Reverse Obituary
Use your desired legacy to correct today's priorities
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 98%
The Reverse Obituary begins at the end of life and works backward. Write the few sentences you would genuinely want others to say about you: the roles you fulfilled, the way you treated people, and the contribution you made. Then compare that desired account with what currently receives your time, effort, and money. The gap identifies priorities that may be driven by status, habit, or short-term urgency rather than durable values. Housel's version included being a good father, husband, friend, community member, and worker; income, house size, vacations, and horsepower did not belong. The mechanism is perspective compression: imagining the final summary makes many present-day competitions look trivial and turns abstract values into criteria for current choices.
Origin
Morgan Housel presented the Reverse Obituary as an exercise for identifying what a person actually wants from life.
Core principles
- 01End-of-life perspective exposes temporary status games
- 02Character and relationships often outlast possessions
- 03Current choices should support the legacy you claim to value
How to run it
- 1
Draft the final summary
Write a short obituary describing the roles, traits, and contributions you hope define your life.
Pro tip Use plain language that someone close to you might honestly say.
- 2
Remove vanity metrics
Cross out achievements that would sound absurd or empty in a final account unless they supported something deeper.
Watch out Do not remove career achievements that genuinely express service, craft, or purpose.
- 3
Audit the present
Compare the obituary's priorities with your recent calendar, spending, and behavior.
Pro tip Look for repeated evidence rather than one unusual week.
- 4
Close one gap
Change one recurring commitment so your present behavior better supports the desired legacy.
Pro tip Choose a small repeatable action rather than a dramatic declaration.
In the wild
Housel said he would want to be remembered as a good father, husband, friend, community member, and worker. He said income, house size, holidays, and car horsepower would not belong in that account.
→ The exercise made relational and character priorities more visible than material goals.
Common mistakes
Writing for applause
The exercise fails if the obituary is another performance rather than an honest statement of desired legacy.
Is it for you?
Best for
People whose calendar, career, or spending feels disconnected from what they say matters most.
Not ideal for
People in acute grief or distress for whom death-focused reflection would be destabilizing.
From the transcript
“What do you want your obituary to say?”
“You instantly drift towards the things that you know you actually want in life.”
From the episode
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