Every evening, I do a reflection on what went well and what could’ve been better (which I refer to as the ‘meh’ part of my day). Atomic Habits by James Clear does well in pointing out that the way to get better is to implement systems to do so; I also wrote my college research paper on the power of implementation plans so I know its value well.
I recently added ‘Support’ to note how I received support that day as a reminder that I’m not going through life alone, ‘Joy’ on what brought me joy (since what went well isn’t necessarily something that brings me joy), and ‘Draining’ so I can be aware of my energy management and not continuing things that deplete me.
Now that it’s July, I’ve decided to surface the themes in my evening reflection of what went well and how to continue it. In addition, knowing how to improve what was not as great.
Well themes:
catching up with a friend 8x
working from office 2x
open mic 2x
Better how themes:
More socializing with friends, attending community events, getting outdoors, and being proactively productive/prepared
‘Meh’ themes:
waiting for friends who are late 2x
layoffs 2x
interview stress 2x
Better how themes:
always be interviewing/practicing 4x
eat veggies 2x
sleep in 2x
It makes sense that catching up with friends would make my day go well but I’m surprised it was the highlight 8/30 days. Also surprised that interview practice was a note-to-self to improve 4/30 days.
I already got my tickets to the next open mic night and asked my friend for weekly mock interviews. I had veggies before my ice cream tonight and have many long weekend plans with friends. I need to improve my routine to get more sleep and more office time.
I’m interested to see how next month changes (or not) with these insights!
