In the last newsletter, I wrote about trying my hand again at a regular review process. I’m two weeks into daily use of the template I created a few years back, and I like what’s happening.
Here’s why it’s working:
It’s quick.
There are four questions that are best answered with a sentence or two. For me, brevity equals clarity, especially when writing to myself. The folks I work with might appreciate the same!
It’s accessible.
I do this daily review in a Day One journal of the same name, which is set up with a template. When I start a new entry or trigger a shortcut the questions are there. I can do it on any device I own or copy the questions into my print notebook if I prefer.
It's useful.
I like how answering these questions feels. It forces a pause, in the same way writing in my gratitude journal does, and requires me to consider my actions and, perhaps more importantly, my reactions during the day.
I put the four questions that I ask as part of the daily review into rotation a few years back.
They are:
- What happened today that went well?
- What happened today that could have gone better?
- How did I make a positive impact on those around me?
- Is there anything unfinished or that needs to be written down for tomorrow?
There’s a good mix of gratitude, reflection, and planning here. The final question is, in some ways, the most actionable, with a quick check-in about what I need to write down for tomorrow. This helps me pull something important out of my brain, lessening my load and helping me plan.
Part of a strong writing practice is a strong reading habit. On the blog last week I shared some ideas that have helped me build a better reading habit. Inputs influence our output, and the more control we take over what goes in, the better off we are.
Right now, I’m reading The Daily Pressfield as part of my evening routine and really enjoying it. I was introduced to Steven’s work from Ryan Holiday, and started with The War on Art. He’s a great fiction writer too, check out A Man at Arms which I really enjoyed.
I’ll share more thoughts on daily reading habits in a future edition of this newsletter.
To help fuel the conversation, can you reply and let me know what you're reading at the end of your day?
For those following my podcast journey, I recently made my third trip as a guest on the Basic AF show to discuss Apple TV+. It was a fun chat with a great group of guys who I always enjoy talking with.
In case you missed it, you can hear my episode where we talked about journaling here. I'm honored that it's among the most popular episodes of their podcast!
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