Being able to take a long view of your finances is important: if you can focus on the long view, you’ll be better equipped to make decisions about mortgages, investments and other crucial factors in your finances. The simple fact is that if you can focus on finding the best long-term solutions — the best investments over time, the cheapest mortgages and so on — you’ll have more money in th long run, as well as the time to enjoy it.

But making the switch to long-term thinking isn’t always easy. We’re used to think about today, tomorrow — maybe as far as next year. Most days, we just feel like we have more pressing concerns than years from now. But the following tips can help you make the shift.

1. Keep your mind on the interest. When we’re talking about long-term anything, it boils down to interest. What kind of interest are you going to pay on your mortgage? What rate of return can you expect on an investment? It’s crucial to understand interest — and stay focused on it.
2. Forget a set retirement age. The fact is that most of us won’t actually retire anywhere near the age we’re currently planning on. Even if we have the money to do so, the likelihood that we’ll actually just quit working cold turkey is decreasing. Instead, it’s important to think about the lifestyle that we want for the rest of our lives. Think about whether you’re going to want some flexibility and what you’ll need to make work less necessary.
3. Practice adaptability. We all know that things change: our expectations of tomorrow (let alone 20 years from now) are probably not going to prove true. But if you practice adaptability in your day-to-day life, adjusting to those changes that affect your long-term plans is much easier.
4. Don’t look at the numbers too often. While having a good idea of what your money is doing is good, knowing every move it makes can actually do you more harm than good. You can get caught up with the day-to-day movements of your money and forget about the forest in favor of the trees.
5. Set short-term goals consistent with long-term plans. Your short-term plans have to help your long-term plans along, which means that you’ll want to set at least some basic short-term goals that will support your long-term plans. Something as simple as getting an extra $500 into an investment account this year can help your long-term plans along (remember compound interest!).

How do you keep yourself focused on long-term goals and plans? If you have anymore tips, please share them: even though I’m convinced of the importance of long-term planning, I know that I struggle to keep myself working for the long-term, rather than some short-term goal that might not actually do me all that much good. I’m always looking for a little more long-term inspiration, and I’d love to hear your suggestions.

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