Tags
Catch Up, Do Nothing Days, Gauge, Plan, President's Day, Review, Track, Weekly Review
Hello, readers. I wanted to reach out to you today to discuss giving yourself a down day during your week. A down day allows you to contemplate what you’ve done, assess your progress toward your goals, and let you relax and enjoy quiet time with yourself. I use Sunday as my “do nothing day”.
Do Nothing Days and The Weekly Review
Having a day during the week where I can choose what I want to do is a great way to give my mind a break, have fun, and get caught up on things that required my attention during the week but fell to the wayside. It is also the day I do my laundry, clean up my office, and organize for the upcoming week.
There are daily habits I do not miss. I always meditate, read, write, and exercise. I also take time to spend on one of my classes I am taking to keep the brain engaged. The habits I stick to on Sundays are my critical to-dos I want to continue to build as strong habits.
The other thing I do is what I call a “weekly review”. This is a practice of taking stock of what I have done, where I am regarding my goals, and making a note of anything I must do in the upcoming week is not already in my planner. If you have not done a weekly review before or don’t know what it is, I recommend a book by David Allen called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity. In this book, David describes best-practices for you to use for your weekly review.
Here’s a snapshot of what I do. I clean out my “Paper” Inbox. This is where I capture any snail-mail I receive during the week. This could be bills you have received. This could be magazines you haven’t glanced at. Then I look at all my ongoing projects. Am I on track with my book writing, my programming course, my other courses? How about my exercise routine? Is it working for me? What about my bucket list? Is it up-to-date? Are there other things I came up with during the week I want to add to my bucket list? Your weekly review will differ from mine, since you will have other priorities, other things you must do personally, and other ideas about the things you’d like to do with your life. Finally, I test my progress toward my goals.
What do I do for the rest of the day? I watch a movie I’ve tagged to watch; I get in some extra fiction reading; I go to a nice coffee shop and just hang out; I get in some video game playing. The sky is the limit. I strive to do something I don’t do the rest of the week to give my mind a break. I really enjoy doing mindless things that give me a mental and physical break.
President’s Day
Tomorrow is President’s Day. If you live outside the states, this holiday is where Americans celebrate the Presidents of the past and present. It is a national holiday recognized by most employers. This means that this is a 3-day weekend for those of my readership that still work at an office.
I use holidays as another day to relax and do what I want. I still work on my priorities but take it easy and do something fun. Playing video games, watching some TV, listening to music and enjoying a cup of coffee are my ideas of having fun.
My Weekly Review
I am on track with all my goals so far. I am well on my way to reading 48 books this year. I am making progress on my weight loss. I have changed my diet and enjoying the benefits. My writing is on track and I am making steady progress toward all my classes I am engaged in. I have no special appointments or activities to take care of this week and everything is in a state of flow. Today, I’ll get in some video game play after I have knocked out all my daily to-dos. One of my to-dos is to straighten out my home office and get laundry done. Besides that, the rest of the day is mine!
I hope you are enjoying your Sunday. I also hope you have something fun planned for President’s Day (If you celebrate this holiday).
Until next time…
Dave
