In the era of technology progressing every minute, we often forget to slow down. In order to stay on track with all activities, I do at work and outside of work, I bought a daily journal to help me improve and evaluate every day of the week.
Giving more thought to what would make my day more successful and what would make me happy didn’t only help me become more creative. It also helps me keep track of improvements and changes in my career and personal life.
“It’s not the plan that’s important, it’s the planning” -Dr. Graeme Edwards
1) Begin the day with a motivational quote
Reading a nice quote first thing in the morning makes me smile and think deeper about a certain topic. Also, the fact that someone else believes that I can accomplish something is an incentive for me to try even harder during the day.
Starting your day with a positive thought in mind will become essential for being more productive. If you don’t own a daily journal yet, you can read a few quotes in bed before getting up from BrainyQuote website.
2) What are you grateful for?
Writing about what I’m grateful for felt overwhelming at the beginning. I doubted writing some of the little things that many of us overlook, just because they seem to be ‘’normal’’. But at some point, my way of thinking shifted and writing that a ‘’child smiled at me’’ was something I wouldn’t overlook.
According to the University of California Psychology Professor Robert Emmons, Ph.D. and gratitude expert, being grateful gives us a boost in happiness by a whole 25 percent! That alone is a good enough reason to spend a bit of your time each day to write what you’re thankful for.
3) What would make today great?
The answer to this question can be as simple as ‘’having lunch with a good friend’’, ‘’finishing the task I have been postponing’’ or playing word games can help productivity.
When writing your own daily improvements, keep in mind that here you should share things you have control over. This way you can keep these thoughts in your subconsciousness and prepare for actually doing them in the future, naturally.
4) Daily affirmations. I am…
‘’What does that even mean?’’ This was the first thing that crossed my mind when I opened the journal for the first time. It took a bit of Google search to realize what was expected of me here. I shared what I wished to be, things like ‘’I am the most productive from my team’’ and so on.
Every time you write these affirmations down your brain will start building that belief in your mind. With consistency, it will become a natural way of making a positive change in your life. It will enable you to build confidence in everyday situations and essentially become much more productive.
5) 3 Amazing things that happened today
In the first few weeks, I used to write very simple things into this section. From ‘’having a seat in the underground’’ to ‘’eating a delicious salad for lunch’’. In time, however, I could see progress in my reflections and I have slowly been moving forward. I also improved my relationship with both myself and the people around me.
Writing down the three most amazing things that happened to you each day will allow you to evaluate the day. It will improve your focus on the positive outcomes and will improve your sleeping too. Suddenly you go to bed without any unresolved issues and your energy levels in the morning will increase.
6) How could I have made today better?
This part is the most exciting for me. It’s almost like being able to go back to the past and change things so that they actually work out better. Here I remind myself that I have the power to change my own perception and improve the future.
In time, this exercise will help you not only look at problems in a different way but also y take actions you’d want to take – automatically. Going through a certain situation over again will help you be prepared for similar moments and your reactions and decision making will improve.
Try it out!
If you haven’t tried keeping a daily journal yet, you should! It will help you think about things that set you back, difficulties you overcame, and your greatest achievements on a daily basis. Being able to reflect on your notes will stop you from repeating mistakes in the future and see improvements in your career as well as personal life.
