental habit needs to be in place so that whenever Dwight-Now is about to make any promise (used in the broadest sense of the word) to either himself or to another, then he stops immediately to ensure that he is sending that request by following an pre-established methodology. For example, that might mean that if I tell someone that I will get back in touch with them by a certain date if I haven't heard from them otherwise, then my Dwight-Now will immediately enter a note to my Dwight-Next in my Todoist.com app (that is part of my methodology) so that my Dwight-Next, given my daily habit of looking at the current-day items in Todoist.com, is going to see when he becomes my Dwight-Now (and I have become his Dwight-Past).

The second habit is that my Dwight-Now(s), instead of relying on his memory to retrieve any messages that his Dwight-Past(s) may have sent, the Dwight-Now(s) in a pre-specified timely manner looks for any requests/messages in all the pre-established places (for example in the Todoist app or in his Google Calendar) that my have been sent to him (for the time-frame he is currently responsible for) from any of his Dwight-Past(s).

Aiko: Those are excellent habits to establish for reliable message delivery from Dwight-Now to Dwight-Next. Here's a concise summary of the habits/practices:

Break the Old Habit: Recognize that relying on memory alone for message delivery is unreliable. Adopt a mindset that requires following a structured methodology for all promises or intentions.

Use a Structured Methodology: Immediately record any promises or intentions in a reliable system (e.g., Todoist.com or Google Calendar) to ensure Dwight-Next receives the message when it becomes relevant.

Consistent Checking: Develop a routine where Dwight-Now consistently checks all pre-established message storage locations (e.g., Todoist app, Google Calendar) in a timely manner to retrieve and act on messages from Dwight-Past.

Would you like to delve into specific examples or refine any of these habits further?

Dwight: For the depth of this discussion, the last part to address are the systems and methodologies. These need to be designed and customized for each person, given their desire and need to have reliability in communicating with their future selves. Today, so many tools are available, from low-tech to high-tech.

Here are some that I use.

1) Todoist.com
2) Google Calendar
3) Workflowy.com (for organized lists)
4) Setting mobile alarms, both one-time and recurring
4) Count-down timers (several of those around my home)
5) I delegate to an assistant to maintain certain lists and remind me when I need to be reminded.
6) Whenever I go outside, I always put a pen and one or more "blank" business-card-sized cards in my pocket. If I have any thought that I want one of my future selves to remember, then I jot it down on the card immediately. I have the habit, whenever I get back home, to transfer those thoughts/messages/requests appropriately addressed to any of my future Dwights in one or more of my other structures.

My memory is not particularly good. It never has been. However, based upon my reliability with my clients and friends, they think I have a great memory.

Aiko: That's a comprehensive and practical set of tools and methodologies to ensure reliable communication with your future selves. Here's a concise summary:

Todoist.com: For task management and reminders.
Google Calendar: For scheduling and time-specific reminders.
Workflowy.com: For organized lists and tracking ongoing projects.
Mobile Alarms: Both one-time and recurring alarms for timely notifications.
Count-down Timers: Placed around the home for specific reminders.
Assistant Delegation: Assigning tasks and reminders to an assistant.
Pen and Cards: Carrying blank business-card-sized cards to jot down thoughts and transferring them to your structured systems upon returning home.

These systems and methodologies, combined with the habits you've established, create a robust framework for ensuring your future selves receive and act on the messages from your current self.