QUIZ RESULT: THE NOT YET
You know your mortality type.
Now what?
You’re The Not Yet.
You probably know this kind of planning matters. You may even fully intend to get to it—just not yet.
That doesn’t make you careless.
Life is full. Death can feel far away. And it’s easy to believe there will be a clearer, calmer, more obvious time to begin.
But here’s the thing I want every Not Yet person to remember:
You don’t have to feel ready to begin.
Most people don’t wake up excited to talk about incapacity, dying, or what they want at the end of life.
But waiting for the perfect moment can quietly become waiting until a crisis makes the decisions for you.
Starting doesn’t mean completing every document, planning your funeral, or having every answer. It can be as simple as choosing who would speak for you, locating one important document, or having one honest conversation.
The goal isn’t to prepare for every possible future. It’s to take one small step now so the people you love have a little more clarity later.
Wherever you're starting, start here.
There are a few things I wish every adult had in place—not because I think we should spend our lives preparing to die, but because a little preparation now can remove an enormous amount of uncertainty later.
1. A healthcare decision-maker.
Someone who knows they're the person you'd want speaking for you if you couldn't speak for yourself.
2. An advance directive.
Not because a document can predict every situation. It can't. But it gives everyone somewhere to begin.
3. Someone who actually understands what matters to you.
Not just which treatments you'd accept, but what makes life feel worth living.
4. A way for the right person to access the important stuff.
Documents. Accounts. Passwords. Contacts. The things nobody wants to hunt for during a crisis.
5. At least one real conversation.
It doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to happen.
Your Not Yet challenge:
Do the smallest thing you’ve been postponing—choose a decision-maker, find one document, or begin one conversation.
Start with:
“I don’t want to make this bigger than it needs to be, but there’s one thing I want us to talk about…”
Want a little help starting the conversation?
Documents are important. But the person who may someday have to make decisions for you needs more than paperwork.
I created this free guide to help you think about—and talk about—the things an advance directive can't fully capture.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE
You don't have to wait for a crisis to get support.
I'm Kathleen, a death doula and end-of-life planner. I help individuals and families navigate the practical, emotional, and deeply human parts of serious illness, dying, and end-of-life planning.
And you don't need to be dying to start.
If this quiz made you realize there are decisions, conversations, or loose ends you've been meaning to deal with, this is exactly the kind of work I help people with.