What activities do you need to complete each day to feel fulfilled in your life?

Before we dive into today’s issue, let me remind you of our little secret: The key to success in all areas of your life starts with managing the most important asset you possess: YOU. YOU are the golden goose of your life. There is no better investment in life than investing in yourself.

In the last issue of the ManageGG Newsletter, we talked about the importance of having a destination in mind—a clear vision of where you want your life to go. We discussed the value of creating a personal mission statement to guide your actions and decisions.

Now that you have your long-term plan, the next step is to start setting short-term objectives and goals. But before we get into the specifics of goal-setting, it's important to begin by observing yourself—to collect data on how you're living each day. This data will help you monitor whether you're truly in control and if the strategies you're using are effective.

What Are Daily Checkboxes?

The first tool I’d like to introduce to you today is something I call the daily checkboxes. This simple yet powerful tool helps you track whether you’re staying on course in your life each day. It’s a great proxy for determining how much control you have over your day-to-day actions.

I first encountered this concept when I read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. At the time, I was trying to transform myself into a morning person. But I learned far more than just how to wake up early. Hal’s morning routine, which included meditating, reading, journaling, and exercising, inspired me. He used these activities to win his day from the start. This gave me the idea to expand this concept beyond just the morning and apply it to the entire day.

Creating Your Own Daily Checkboxes

The key question I asked myself was: What activities do I need to complete each day to feel fulfilled? What are the daily actions that, when done consistently, contribute to my mission on this earth?

These checkbox activities should be framed as simple yes/no questions that you can review at the end of the day. For example, "Did I meditate today?" or "Did I spend quality time with my family?"

Just like with your mission statement, you won’t get it perfect on the first try. The goal is to identify an initial set of activities and refine them over time based on what you learn about yourself. As you track these activities daily, you’ll collect data that shows you which habits are most impactful and which might need adjustment.

My Daily Checkboxes

To give you an idea, here are the 14 the checkbox activities I currently track:

1. Did I wake up early this morning (5 AM)?
2. Did I pray and/or meditate this morning?
3. Did I work out today?
4. Did I read my mission statement today?
5. Did I spend time writing today?
6. Did I learn something new today?
7. Did I treat people well today?
8. Did I spend 20 minutes in managed solitude today?
9. Did I spend quality time with my kids today?
10. Did I spend quality time with my wife today?
11. Did I respect my diet?
12. Did I complete more tasks than I added today?
13. Did I properly close my day?
14. Did I pray and/or meditate at the end of the day?

As you can see, these questions touch on both personal and professional aspects of my life. It takes less than five minutes to answer them at the end of the day, but they provide a clear indicator of how much control I have over my life.

Why This Tool Works

Currently, I use a simple Excel sheet to track these activities and calculate my weekly score based on how many checkboxes I checked. This gives me a good sense of how balanced and harmonious my life is. If I start losing balance, it shows up in my tracker, allowing me to address it before it becomes a bigger issue.

Granted, you won’t always check every box each day—life happens. But striving to do so is important because these activities are what you’ve identified as essential for fulfilling your mission. If you consistently find that you’re unable to complete these activities, it’s a clear sign that you’re losing control.

This Week’s Exercise: Your Daily Checkboxes

This week, take 30 minutes to think about your own checkbox activities. Ask yourself:

• What do I need to do every day to feel fulfilled?
• What makes a day productive for me?
• What habits will help me get to where I want to go?

Remember, these activities will vary for everyone. We don’t all have the same mission statement, priorities, or context. Identify what works for you. And remember, your list isn’t set in stone—you can revise it as you learn more about yourself. The most important thing is to start somewhere.

Looking Ahead: The Weekly Productivity Score

The daily checkboxes are a foundational tool for tracking your life, but to gain true visibility on how you’re progressing toward your objectives, you’ll need more. In the next issue of this newsletter, we’ll explore the second tool for your self-management toolbox: The Weekly Productivity Score.

See you next week!