Thinking one step ahead is generally a good idea. When you anticipate what will happen, you can prepare a response. Most people will not think a step ahead, so you’re in a good position by doing this simple planning.

Two steps ahead can be helpful as well, if you want to get ahead of the people thinking one step ahead. You can be a step ahead of them. Reverse psychology is one example of being two steps ahead.

Three steps ahead starts getting tricky, because there’s more time. That means there will be more scenarios, which could be difficult to anticipate. Sometimes, new opportunities or factors come up that you didn’t account for—which may throw your plan off course. If you hadn’t plotted so far ahead, maybe you could better adapt to the situation.

The further ahead you think, the more time you need to spend in the future. That means you’ll likely experience more anxiety, and that you won’t be as present.

At that point, you’re better off identifying the destination, and making sure you’re heading in the right direction. Sometimes, the answer is unfolding right in front of you, if only you’ll look.