If you’re anything like me, you have written your fair share of to do lists and then promptly ignored them. Whether I forget where I put it, accidentally throw it away, or just literally never look at it again, to do lists have not been particularly effective for me in the past. I started trying again last month though, and for the first time, it’s actually working! It came about because I was struggling with some poor eating habits and buying food while I was out and about instead of cooking healthy meals at home. This was mostly because I had been working mornings more than usual and I’d leave the house to do visits, then I’d run some errands and then I was STARVING so I’d buy some quick breakfast. Doing this occasionally isn’t a big deal but it was becoming a pattern. I was talking with my health coach (You can find her here: https://www.facebook.com/TheLeadingCauseofWellness/) and telling her about the problems I was having and she came up with the great idea to plan my meals. Not meal planning like make 7 of the same meal on Sunday and eat one every day but plan where in my day to put my meals. GENIUS.
This sparked a whole new behavior change for me. Every night, before bed, I’d sit down with my planner (I use the Bossed Up LifeTracker Planner which you can get here: https://bossedup.org/product/limited-edition-2019-lifetracker-planner/). I write down all my planned appointments and what I wanted/needed to get done for the day and then I’d figure out where a meal would fit and I’d write it down. If it looked like I’d be out, I could plan to bring something with me. If I’d make it home, I could just eat there. It worked like a dream. I didn’t need to buy food when I was out because I had a plan. I didn’t need to worry about when I’d be eating because I had always written it down. Of course things still came up but I found myself much more in control than I had been before and I found that I was way less likely to make an unhealthy choice.
As an unexpected perk, I also was getting a lot more of my massive ever changing to do list done. Writing things in smart, intentional bullets really helps. An even bigger bonus is that I was sleeping better. Since I made my list before going to bed I was able to sleep without stressing about what I had to do in the morning. It was all waiting for me in my planner so I could sleep peacefully and hit the ground running in the morning.
I know a lot of you are thinking, “Yeah, duh, that’s what planners are for”. And you’re right. But I had never really used one effectively. I would love to hear what you do to plan your days, make your to do list, or use your planners. Share in the comments!