I decided I’d share the list of questions I try to ask myself every morning and evening. I usually spend about thirty seconds on each question, just thinking about them, though I sometimes write my answers down if I have a particularly good insight. I find they keep me pretty well-calibrated to my best self. Some are idiosyncratic, but hopefully these will be generally applicable.
A. Today, this week, this month:
What am I excited about?
What goals do I have?
What questions do I want to answer?
What specific ways do I want to be better?
B. Yesterday, last week, last month:
What did I accomplish that am I proud of?
In what instances did I behave in a way I am proud of?
What did I do wrong? How will I do better?
What do I want to remember? What adventures did I have?
C. Generally:
9: If I’m not doing exactly what I want to be doing, why?
For about a month and a half, though I forget about 25% of the time. I haven’t noticed any strong effects, though I feel as if I approach the day-to-day more conscientiously and often get more out of my time.
For a term in university I followed a similar method. Every day I would post ‘Today’s Greatest Achievement:’ in the relevant social media of the time. There was a noticeable improvement in happiness and extra-curricular productivity as I more actively sought out novel experiences, active community roles, and academic side projects. The daily reminder led to a far more conscientious use of my time.
The combined reminder that I spent all weekend playing video games and broadcasting to my entire social circle that that was my greatest achievement in the past 48 hours was in a mindless video game led to immediate behavior changes.
I decided I’d share the list of questions I try to ask myself every morning and evening. I usually spend about thirty seconds on each question, just thinking about them, though I sometimes write my answers down if I have a particularly good insight. I find they keep me pretty well-calibrated to my best self. Some are idiosyncratic, but hopefully these will be generally applicable.
A. Today, this week, this month:
What am I excited about?
What goals do I have?
What questions do I want to answer?
What specific ways do I want to be better?
B. Yesterday, last week, last month:
What did I accomplish that am I proud of?
In what instances did I behave in a way I am proud of?
What did I do wrong? How will I do better?
What do I want to remember? What adventures did I have?
C. Generally: 9: If I’m not doing exactly what I want to be doing, why?
How long have you been doing this, and have you noticed any effects?
For about a month and a half, though I forget about 25% of the time. I haven’t noticed any strong effects, though I feel as if I approach the day-to-day more conscientiously and often get more out of my time.
For a term in university I followed a similar method. Every day I would post ‘Today’s Greatest Achievement:’ in the relevant social media of the time. There was a noticeable improvement in happiness and extra-curricular productivity as I more actively sought out novel experiences, active community roles, and academic side projects. The daily reminder led to a far more conscientious use of my time.
The combined reminder that I spent all weekend playing video games and broadcasting to my entire social circle that that was my greatest achievement in the past 48 hours was in a mindless video game led to immediate behavior changes.
That’s the hardest of them all, still searching for answers.
What does it mean for “you” to not be doing exactly what you “want”? Do you downplay or ignore your not-conscious thought processes?