If you’re anything like me, you’re one of those type-A personalities that knows what needs to happen and when without even writing it down. While we may think this is a strength, and at times it totally is, there is a lot of mindfulness and insight that goes into writing it all out on a daily or weekly time-table.
The physical act of writing out ANYTHING- whether it’s your thoughts, your to-do’s, your goals – is magical. It allows your eyes to see and therefore your brain to register everything as finite as opposed to a looping cycle in your brain that seems never ending.
When we keep everything in our head it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Instead write it out.
What I absolutely love is have clients write their entire day out in chunks of time. It allows us to feel peace in knowing everything that we need to do as an important “slot” in your day (or week) and we don’t have to re-visit the thought again. Here’s an example:
- 6:30am – 7:00am – Brush teeth, Brew Coffee, Meditate
- 7:00am – 8:00am – Get Ready, Eat Breakfast
- 8:00 – 8:45am – Commute, Listen to Podcast, Call Mom
- 8:45am – 12:00am – Work (it’s also a great time to list any small to-do’s you might need to do during breaks such as calling the dentist to make an appointment, etc.)
- 12:00pm – 12:45pm – Lunch, Walk, Get Fresh Air
- 12:45pm – 1:00pm – To-Do list (again, anything that requires a quick phone call)
- 1:00pm – 5:00pm – Work
- 5:00pm – 5:30pm – Commute, Listen to Podcast or Meditation
- 5:30pm – 6:30pm – Exercise, Yoga, “You Time”
- 6:30pm – 7:00pm – Commute, Listen to Podcast or Meditation
- 7:00pm – 8:00pm – Dinner
- 8:00pm – 9:45pm – “You Time” (this can be time to learn something, read a book, take a bath, anything that energizes you and is restorative)
This is just a sample. Each day might be different and you should annotate those differences either on this list or a different list for that special day.
For example, if you’ll be working on a special project for yourself or your child (DIY, Child’s recital, etc.), make sure you have that written out, including any errands you might need to run for that special event so you aren’t thinking about it and ultimately spinning you out.
Trust me, this is a game changer and if you’ve done something similar to this before, you know what I’m talking about.
When you do this exercise notice how you feel more at peace and how there is so much more room in our minds to just BE.
With that said, I hope you take the time for yourself to do this exercise… it will be worth the peace of mind.
Here’s to managing our schedule so that we can effectively manage our thoughts.
In wellness,
Susan
Susan is a Life Coach based in Seattle, WA. Her main focus is to coach people build a strong emotional container so that we can experience the fullness of life coming from a place of deep confidence. Susan also coaches clients looking to heal adrenal fatigue by using a mental meta-model aimed at breaking down old mental patterns and behaviors so that we can finally tap into our own personal power.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash