Getting rid of most of the water in the inflatable pool
Daily affirmation. I am...
Proactive in communicating and managing expectations based on what I can actually do within a day and within a week.
Amazing things that happened today...
I sent good content for the chapter video
How could I have made today even better?
Speak less, do more.
10:02 AM - I fucked up at work. Wasn’t feeling great at the start of the week so decided to work from home, but ended up doing nothing and ramifications are piling up. All of my problems are self-inflicted. Whenever I begin to do well, I fuck myself over. Can’t figure out whether it’s deliberate or just a cycle that I’m stuck in.
Completing the day’s work priorities [all by one done]
Cleaning the hallway
Washing and returning neighbor’s pot [didn’t do]
Daily affirmation. I am...
Patient with myself and communicate often and as needed to manage people’s expectations and address pending issues that would have otherwise stressed me out.
Amazing things that happened today...
Great conversation with parents, especially dad. Love them so much.
Supervisor’s support and understanding. Respect and appreciate him to no end.
How could I have made today even better?
Starting work and getting my check list done right after my morning meeting. Wouldn’t have had to work at night when I was tired, would have been able to get everything done because I’d have had more time and I wouldn’t have been too tired by then, and I would have been able to relax for the rest of the day.
The day’s summary:
8:58PM
After my 11:30AM meeting with K, I had breakfast and then gamed until around 3PM, spoke to my parents, then did a bit of sporadic work. After that, I gamed until I felt nauseous, cleaned the hallway, and now I’m going back to doing the rest of my work.
Thing is, it’s almost 9PM and I’m already sleepy. I’m tempted to postpone my leftover tasks until early tomorrow morning and do them before my 11:30AM meeting, but that’s just perpetuating an ugly cycle. I always end up oversleeping, not doing what I’d planned on, and then having a stressful meeting because so much is still pending.
Looking at my check list. I’ve got 5 emails left to send. 4 of them are easy. One is obnoxious and long. I’ll do the 4 easy ones now, and if I can’t focus any more, I’ll send the long one before my meeting tomorrow.
I can do this.
11:06PM
Done. Big email left for tomorrow morning before my meeting.
When I was 17 I became an exchange student and the other best part was that my grandfather gave me my first journal so I could remember my new adventure. I have been writing since them, I expressed freely and with no worries of how my book my feel or the judgment on every word I put in. Today young kids don't understand that writing freely, anything in their mind will realize them from any negative or worry on that day. I'm sorry but I live your pictures but snap chat is not enough to express how really you feel. #5minutejournal #thebetterlifejournal #instagood #love #tbt #bestoftheday https://www.instagram.com/p/B9BweetpF57/?igshid=1ou6cqxpybmog
I’ve mentioned both the book The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson and the mindfulness app 5 Minute Journal a few times, so here’s a quick “why” on checking both of these things out.
The Slight Edge
I read The Slight Edge through a book club at work. I went in skeptical. I am not a “self help” book person and would rather read Daniel Pink or Malcom Gladwell style books for motivation.
The Slight Edge is pretty straight forward. It’s a simple read that I breezed through; which is saying something. It was my first book of the year, and the probably the first actual book that I’ve purposefully read in a few years.
So - why do I recommend it? Because it’s simple and straight forward. It lays bare some of the things that have gotten between me and some of the successes that I want to have.
The book summed up (and I suggest you actually do read it) repeatedly reminds us that the small things count. More so - that when you do those small things over and over again, the become actual results. Stop looking for immediate gratification.
I did have some issues with it of course. The notion of “anyone can do anything, just do this simple thing” is nice, but he doesn’t not factor in things like race, sex, or other socio-economic factors that might hinder an individual. While doing the simple thing could get that person from 0-100, to completely ignore predetermined factors like those is quite the omission in my opinion.
5 Minute Journal
One of the things that stuck out to me in The Slight Edge was a section on being happy. I’m generally a pretty positive person across the board, but he applies the Slight Edge principals of continually doing small things over-and-over again to get to a result to your emotional health as well.
Part of it was the suggestion of keeping a journal. But not a “Dear Diary, here’s what happened today” style journal. Instead he suggests doing something as simple as what the 5 Minute Journal App does.
In the morning - write 3 things you’re grateful for, 3 intentions of the day, and a personal affirmation. In the evening 3 great things that happened during the day, and 1 thing that could have made it better.
I loved the idea of doing something is better than doing nothing at all. You might not have the drive to write pages of self reflection day-after-day, but there’s a good possibility that you have the drive to spend 5 minutes a day answering 3-6 questions.
You can pick up The Slight Edge on Amazon here.
Download the 5 Minute Journal App on iOS and Android.
It’s morning. I’m starting something new with this blog, so this seems appropriate. Here’s a quick breakdown of what my standard morning consists of. I plan on going more in-depth on some of the things listed below, but this gives you an idea of how I start my day.
Wake Up:
Because of kids, I usually wake up between 5:00-6:00 in the morning.
My morning routine currently includes Lumin Skincare Lotion.
30-40 minutes of living room yoga, currently powered by The Yoga Collective.
12oz of Athletic Greens green food supplement, followed by another 12oz of cold water (to make sure I got every last drop from the bottle.)
While drinking said Athletic Greens, I spend some time filling out my morning entry on 5 Minute Journal.
