August 3, 2011
Reflecting on my day is something that I need to make into a habit. Often, I rush around from one to-do item on my list to another. By the end of the day, I am thinking about what I did not get done. And what I still have to do. And what I have to do the next day. I often don’t stop to think about what I did get done. Instead of congratulating myself for what I’ve done, I beat myself up for what I have left undone.
I find that when I take the time to reflect, I give myself permission to acknowledge all the things that I did do. I’m always amazed at how much I do get done in one day. Even on those days when I feel like I haven’t done much, I am shocked to realize how much I really did do.
Take today for example. As I sat here wondering what I was going to write about in my blog, I’m thinking of what I did today. When I first looked at my calendar, I thought that today had been a day where very little had been accomplished. Then I started to go through the day slowly, from one activity to another. It had been a full, productive day. And, I still had time to enjoy doing activities with both my daughters.
So, no, I didn’t complete my training run for today. And, yes, I still have a stack of papers that need dealing with. And, no, I didn’t get furniture rearranged in the living room. And, yes, I have a cheque in my wallet that still needs to be deposited into the bank. These are the thoughts that are racing through my mind as I think of what tomorrow will bring.
But, wait. Let’s go over the day slowly. And acknowledge what I did get done. Important and urgent activities were completed. Important but not urgent activities were completed. Not important but urgent activities were completed.
Looking at it a different way, I touched base in many different areas of my life: relationships, financial, physical, spiritual, social, and intellectual. I even managed to get in some physical activity by incorporating a walk to and from a destination!
All in all, I managed to cross twelve items off my to-do list. And this doesn’t include the smaller steps that I needed to do before I could complete a larger task. Such as, setting up a file on my online banking so I could pay a bill.
As I reflect on my day, I can pat myself on my back for what I have done. And go to bed knowing that I have twelve less things to do tomorrow.
Ms. Martha Urquhart 