The night I met my future self

One Wednesday at 11 p.m. I was doom-scrolling and half-complaining that I never had time to run. A quiet push-note popped up:

Tipmorrow: put your running shoes by the door.

It felt silly — but moving a pair of shoes was easier than feeling guilty, so I did it and went to bed.

At 6 a.m. the alarm buzzed. My feet slid straight into those shoes. Momentum took over: a ten-minute jog, lungs full of cool air, brain wide awake. Later that morning I breezed through my tasks and even cracked a problem that had stumped me all week. All from one tiny nudge the night before.

That’s the magic of a Tipmorrow: a one-line action planted tonight that blossoms into tomorrow’s small victory.

Why micro-moves beat mega-resolutions

We love grand plans — thirty-day challenges, brand-new apps, color-coded calendars. But life bends around friction, not ambition. Researchers call Tipmorrow-style nudges implementation intentions: if you decide what you’ll do and when you’ll meet it, your brain files the task as half-finished, so following through takes almost no willpower.

How to plant a Tipmorrow

1. Name tomorrow’s snag. What usually slows you down — skipping breakfast, scrolling before work, forgetting water?
2. Design a 30-second fix. Fill a bottle, lay out clothes, queue a playlist, pre-write two emails.
3. Make it physical. Place the cue where sleepy-you can’t miss it. Your future self should literally trip over the plan.
4. Celebrate the win. When the micro-hack pays off, say it out loud: “That was my Tipmorrow.” Tiny dopamine hits teach your brain to want the next one.

Seven real Tipmorrows you can try tonight

• Put your book on your pillow so Netflix has to fight for the spot.
• Draft the opening sentence of tomorrow’s report before logging off.
• Screenshot tomorrow’s calendar and set it as your phone wallpaper.
• Lay a banana and protein bar on your desk for the 11 a.m. snack attack.
• Add a 15-minute “thinking walk” to your calendar and accept the invite.
• Queue a “deep work” playlist to auto-start at 9 a.m.
• Write three questions for your team’s meeting so it can’t drift into status-only mode.

Pick just one. Let it run for a day. Then swap in another.

From solo habit to social currency

I started ending posts with “Tipmorrow ➜” — and friends began replying with their own hacks. Soon the hashtag #Tipmorrow turned into a nightly exchange of miniature kindnesses: set the coffee maker, silence unimportant apps, leave a sticky note that just says “breathe.” The word became a shortcut, a friendly wink that meant “I helped my future self, did you?”

Your turn

Pause before you close this tab. What tiny move could clear tomorrow’s path? Do it now — thirty seconds, no more. Tonight you plant it; tomorrow you harvest the win. That’s a Tipmorrow, and tomorrow is already on its way.