Here is a new trick I've incorporated this week that's really working well for me.
I'm always trying to figure out ways to incorporate my goals into my daily and weekly schedule. Those big-picture items tend to get lost in the shuffle of all the millions of things I do each day. I decided to incorporate a trick I've seen in photos of other people's planners online (like cecille joan's daily Moleskine, where she writes her daily reminders near the bottom of the page and crosses them off after completion). Many thanks also to Travis the Trout for goal-setting inspiration. If you haven't seen Travis's Goals Journal series, check it out here:
http://notesinabook.wordpress.com/category/how-to/goals-journal/
I don't use a separate Goals Journal, instead I incorporate my goals into my planner in order to 1) have them in front of me all the time and 2) see how I'm going to work them into my day.
In my planner on each day's space, I put each Goal category with space to fill it in when I complete it. For example, some of my daily goals are to take my Vitamin D supplement (I'm so surprised the milk here is not fortified like it is in the US), exercise, and read something science-related.
So in each day's space I have "Vit. D" with a box to check after I've taken it, "EXC" with space to write in what I did (walk, weights, ball or whatever), "READ" with space to note what I read.
I have found that having a space to fill in staring me in the face reminds me to do the action and encourages me to do something so I can write it in.
Goals Win!
Hi Laurie - that sounds great. Or, you could list daily tasks in your "weekly notes" section in plain view, perhaps highlighted. No checking off required, and wouldn't have to write them down for every single day.
ReplyDeleteNow, this doesn't work if you don't have a weekly notes section (as with daily planners) or if you really want the psychological gratification of checking things off (it may just be a matter of getting used to it, though).
Hope I'm making sense. :)
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, and I have tried just listing my goals on my weekly page. But, writing them into my daily schedule makes them harder to ignore, and I do get that gratification of checking them off. Also, especially in the case of taking my supplements, I need to see the reminder each morning and check it off, at least until it becomes habit.