I do well with tracking & reporting on my monthly goals, but as we all know, it's the steps we take each day that lead us to those goals.
Borrowing an idea from Laura at The Occasional Nomads, I've been experimenting with a weekly checklist. The checklist is a simple grid, with days of the week as columns (one week at a time), and a daily set of tasks as the rows. I check off each daily task when complete.
I've been getting a lot of mileage out of the grid, and taking some input from my sister, I'm going to uplevel my tracking & record how many of the items I complete on a weekly basis. There are 15/day, and 7 days/week, for a total possible of 105. It will be interesting to see how I trend over time. My sister recommended creating incentives for specific targets (e.g. weeks where I am over 100, or whatever), but for now, I'll start by just tracking. Last week, I completed 77. I do really well during the week days, and less well on weekends, when I tend to get sucked into other chores around the house.
I also have a daily non standard check list. This includes my meetings for the day, any boys activities I'm trying to keep track of, calls I need to make that day, etc.
And, for those who are curious, or looking for their own inspiration, here's what I have on my daily checklist:
- Journal
- List something for sale (eBay, FB marketplace, etc)
- Complete a non standard chore (no laundry, dishes, etc, as I do those anyway). This is my motivation to organize, declutter, clean a fan, etc. Tackle those projects I don't get to on a regular basis.
- Complete one lesson in Duolingo
- Get 12k steps. I've noticed this is much harder for me during the winter.
- Do three rounds of my posture exercises
- Meditate
- Work out
- Make salad. There's a story behind this, but basically, I find the salad making process (this is for M, for dinner, every day) irritating during dinner. If I get it done earlier in the day, it's no sweat & takes just a few minutes. If I save it for dinner time, while I'm in the midst of trying to get the rest of the food on the table, I do not find it enjoyable.
- Complete a daily strength challenge
- Task for Sam. I help him review his homework. This is specific to online learning tools.
- Task for Sam. I help him review upcoming assignments
- Track & complete my calories for the day
- Check in on my volunteer role/do a kind deed
- No cursing
Oh man, I love the no cursing and I would be a fail. Great list. I should probably add more. But then agian, I dont have to do for anyone but me.
ReplyDelete2016 & the surrounding political drama turned me into quite the curser. Also, my boss at work curses, which leads to a cycle. Now that we're not in person, it's much easier. And, the political cursing is also greatly reduced. :-)
DeleteNice list! I have 2 trackers that I hope to continue for many months. One is to ensure all the household dishes are done before bedtime every day so I can wake up to a clean counter area. The other is to clean the cat box more often (I am not terrible at it, but I can do better!)
ReplyDeleteI love having trackers. I'm constantly finding small ways to tweak or optimize my life & love hearing what others have going
DeleteI'd be an epic failure on the no swearing-and I was a preschool teacher for years!
ReplyDeleteSam I am shocked, shocked I tell you. Actually I really have to work on my potty mouth.
DeleteHa, it's been a huge life adjustment for me!
DeleteYou know I do not like making salad either and find it an irritation. But Hubs grandmother who lived until she was 98 also hated to make salad, so she would always ask me to do it. She told me one time that she truly appreciated that I would always make up the huge salads the family would consume so she did not have to do it. It became a joy to me as I knew it made her happy. I always think of that while I am chopping, and chopping.
ReplyDeleteI love the positive memory you have associated with your husband's grandmother. It's funny because it really doesn't take me that long, but it just feels like a hassle. So many veggies, so much chopping!
DeleteI'm pretty sure I've been making lists since I was born. On busy weeks I use the same format as you. I also have a separate daily list that I simply reference to make sure I keep certain things top of mind - like enough fruit/veggie servings, therapy exercises, compliment my husband by telling him one thing I'm proud of him for, and one household task from the master list that I keep in a separate planner.
ReplyDeleteYou are my person! I love the idea of the household master list. I'm going to steal that.
DeleteI'm willing to make salad but I don't want to eat it. Conversely I'm willing to eat it if I don't have to make it. I have a strange relationship with salad.
ReplyDeleteI am yearning for more routine in my life but that's definitely asking for the moon with the infant here! It's not in the cards for a while yet.