13 Weeks of the Best Self Journal
Here’s My Mandatory Productivity Article for the Year
I have about 20 journals and day planners laying around, all with the first few pages filled (with barely legible writing) and the last 120–200 pages blank.
My inability to stick with any journal or calendar has been a pattern for God-since-forever.
UNTIL NOW.
Well, sort of.
I actually finally for once in my life, got all the way through a journal.
Granted it was a 13 week journal and it took me 56 weeks to get through it, but I DID IT.
And I had to write this post about it because 1) I’m very proud of this accomplishment, and 2) I finally found a journal that works and as a thought leader, it’s my duty to share it with you.
It’s called the Best Self Journal, and I will put the wonders of it in a list because #attentionspan.
1. It made me realize there are actually enough hours in the day to get stuff done.
Instead of writing to-do lists, I map out my day in half-hour increments. So I end up with a full plan for the day instead of just a list that could keep going on and on forever.
Of course, it doesn’t always work.
And sometimes I find myself writing the same thing down multiple days in a row because I never got it done.
But then I eventually get it done (or I realize maybe it’s just not a priority and it goes on the back burner of my mind indefinitely).
2. I became a morning person. Me.
This journal also helped me do something I’d never thought possible: become a morning person.
After planning my days out for a few months, I realized I need almost exactly 7 hours of sleep a night. So if I go to bed by 11, I will almost always wake up by 6. I mean I really should’ve realized this before but whatever.
So now I usually up at 6am, meditate for 20 minutes, plan my day for 30, then get going.
It also made me realize that getting up earlier meant I’d get more done. This sounds totally logical when I write it out like this but it just wasn’t really hitting me until I started using it.
I have even on occasion started planning out the next few days in advance. Which is crazy for a person who can usually only figure things out until after lunch. But this becomes yet another incentive to get my day started — knowing I’ve already got a plan for the day.
3. Ok I don’t really have a third thing
It’s been 3 years since I left my job at Google and it’s taken me this long to develop a routine that works and stick with it. So if you’ve just left your job or have been on your own for awhile and still struggling, I hope this makes you feel better!
I just got my next Best Self Journal in the mail last week, so here’s to the next 13 weeks! Or 52! Or whatever!
Sarah Cooper is an award winning thought leader.
