With Christa, the Christmas Elf with a Plan – 9 December
Today’s End of the Year Planning Tip from Christa, is something I’ve been doing for several years. At the end of the day, I review the days events and how things did (or didn’t go) and then write down what I am grateful for from the day. I often do a Brain Dump when I’ve got lots of thoughts on my mind. Filling in a mood tracker for the day used to be part of my daily reflections, but I didn’t find it particularly useful. I know many people do find them very helpful, so give it a try if you’ve not done so before. I do agree with Christa, ending each day with time for reflection can be a very good thing.
What Are the Benefits of Daily Reflection?
Daily reflection requires taking a few moments at the end of the day to reflect on all that we experienced over the entire day. We can note the highlights and celebrate the wins. We can identify lessons learned or areas we want to improve on. We can examine our feelings and look for the good in even the worse days. We can express gratitude and find closure for the day. We can clear our minds of all the thoughts that could keep us awake and let our planner hold on to them for us.
It doesn’t matter if you do this all in your planner, or in a journal. Your gratitude log could be recorded with each day, in an area on a weekly spread, or on a monthly gratitude page. But it is helpful to do this daily while the recollections are still fresh. Daily reflections can be a valuable tool for becoming more self-aware and for guiding you in your personal growth.
Finding the Good in Every Day
I have had day where I felt like the only good thing that I had to write down was that I made it to the end of the day. But I recently came across a reel on Facebook. She was sharing something her grandpa used to tell her. I tried to confirm the origin so that I could give credit where credit was due. It was not the first time I’d heard it, so I figured her grandpa might not have originated it. It may just be “collective wisdom”. But here’s what it says:
“Good days give happiness, bad days give experience, the worst days give lessons, and the best days give memories.”
In every day we can find something good. Our daily reflections can help us savor our happiness and capture our memories. And it can help us grow from our experience and learn from our lessons.
Why Do I Add a Brain Dump?
If I have things on my mind – ideas I’m mulling over, things I need to do, worrying about little things … you know random thoughts that are keeping me awake. I write them down. I can pick them back up in the morning and do something with them. It helps me to clear my mind so that I can get to sleep. So if you have the same problem, you might want to try it, too.
Summary
Taking time at the end of our day for reflection can help us to celebrate our achievements, but also to help us grow personally. Finding something good, something to be grateful for in every day is good for out emotional well-being. It is a time for us to find closure with the days events which allows us to start the next day with a fresh perspective.
I’m looking forward to Christa’s next End of the Year Planning Tip. If you missed out on any of the previous tips, click here to go back to Tip #1.
Happy Planning,
Linda
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