We all do it at some point or another. We focus on all the things we haven’t done today.
Even if you’re super-organized and productive, this will happen when you’re hit with a significant life event or crisis.
Stay-at-home parents tell me they get to the end of the day and can’t remember what they did all day. Business owners say the same thing!
This week, I was with a client who has ADHD and I heard a common lament: “I get to the end of my day and want to do ‘just one more thing,’ because I feel like I haven’t gotten anything done all day.”
Here are my 10 best suggestions to remind yourself of what you HAVE done on those kinds of days.
1. Make a mini-goals list at the beginning of the day. Check off what you get done. Visually see what you DID get done. Mini = three at most.
2. Schedule time towards the end of your day to review what got done today and what’s up for tomorrow. Find a way to come to a PAUSE for this.
3. Look at one item on your list. Does it “feel too big?” Have you procrastinated on it? Then break it into smaller pieces. “Done” doesn’t have to be the whole project; just one step is “completed.”
4. Journal at night or at the start of the following day. Write down accomplishments, gratitudes – whatever helps you feel it.
5. Write down gratitudes each day. Research shows that if you shift to thinking more positively, this affects your perspective throughout your day.
6. Self-talk: Stop a few times a day – even hourly – and ask yourself: “What have I gotten done so far?” And – “Is this how I want to spend my time?”
7. Ask for someone else’s perspective on your day — meaning a positive thinker, a close friend, someone who thinks you are terrific.
8. Your standards: Is it possible they’re too high? How much can you actually get done in a day? Drop one from your regular number. Do “one less” instead of “one more.”
9. Sometimes, I sing to change my mood. Remember that song, “What have you done for me lately?” Singing can change my mood, and isn’t THAT the right question to ask!
10. What kind of person have you been today? Sometimes, it’s not what you have DONE but the people you have affected. Were there for a friend in need, and that’s why your long task list didn’t get done? Be willing to shift priorities and recognize that some part of being you just isn’t part of a task list.
Which is your favorite? Which will you experiment with?
Tags: ADHD; forgetfulness; to do list;accomplishments, one more thing, time management
Sometimes it helps to keep a notepad nearby and jot down everything you do (and the time spent on each task, if you like). Often when we think we haven’t gotten anything done, we’ve actually gotten a lot of small things done that aren’t memorable but may be important (or not).
Nice idea – and easy enough to implement. Keeps it nearby and in sight at an office desk or a kitchen counter. I invariably find that when I ask a client to “brag a little,” it takes a few minutes to get hear about what they feel good about accomplishing. Sometimes, it’s enough to just be there for someone, too. (Like you were for me today in our emails!) Thanks.
This is a fabulous list, Sue! There are days when a lot is accomplished and other times that have less doing and more just being. Every type of day is part of the essential mix. While I prefer when each day has a shape, and feel like I’ve accomplished something, I also recognize that not every day can be the same volume of intensity. I need time to breathe, pause and NOT do also.
I love the idea to schedule time at the end of the day to review accomplishments. Even the smallest of tasks is getting something done! With this review, we know that we have been productive.