Due to the significant uncertainty of the future for the family, Tom tells Ma that his attitude about going to California is going to be the same as his attitude in prison - take things one day at a time. 

Unable to control or predict what is to come, the Joads will have to find a way to cope with this lack of control without becoming overly stressed. There will be enough stress in dealing with hardships when they arrive. This is Tom's philsophy and Ma agrees with Tom. She adopts the same philsophy, but, as the person the family counts on for its stability, this point of view becomes integral to her role. 

Much of the stress of the family's situation falls to Ma and she struggles to maintain an equanimity and poise as the family slowly disintegrates. 

What is Tom's philosophy for dealing with the future in The Grapes of Wrath?

Tom seems to be a figurative Woody Guthrie.  "This land is your land;...this land was made for you and me."  One man is larger than himself.  The community of man--"Wherever you see ....I'll be there" For the doctrinate John Steinbeck, Tom Joad is the mouthpiece of the need and importance of collective action.

I'm not sure what, exactly, you're referring to; however, Tom sees his future several ways.  First, he's now free and he's thankful not to be in prison, of course.  Second, he seems to see a future where things must be better.  He recognizes the need for the "underdogs" to unite if they're to make any change, and he sees himself (as does Casey) as a possible motivator and uniter for that change.  He's a realist and he understands he must leave his family both for their safety and for his future plans.  Mostly, though, he's an idealist and foresees a day when things will be better.  As he leaves his mother for the last time, he gives his famous "I'll be there" speech, noting his belief in a future that would be better than the present.  Then he left, off to do what he could to make his vision of the future become a reality.

What is Tom's philosophy for the future in "The Grapes of Wrath"?

At the beginning of the novel, Tom is a hot headed young man with no real philosophy for dealing with the future. He has just be paroled from jail for impetuously killing a man in a bar fight, a crime for which he feels no remorse. However, as the novel continues, Tom matures as he sees his people being exploited and mistreated by society. He is still acting impetuously when he kills the man who killed Casy. However, by Chapters 27 and 28, Tom begins to realize that his presence might jeopardize his family because Ruthie told about his hiding place. He realizes he is responsible for his actions and choses to face the future by taking up Casy's work to help the poor.