Diaries Clarify Reality

I was reflecting this year on ways to take consistent action toward my goals while feeling that there is enough time during the day for everything that I want.

Having clarity on your vision, strategy, and actions is critical. Plans, schedules, and routines are the outputs of this clarity. They usually work for a while, then something comes in the way and they change. Agile practices like short sprints and retrospectives help adjust to the reality. Nevertheless, I often feel that I am not progressing enough.

How to achieve that state of keeping the pace of action, in a sustainable way?

I’ve been looking for answers in various places. I’ve been trying various techniques. What worked for me was:

• What gets measured gets done. Choose the right metrics.
• Am I doing what I say I will? Set some test window of time to add in a diary what I do to get awareness whether my actual actions match my intentions.
• Forget about perfection. 80% adherence to the plan is fine.?

I won't delve into specific measures, as they vary by situation. I would like to show you a few areas that benefited me from daily tracking.

Meet Diaries

They have been a game changer for me to raise my awareness. It showed me what I knew I do, it showed me what I didn’t know I do and it showed me what I knew, but I was denying that I knew.

Consistently taking notes and remembering to track can be annoying. But in a few days I usually begin to see patterns. I get more clarity. It helps me see what I should do more and what I should do less.

I do not track all the dimensions of my life at once. I track mainly where and when I see that I have a problem.

1. Time

Tracking your time is very useful when you feel overwhelmed, or when you need to free more time. It helps you see if you spend most of your time on those activities that bring you the most value, or not. It helps you identify what you could delegate to a tool, process, person, or don’t do at all. It helps you see in which part of the day you are more productive.?

Record your activities every 15 minutes for 1-2 weeks. Yes, 15 min can be very annoying, but that small interval shows the details.?

I recently did this and I was shocked to see that I had less focus time than I thought. I even discovered ways to get my daughter ready for daycare in the morning.

1. Money

This is more frequently tracked and more obvious. It helps you get awareness of where your money flows. It helps you optimize the way you spend your money. In the end, you want to increase your net worth.

Becoming comfortable with tracking each expense takes time. I found out that once I’m getting used to it, it becomes easy.

1. Water?

Water is the most important after breathing that we need in order to be alive. We all know that we need to stay hydrated. However, busy schedules often lead to forgetfulness. Worst, is when we use too much of other beverages. Drinking a lot at once, then forgetting to drink for a longer time, is not healthy either.?

I noticed that I am more disciplined at the beginning of the day than during the day. Especially when I’m in meetings, or travelling, I tend to forget to drink water. I remember when I feel tired, or get a headache. Tracking and habit stacking is the only way for me to stay properly hydrated.

1. Food

This awareness gives us the opportunity to reflect on our healthy choices: what we eat, how often, if we snack, if we have emotional snacking. This is useful for managing weight, whether losing or gaining.

For me it was a shock to see that the intermittent fasting that I thought I’m keeping is not that consistent, especially on the weekends, or on the evenings when we go out. It showed me that what I thought it’s a one time exception, was more regular.

1. Emotions

This is one of the best tools for emotional regulation. It creates awareness of our emotions, the triggers, what is beneath those emotions. Write what is your main emotion, intensity, the trigger, and what is behind it.?

My daughter often pushes my buttons. By reflecting on the emotions, especially those that were creating me or her discomfort, I could uncover deeper causes. Most of the time, it’s not her behaviour that needs to change, but mine.

1. Patterns of Behavior and Habits

These allow us to observe what beliefs we hold. In the end they are the ones shaping our lives. Write whether they have a positive or negative impact on your life.

For instance, when uncomfortable, I tend to distract myself with other tasks, like grabbing a snack, a cup of tea, or even trying to do some cleaning. Or that I tend to associate our cottage as our weekend house, therefore I feel like it's the weekend every time we are there. That helped me anticipate this and create a working plan for the times when I go there during my working days.

1. Thoughts?

Thoughts impact the decisions that we take and the way we show up every day. The disempowering thoughts are the ones that you need to change. Write whenever you observe a disempowering thought. Then rewrite it into an empowering thought.

We likely have many examples, given our tendency to overthink.

1. Impact of Actions

Your actions create an impact on the people around you, directly or indirectly. Write the impact on other people, their reaction and how aware you were about it.

Initially, I doubted the need for this practice. Then I saw the boost of energy that the positive impact gave me. That made me want to create more.?

My daughter is very sensitive to what I say or do. For me it is very important to be aware of my impact.

We are in constant movement, always growing. There is never perfection. Regularly tracking important life aspects, particularly when things seem amiss, helps us progress.

Start Your Journaling Journey Today

You've seen how keeping a diary can transform everyday life, bringing clarity and progress in areas you might not have imagined. Now, it's your turn to experience this transformation. Begin with a simple step: pick one area of your life you're curious about improving – be it time management, financial habits, or emotional well-being. For the next two weeks, commit to journaling your experiences, actions, and thoughts in this area.

Don't worry about perfection or comprehensive tracking; start small and watch as patterns emerge and insights unfold. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take that step today, and let your diary be the guide to a more aware and optimized life.