A time capsule letter for the person you'll be in ten years
Written by hand · Sealed with wax · Sent as one link
Most of what feels huge today, like the job, the apartment or the argument, will be a footnote in ten years. What people actually want back is the small, ordinary stuff: what you worried about, who was in the room, what a normal Tuesday looked like. A good time capsule letter holds those details and asks questions the future reader can answer.
Free · No sign-up needed · Sent as a link
Ways to begin
“It's a Sunday evening in March and I'm writing this on the couch, still unsure whether quitting was the right call. I hope you know by now.”
“We're writing this together at the kitchen table, with the dishes still in the sink. If we're reading it on the date we picked, we made it ten years.”
“You're six as I write this, you hate tomatoes, and you sleep with the hallway light on. I'm putting all of it here so you can see who you were.”
What to write
1. Record today's small facts: what things cost, the song you keep replaying, the worry that's keeping you up. In ten years these will be the lines you read twice.
2. Ask the future reader three or four direct questions, such as whether you still live here or whether the worry came true. Questions make the letter feel like a conversation.
3. Skip big predictions and life advice. Write who you are right now, then say the exact date it should be opened, so the reader knows how far back the writer is.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What will still matter in ten years?
The people, the habits and the feelings usually last longer than the plans. Write about who you love and how you spend ordinary days, and about what you hope is still true. Hopes about a specific job or gadget are more likely to date badly.
Q. How do I make sure it's only opened in ten years?
You can set the opening date anywhere from tomorrow to a year away. For a day further off than that, seal the letter, save the link somewhere you'll find it, and send it when the day comes. You can add a password too if you like.