What is a manifest? How to write one you will actually act on

A lot of people hear "manifest" and picture wishing for something and waiting for the universe to deliver. The truly useful part is much more down-to-earth: you write down what you want, clearly, with a date, and later you come back to see what you did.

This post is about writing a manifest that is specific enough to show you where you are headed, and light enough that you will really keep your word to yourself.

Four traits of a good manifest: specific, in your control, dated, written as if on its way

What is a manifest?

A manifest is saying or writing what you want to happen, in a voice that sounds like it is already on its way. For example: "This August I get into my first-choice university."

The words on the page do not become true by themselves. But a clear sentence does three concrete things:

• It makes you name what you want instead of leaving it fuzzy in your head.
• It gives you a checkpoint to look back on: how far you have come, and what is still missing.
• It reminds you, whenever you face a choice: does this bring me closer to that sentence?

What does a good manifest look like?

A manifest that is easy to act on usually has four traits:

1. Specific. "I get fitter" is hard to check. "I run 5 km without stopping" can be checked.
2. Within your control. "I get an offer from my dream company" depends on other people. "I send 10 applications and go to 3 interviews" is up to you.
3. Dated. Without a date, every sentence turns into "someday".
4. Written in the present or as already done. "By the end of the year I have $2,000 saved" sounds like a fact you are walking toward, not a worry.

Example: turning a vague sentence into one you can act on

The starting point: "I want to be good at English."

• More specific: "I score 7.0 on IELTS."
• With a date: "By next June I score 7.0 on IELTS."
• Plus a small first step (not part of the sentence, but worth having): "This week I book a practice test and study for 30 minutes a day."

Why add a date?

A date turns a wish into an appointment with yourself. When it arrives, you have two things to do: look back at what happened, and decide what comes next. Whatever the result, you have real information to choose from: keep going, change your approach, or set a new date.

Not getting there yet does not mean you failed, and it certainly does not mean you "didn't believe hard enough". It simply tells you that your current approach was not enough, and that is useful to know.

Try it now

Pick something you want in the next few months, write it as one specific sentence, then set a date. If you like, you can send your manifest to Dear Universe: on the day, we will email you to ask how it went, and you can browse other people's manifests on the Universe Feed to see that you are not alone. Need examples to start from? See 20 manifest examples, and watch out for the common mistakes when writing a manifest.