Checklist Terbalik: 10 Pertanyaan yang Bikin Kamu Nggak Nyesel di Masa Depan

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Kenapa Checklist Terbalik?

Gue dulu suka banget bikin to-do list. Serius. Sampai pernah bikin satu to-do list isinya cuma “bikin to-do list”. Udah kelar tuh satu poin, rasanya puas. Tapi abis itu? Gak dikerjain juga.

Sampai akhirnya gue nemu konsep yang bikin mikir terbalik. Katanya si Charlie Munger, mikir mundur itu sering lebih jitu. Kayak: jangan nanya “gimana caranya sukses?”, tapi tanya aja dulu “gimana caranya gagal total?”. Triknya bukan nyari solusi, tapi ngindarin jebakan.

Nah dari situ lahir yang gue sebut Checklist Terbalik. Bukan buat ngatur hidup biar sempurna, tapi biar gak nyesel-nyesel amat nanti. Biar gak di masa depan lo nyeletuk: “Lah, kenapa dulu gak mikir kayak gitu ya?”

Mikir Ke Belakang, Biar Nggak Ketiban Masa Depan

Coba bayangin lo udah 10 tahun ke depan. Lo buka album kenangan digital lo, terus lo liat diri lo yang sekarang. Lo bakal senyum puas? Atau lo pengen teriak “WOY kenapa dulu kerja sampe jam 2 pagi cuma buat deadline yang gak penting?”

Kadang, kita kebanyakan mikir ke depan — goal, target, mimpi, roadmap, timeline. Padahal mikir ke belakang bisa jadi GPS paling jujur. Karena masa depan itu belum tentu, tapi penyesalan biasanya pasti.

Jadi mari kita bikin checklist terbalik: pertanyaan-pertanyaan absurd tapi jujur yang bisa bantu lo ngurangin potensi nyesel di masa depan. Bukan buat nambah beban. Justru buat ngelepasin beban yang gak perlu dikejar.

10 Pertanyaan dari Masa Depan (yang Bisa Nyelametin Lo Hari Ini)

1. Kalau gue terus ngelakuin ini tiap hari, hidup gue bakal kemana lima tahun lagi?

2. Apa hal yang lagi gue hindarin sekarang, padahal gue tahu harusnya itu yang gue selesain duluan?

3. Kalau gue berhenti sekarang, apa ada yang bener-bener bakal kacau? Atau cuma ego gue doang yang sakit?

4. Apa yang bakal gue sesalin gak gue coba waktu umur segini?

5. Apa yang lagi gue lakukan ini sebenernya bikin gue hidup, atau cuma bikin gue sibuk?

6. Gue kerja keras banget, tapi buat siapa? Buat mimpi gue sendiri, atau mimpi orang lain yang nyamar?

7. Kalau temen deket gue cerita soal hidup kayak gue sekarang, gue bakal bilang apa ke dia?

8. Gue takut gagal karena emang gak siap? Atau karena takut diliat gagal sama orang lain?

9. Kalau semua ini ternyata salah jalur, apa gue masih bisa putar balik?

10. Apa ada bagian dari hidup gue yang gue pertahankan cuma karena udah nyaman — bukan karena masih bermakna?

Gak Semua Harus Dikejar, Kadang Cukup Dihindari

Gue gak ngajak lo jadi anti ambisi. Tapi kadang kita terlalu ngejar sesuatu sampe lupa ngaca: emang itu yang penting? Atau cuma kelihatan penting?

Checklist terbalik ini bukan buat lo jadi was-was. Tapi buat lo berhenti sebentar dan nanya: “Apa yang bener-bener gue pengen hidupin hari ini, biar besok gue gak malu ngeliat ke belakang?”

Kalau lo punya pertanyaan versi lo sendiri, share di kolom komentar. Siapa tahu bisa jadi cermin buat orang lain juga. Atau ya minimal, jadi catatan lo sendiri sebelum semuanya keburu lewat.

Welcome to Hajriah Fajar: Living Smart & Healthy in the Digital Age

Why a Reverse Checklist?

I used to love making to-do lists. No joke. I once made a list that started with “make a to-do list” — checked it off immediately. Felt accomplished. But did I do the rest? Of course not.

Then I stumbled upon something that flipped my brain. Charlie Munger said: don’t ask “how to succeed,” ask “how to fail terribly.” The trick isn’t finding a solution, but dodging the traps.

And that’s how the Reverse Checklist was born. Not to perfect your life, but to avoid the kind of regrets that haunt you later. So you don’t look back one day and say, “Why didn’t I think of that sooner?”

Look Backward So the Future Doesn’t Hit You in the Face

Imagine you’re 10 years older. You scroll through your digital memories and see your current self. Do you smile proudly? Or do you scream, “WHY did I stay up until 2 AM for that dumb deadline?”

We spend too much time planning forward — goals, dreams, timelines, hustle schedules. But thinking backward might be the most honest GPS. The future is uncertain. Regret is pretty reliable.

So here’s a reverse checklist: weird, honest questions that might save you from future facepalms. Not to add pressure — but to release what doesn’t matter.

10 Questions from Future You (That Could Save Present You)

1. If I keep doing this every day, where will I end up in five years?

2. What am I avoiding right now that deep down I know I should finish first?

3. If I quit now, what would truly collapse? Or is it just my ego that’ll hurt?

4. What would I regret not trying at this age?

5. Is what I’m doing right now giving me life — or just keeping me busy?

6. I’m working really hard… but for whose dream? Mine, or someone else’s in disguise?

7. If my best friend described my current life, what advice would I give them?

8. Am I afraid of failure because I’m not ready — or because I fear people watching me fail?

9. If this turns out to be the wrong path, can I still turn around?

10. Is there a part of my life I’m clinging to just because it’s familiar — not because it still matters?

Don’t Chase Everything. Sometimes Just Dodge What Doesn’t Matter

I’m not saying ditch all ambition. But sometimes we chase things so hard, we forget to ask: is this actually important? Or just “looks” important?

This checklist isn’t here to stress you out. It’s here to slow you down. Ask yourself: “What do I want to feel proud of tomorrow — so I don’t flinch when I look back?”

Got a question of your own for future-you? Share it in the comments. Might be the mirror someone else needs. Or at the very least — your own little time capsule before time moves on.