Your Daily To Do List for Quarantine and Beyond
By Tereska Lynam, Aurora Executive Consulting
If the essence of coaching is goal setting and goal achievement, planners and To Do lists are the primary tools of our trade.
We at Aurora Executive Consulting are perpetually on the lookout for planning tools that resonate with clients. We seek those that inspire, motivate, and guide users toward their goals, as well as those that keep them organized, calm, and broadly confident.
The global lockdown associated with COVID-19 initially threw most into a confused tailspin. As the weeks have gone by, most have managed to put down the ice cream and alcohol — at least during the day — and have developed some sort of a productive rhythm.
Nonetheless, we see a major difference in self-confidence and overall wellbeing between those that have been using planning tools and those who have not. Even if the activities of both groups would broadly be the same, those who use planners have less near-term uncertainty and therefore suffer significantly less guilt and anxiety.
Doubt me? Imagine how differently you would feel about spending a day watching Netflix and eating carbs if those activities were on your To Do List versus if they were not:
In the first case, you would be allowing yourself planned treat. It might feel like a celebration and you might work up to it by making especially healthy meals the rest of the week, being rigorous about exercise, and keeping personal screen time to a minimum. There is something magical about being able to check “eat a pint of ice cream” off your To Do List!
In the second case, we find that those who regularly have unplanned treats don’t enjoy them nearly as much as they could. They tend to beat themselves up for being lazy and out of control. Instead of feeling refreshed from a day of leisure, they feel fatigue and despair. Their anxiety is much higher than that who have a planned break day, even if the unplanned have behaved exactly as the planned group!
The world has changed, and we don’t believe that we will be returning to our former ways of working within the next year — if ever. As such, it is imperative that we find tools to keep us tethered.
We designed this To Do List based on some brilliant examples we saw floating through social media as well as input from clients, colleagues, and friends on what is working best for them. These are broad suggestions that can work for most people, including the handicapped. (The only thing that may be difficult for those with reduced mobility is “make your bed”; We nonetheless include it because it has been such an important step for those working from home.)
DAILY TO DO LIST
by Aurora Executive Consulting
¨ Smile and announce: “Today is going to be a Great Day!”
¨ Drink water
¨ Personal hygiene: brush your teeth, shower/ wash face, moisturize
¨ Make your bed
¨ Medication and supplements
¨ Stretch, especially your neck and shoulders. Repeat as necessary.
¨ Clean one thing/ space
¨ Tend something growing/ living (includes preparing a meal or a creative project)
¨ Do one thing to get your heart rate up
¨ Do one thing you’ll be glad you did later
¨ Do one thing because you want to
¨ Reach out to a human outside your home
¨ Get in at least one good laugh
Be Mindfully Present To….
o A sound or a song
o A sensory feeling
o Something you see that is beautiful
o A spiritual practice
¨ Count your accomplishments and blessings
¨ Give yourself a Self-High Five, a Happy Dance, a Whoop-Whoop, or another cheer for your favorite achievement of the day
¨ Go to bed
What are the benefits of this list?
- It is manageable and achievable, which many To Do Lists are not.
- It keeps users grounded in the present while also imagining the future.
- It is balanced between personal, professional, physical, and spiritual.
- The DO ONE THING dictum prevents users from overloading on goals and tasks which thereby leads to more realistic planning and goal setting.
- It addresses the “boring but important” in a very savvy way: It has users doing a bit of cleaning every day and also has them pick one item of personal administration to tackle.
- Tending something growing/ living fosters our own creativity and sense of accomplishment; reaching out to others outside our home keeps us connected.
- The directive to be mindfully present to our surroundings generates serenity and optimism.
- “Do one thing because you want to!” Perfect! We should do something fun every day. And we should aim to laugh as much as possible, as laughter is the antidote to anxiety and depression.
- There is tremendous evidence that putting on a smile (even if it sometimes feels forced) and announcing a positive intention for the day inherently makes us more confident and productive.
- Counting blessings and accomplishments before bed facilitates deeper and more restful sleep, as it helps us “close the tabs” in the internet browser in our brains and makes us more appreciative of the lives we are living.
We hope you find this useful. Please stay safe and sane in these complicated times.
