I must say I’m a fan of Gabby Bernstein. I’m on her email list, and last week she sent out a link to her blog post outlining her ‘Daily Design Method’.
The Method involves reflecting on, and journaling responses to, the following four questions each morning:
”1. How do I want to feel today?
2. Who do I want to be today?
3. What do I want to receive today?
4. What do I want to give today?”
This method sounded good to me, but it also made me think of a thought pattern that is all too familiar in my daily life. That thought pattern is, “You haven’t done enough!”. This thought pattern is engrained into my being, and I find that it pops up nearly every single day. I know I’m not the only one who experiences this thought. Many of my friends who have walked along similar paths as I have, completing graduate school and engaging in many jobs and activities, have reported this inner nagging as well. Maybe this developed for some of us during college or graduate school, since oftentimes there was always something to work on. Or maybe this thought pattern is what led us to and through graduate school. I can’t pinpoint its origin for me, but most days I go to bed with the thought “You should have done more”.
Let’s be clear, it’s not like I sit on my butt all day watching TV and eating ice cream. I mean, I have had those Sundays from time to time, but usually I am overloading myself with activities, tasks and new endeavors. Rarely do I reflect on the things I have accomplished, or settle into my current space.
As I was reading Gabby’s daily design method, I thought to myself, “That seems well and good, but there should be something to supplement this at night, to help us acknowledge how much we’ve accomplished that day and go to bed feeling peaceful”. Some sort of daily wrap-up method could be put in place, to help us realize just how much we did that day, both personally and professionally.
I think reflecting on, and journaling responses to, the following questions could assist with this.
1. What job-related tasks did I accomplish today?
2. What personal tasks did I accomplish today?
3. How did I incorporate self-care into my day?
4. What was a positive experience from today?
To clarify, job-related tasks could be tasks for any type of job, including homemaker. Additionally, the tasks included should be both big and small - they all take time and effort! Considering the self-care we took for ourselves is paramount, as it can allow us to identify if and when we need to step on the brakes to prevent burnout. Finally, thinking about a positive experience from the day (again, big or small) can help us wrap up the day with a feeling of gratitude. I purposely did not include questions that would have us reflect on whether we felt, received or gave what we wanted to that day, as posed by Gabby’s questions, because if we didn’t feel, receive or give the things we intended, that could make us feel pretty crappy. But we’re all accomplishing some number of tasks each day, and we all can hopefully think back on a positive experience from the day if we truly think about it.
Incorporating these wrap-up questions into Gabby's daily design method, we could have an empowering daily reflection practice on our hands! I’m going to put this entire method to the test for 30 days and see how I feel. Beginning tomorrow, I will incorporate this total method into my daily routine, and report back. Be sure to subscribe to my email list for weekly updates!
Like the wrap-up questions? Comment below to provide any thoughts, or results from putting this into practice!