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A big part of our role at Satori is working with clients to design their ideal life. On paper it sounds simple. In practice, it is one of the hardest parts of the entire engagement.
Most people are very good at telling you what they do not want. Less debt. Less stress. Less time in the office. Far fewer can describe what they actually do want, in enough detail that a strategy can be built around it. The reasons it ‘cannot’ happen tend to intrude before the vision arrives.
Years ago we came across an exercise that quietly fixes this. It comes from Debbie Millman, the American designer and educator, and we use it as step one in building a financial plan.
The ten-year plan for a remarkable life
Debbie Millman has spoken about this exercise in interviews and uses it in both her undergraduate and graduate classes. In her words:
“It is this five to ten-year plan for what I call a remarkable life. It is about imagining what your life could be if you could do anything you wanted without any fear of failure. And they are the most life affirming essays. They are so full of hope and optimism and wellbeing and goodness, that it gives me a sense that humanity can be saved. So I borrowed that exercise from Milton and now use that both in my graduate program and the undergraduate classes that I teach.”
The prompt itself is deliberately long. Most life-planning exercises stay abstract. This one insists on specifics, which is exactly the thing that makes it work.
Debbie Millman’s prompt, in full
Picture one day in your life, ten years from now. Then answer all of this, on the page, with no editing:
- What does your life look like?
- What are you doing?
- Where are you living?
- Who are you living with?
- Do you have pets?
- What kind of house are you in? Is it an apartment? Are you in the city, or in the country?
- What does your furniture look like?
- What is your bed like? What are your sheets like?
- What kind of clothes do you wear?
- What kind of hair do you have?
- Tell me about your pets. Tell me about your significant other.
- Do you have children?
- Do you have a car? Do you have a boat?
- Talk about your career. What do you want?
- What are you reading? What are you making?
- What excites you?
- What is your health like?
And then write the whole day.
In Millman’s words again: “Write this day, this one day ten years from now. Start from the minute you wake up, brush your teeth, have your coffee or tea, all the way through until when you tuck yourself in at night. What is that day like for you? Dream big. Dream without any fear. Write it all down. You do not have to share it with anyone other than yourself. Put your whole heart into it and write like there is no tomorrow. Write like your life depends on it because it does. And then, read it once a year and see what happens. It is magic. It is magic.”
Why this is step one to a financial plan
Financial planning without a life vision is just a calculator. The numbers add up, the projections look fine, and yet the plan never quite fits.
The ten-year plan exercise fixes that in three quiet ways.
- It forces specifics. Cash flow modelling needs numbers. A vision that says ‘something different’ produces a plan that is hard to act on. A vision that names the city, the work, and the time off the calendar produces decisions.
- It surfaces trade-offs in advance. Most regret in financial life comes from trade-offs that were never named. Writing the day forces a quiet vote between the second house and the year off, between the bigger business and the longer summers.
- It gives the plan an anchor. When the markets get noisy or the rules change, the question shifts from ‘what should I do?’ to ‘what serves the day I wrote down?’. That second question is much easier to answer.
How to actually do it
We would not pretend this is easy. In our experience, fewer than one in five clients sit down and complete it the first time they hear about it. The pull to keep doing rather than to imagine is strong.
Three small adjustments make it more likely to happen:
- Set a hard 45 minutes, with a notebook and no phone in the room. The exercise is more effective handwritten than typed.
- Pick a real date. ‘A tuesday in winter, ten years from today’ is more useful than ‘in ten years’ time’. Specificity unlocks specifics.
- Do not edit while you write. The first pass is for honesty, not polish. The polish, and the strategy, come later.
Once it is done, schedule a reminder for one year out to re-read it. Most people find that the second reading is the one that does the most work.
Action
Imagine what your life could be if you could do anything you wanted, without any fear of failure. Do you have the guts to stop and write it down?
This is step one to building a financial plan. The numbers, the strategy, the structures and the lending all come next, and they all become easier when there is a real day on the page for them to serve.
How Satori Advisory works
At Satori Advisory we energise every part of your financial world. We integrate your tax, business, wealth and lending as a prosperity engine, aligned with what matters most to you. With a clear roadmap, informed by data and backed by decades of strategic experience, we simplify the complex. We do not offer pre-packaged solutions. We deliver tailored, end-to-end advice that reflects your reality and ambitions. You work directly with senior advisers who listen deeply, think boldly and act with purpose, supported by our trusted team and curated network of financial and business specialists, so you can realise your potential, powered by numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ten-year plan for a remarkable life?
It is an essay exercise from Debbie Millman where you write one detailed day in your life, ten years from now, with no fear of failure. It covers where you live, who you live with, your work, your reading, your health and more. The point is to imagine without editing.
Who is Debbie Millman?
Debbie Millman is an American designer, author and educator. She uses this exercise with her undergraduate and graduate students. She has noted that she borrowed the original prompt from her own teacher, Milton.
Why is a life vision exercise relevant to financial planning?
Financial planning without a life vision is just a calculator. A clear ten-year vision gives the plan a destination, surfaces trade-offs in advance, and makes it easier to make decisions when markets or rules shift. We treat it as step one in building a financial plan.
How often should I re-read my ten-year plan?
Debbie Millman recommends reading it once a year. Most people find the second reading is where the work actually happens, because the gap between today and the written day becomes more visible.
How long does the exercise take?
Most people complete a strong first draft in 45 to 60 minutes when they commit to it. We recommend handwriting it, picking a specific date ten years out, and not editing during the first pass.
Ready to talk?
If you would like a calm, no-pressure conversation about how a clear ten-year vision could reshape your financial plan, we would be glad to set one up.
Please feel free to get in touch on 1300 925 081 or send an email to [email protected] if you’d like to book in a chat on the above or on other matters.
Disclaimer
This article contains general information only and has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not personal financial advice, taxation advice or legal advice and should not be relied upon when making financial decisions. Before acting on any information, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate.
