A Quick Exercise That Makes a Big Difference
Do you do New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t, but I found that I’d been having too many days that were way too busy and completely unsatisfying. Know what I mean?
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
So I tried a technique that I teach in my Finally Free workshops. I want to share because it really helped me create a better day for myself.
- Start by simply writing out the 24-hour timeline of your average day. This could be an average workday or an average non-work day. Be sure to include things like sleeping, eating, TV, social media, friends, family, cooking, exercise, etc.
- Look through your average day and write down how you are feeling throughout that day. For me, it was overwhelmed, under achieving, stressed, and frustrated, scattered with moments of peace, happiness, and accomplishment.
- Next, take some deep breaths and write down any feelings, thoughts, or emotions you would prefer to have during your day. For me, I wanted to feel accomplished, satisfied, competent, joyous, energized, loved, and loving.
- Now imagine how your day would look if you felt as you wrote in step 3. Write out your 24-hour day again as it could be.
- What changed? This is where I reduced my social media usage (and stopped using Facebook altogether), added in exercise, and made more time for friends. It’s a game changer—it really is.
Planting a seed takes no time at all. But watch that seed flourish into a tree!
Here’s why the resolutions don’t working for me: Goals change! One of my goals before doing this exercise was to be more active on Facebook, building my private group to, in turn, grow my business. But it was such a stressor for me because I truly do not like using Facebook in that manner.
I promise it will be worth it to committing to changing just one thing in your day to better align with what you are after to feel your best!
After doing this exercise, I’d love to know your results. What revelations did you have? And what positive changes are you making? Sound off in the comments!
I tried writing my ideal day and noticed that there’s a lot more exercise and movement than I am typically making sure I get. My ideal day has two walks and some dancing. So I got lucky and found a “standing desk” and use that to listen to dance tunes, and I’m taking my dog for an extra walk. pretty ideal!
I’m so glad that you found the exercise insightful. I turn to this simple exercise when I feel like I am not doing what “needs” to be done. Sometimes it helps me prioritize that “need” and other times it helps me see that the “need” is not mine.