Have you ever taken the time to write down every single thing you do in a day?
Now, I am all about writing down the best parts of your day and what you're thankful for. Doing this leaves you feeling #blessed for sure, but have you ever made a list of everything, and I mean everything you do in a day?
I am a large investor in the art of busy. My mind is constantly clouded by the things I need to do, and I hardly ever stop and acknowledge that I do a lot every day. (Not even counting everything my body does daily without me having to think!)
I am also a believer in planning. I have gotten sucked into more planners than those games people invite you to play on Facebook. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I do what I put in my planner--even if it is something simple like "make coffee."
While thinking about this the other day, I decided to write down everything I did in a day in this beautiful cat journal. I had 126 active things from June 24th. As someone who wears makeup, I know that was at least 20 steps of my day, but everything else was just a normal day. I didn't even write down things like "went to the kitchen" or "opened the fridge" or even "put cream in my coffee." It was a lot of fun to read through them the next morning. Here are some of my highlights:
36. Ate a Sloppy Joe where Ernest Hemingway dined
48. Sat in a Starbucks drinking an Iced Soy Chai (my first love)
55. Watched my parents have a parrot put on their heads against their will
57. Made fun of my family because they wanted to go into the Crocs store
58. Got a pair of Croc flip-flops (arguably the comfiest flip-flops on planet Earth)
97. Struggled learning Korean via Rosetta Stone
This is one of the easiest things I've ever done, but I felt an unreal sense of accomplishment knowing I did so many activities in one day. I have no doubt that if I went through every social media conversation, every text, every time I walked to a new place, I could make it over 500 actions.
Isn't that wild?
I mean, I like trying to beat my 10,000 step goal on my Fitbit, and I would add that to the list, but I have never felt a sense of accomplishment like I did when I read I have done 126 things in one day. Even if I didn't finish everything I needed to, I did 126 things that affected me as a person, and that's amazing.
As a teacher, I've learned that not everything can be done in one day. There will always be things to do: papers to grade, parents to call, and plans to write. I'm sure that is the way in every profession. Sometimes I feel discouraged when I only tick four things off a to-do list in one day. Now, realizing that I do so much in a day, I feel a different kind of accomplishment. Our bodies are capable of doing so many activities in just one day, it truly is astounding.
I'm not recommending you take the time to write down every single thing you do every day for the rest of your life, but I would imagine doing it on days you feel unaccomplished, or even when you feel extremely accomplished would boost your confidence. Have faith in yourself as a doer, and recognize how much you do, every day.
