Dear Future Self

Dear Future Self,

Hello Paul. I know you're surprised to hear the future you, but I have to ask you to suspend your disbelief for a few minutes and listen, as I carry vital messages both for you and for the entire world.

1.  I realize you’re buried in work, but take the time to document code, changes to systems, and in general, the reasons for just about anything of significance.  You’ll thank me/you in six months or six years when you don’t have to spend Christmas eve trying to puzzle out why you picked a string literal for that particular field.

2.  Don’t piss him off.  Yes, it feels good now and the laughter around the water cooler when you tell the story will be enjoyable, but he’ll nurse a grudge for years.  When you least expect it and don’t even remember the initial incident, he’ll sabotage your career and you’ll never know why you didn’t get the new position.  Just be nice.

3.  Slow down.  You’re on the way to work on a Monday.  Is it really necessary to go 22 MPH over the speed limit?  You’ll avoid a nasty ticket and a big fight with your wife. 

4.  Make sure your passwords are all secure and complex.  I can’t give you the details, but you really won’t enjoy your 15 minutes of fame on YouTube if you don’t.

And last and perhaps most importantly, don’t eat the sushi from 7-11 on March 28th, 2019. 

Sincerely,
Paul