Most self-help programs, meditation frameworks, and mental health hacks share the same advice: live in the present to reduce stress and anxiety. As Ram Dass said, “be here now, doing this now, now” and expand consciousness. But how do you do that while also trying to plan for your future and learn from your past?

If you’ve practiced any form of mindfulness, attempting to live in the present moment, you’ll hopefully have experienced the power of the now. All we can ever control is what is happening at this moment. Nearly all of the problems we think we have are based on the future and the past.

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

― Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, The Teaching of Buddha

What if?! I should have…

On some level saying “what if”, running doomsday scenarios through my anxious mind, represents a lack of faith in powers greater than myself. “Should have” is then playing God, an attempt to manage and control the most uncontrollable thing in the universe - the past. Neither is wise or earnest. But if all I do is sit on the meditation pillow and absorb the present, I can’t solve any of the big problems in the world that need solving. I won’t save any money, advance in my career, or learn from the mistakes of the past to build a better future.

Spreadsheet in the Moment

I’ve worked in tech and finance, two fields where you attempt to learn from the past and plan, create, and profit from the future. It can be a bit daunting to live in the present moment when you’re trying to harness history and potentiality.

I spend a great deal of time in spreadsheets, looking at businesses' financial projections and past performance. At that moment, I’m obsessing about the future and the past. But actively - I’m here now, entering data into a cell, coming up with equations now, now. I’m manipulating information second by second. I’m in flow and fully immersed in the action. That’s not playing what-if or should have - that’s real and important present-day work.

Work in the Now

Turn research and planning into present-day actions. Obsessing over what I could have done differently or worrying about what might happen steals my current joy. Reading about historical trends or actively writing down my goals for the future and what actions I need to take on a daily basis to get there IS living in the present moment.

So how do you live in the present while learning from the past and planning for the future? You focus the past and the future into a single cell in a spreadsheet. You turn planning and retrospection into current-day action. From that, the lessons of the past create powerful tools we can use today. And the actions we take now can change the world tomorrow without pulling us out of the joy we’re capable of experiencing in the here and now.