Let’s think for a moment about January 2nd. It’s just another day on the calendar. What did you do with it? There is nothing unique about the date which is quite a change when you think about all of the focus we give to the day before.
January 2nd is when the routine of reality begins to collide with the promises we made for the New Year. All of those resolutions, choosing of focus words, creation of goals and great intentions are put to the test.
Because whether it’s January 2nd or any other date, today is just another day on the calendar and our old habits do not know we made new promises.
Habits are the result of our mindset. And our mindset works like a thermostat for setting the patterns of our life. That makes today far more important than yesterday. All days may be created equal, but that is not how they are invested. And the first lesson of productive change is that when it comes to “days”, none is more important than today.
So how do we overcome the gap between the promises we made on January 1st and the realities that came flying back on January 2nd? How do we create an environment that encourages, even prompts our success? How do we set ourselves up to keep and live our promises?
We can start by recognizing how we invest our time, our days. This isn’t about how you planned to spend the day; it is about how you actually did spend your day. When was the last time you logged your activities? The idea of logging activities is not just about appointments in your calendar; it’s about everything you do. If it’s been awhile, now is the right time for you to consider going through this exercise in these first days of 2015. Why? Because we aren’t going to change what we aren’t aware is happening.
Self awareness is the first step to personal development and achieving all of those goals we have set for ourselves. When I work with clients that want to stop thinking about success and truly start to achieve it, this is where we begin. Getting a defined starting point is the key to creating the right itinerary for our journey.
Doing the exercise is simple enough. Just start when you get up and each time you change your activity, log it. If you use a smart phone – you can use that to log it. If not – just have a small notebook. Make certain that you log EVERY activity and the starting time. You do not have to put an ending time – just a start time. And remember. This is for YOUR EYES ONLY. This isn’t anything you would ever need to show anyone else. It also isn’t about later judgment. Even for yourself. It is just logging what you are doing over the course of a day. If you can manage a few days – that would be even better in terms of the value you can realize from the information you are going to gather. One idea would be to start on a Thursday or Friday and continue to Monday or Tuesday depending on when you started. That will give you five days of logging that include 2 or 3 normal week days and your weekend.
If you are like most of us, there are going to be some surprises in store. Some of what you discover will bolster your confidence and some will become the motivation you need to take back control of your time. Overall, the insights will be priceless. Think of this as the first of many gifts you are giving yourself this year. Look forward to seeing the results! Because it is all about your success and seeing for yourself what a difference a day makes!
Use this any time you are not getting the results you want in any area of your life. Use personal logging as your reality check. It’s your touchstone to what is really happening in your life. Are you unhappy with your financial situation and wondering where your money goes? Log it! Not reaching the health outcomes you want to achieve? Log your movement, hydration and food. The truth will indeed set us free from spinning wheels and get us back on course!
It won’t take you long at all to recognize what a difference a day makes and what a difference you can make in your life with that day!
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” Galileo Galilei
“People are usually more convinced by reasons they discovered themselves than by those found by others.” Blaise Pascal
Live today like you want tomorrow to be. Live well.