Helping each other keep on track with the goals we've set for ourselves.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Chiming in

I just had a friend change how she does her "to do's" lists. Instead of listing things she has to do (which I still do since sometimes I need the visual), she lists her things as "things done". It's a way to look at the positive things you've done in a day, and not get hung up on the things you haven't gotten to. If you think about each of our days it's a busy time, and we could fill every moment with work and things but it'd be exhausting! Kids and family are probably a huge part of the "done" list since getting them to school, making lunches/dinners/etc. are a big part of everyday energy.

On another positive note I heard someone saying how important it was to rework our thinking. So instead of beating ourselves up over negative things in the day, have you and/or spouse/kids etc. list 3 positive things that happened to you for the day. John finds that more challenging then I do because I'm the optimist and he's the realist in our relationship, but that makes it interesting too.

So far this morning (and it's just aver 7am here), I have 1. slept better then I did last night (no headache) and 2. got to snuggle under the covers and hit snooze which I love and 3. Looking forward to working from home today which will hopefully mean more progress here.

=)
Lisa

3 comments:

Ann in NJ said...

You go, girl! It is far easier to beat ourselves up than to realize what we've done well - or even well enough.

I do find a lot of satisfaction crossing things off the list, but I usually use it to remind myself of what needs to get done that's not a "usual" thing. Or even as a way to organize my thoughts or approach for the day. I've been trying to do more of that, as a way of maintaining focus.

Susan Z said...

When I was in high school I only wrote down the special things and not the normal things. Perhaps if I went back to that I would not have quite as long of a to-do list. I have a tendency to get overwhelmed sometimes and not know where to start. I suppose another tactic is to write down the steps and then I would have more things to cross off then just the big task.

ooolia said...

what a great idea!

I need to have a list of things to do to keep me focused, but it'd be nice to also have a list of things I've done so I remember that I actually accomplished something.