Flip The Script on Your To-Do List— Motivation Monday
Gratitude Practice/To-Do List Mashup
Raise your hand if you keep a to-do list. I see you. My hand is raised, too. In fact, I’ve written about how I wrestled the to-do list hydra. And won. Now raise your hand if you want to start a gratitude practice or want to take your gratitude practice to the next level. Niiiice!. Maybe you’ll like the practice the way I outlined it here. Maybe you’ll get inspired and adapt them. Either way, I am grateful that you spent this time with me today.
Giving credit where credit is due, this idea was partially inspired by a Lee Harris Energy Update video posted on YouTube a few months back.
Steps:
1. In morning meditation or whenever you go over what needs to be done for the day, think about or say out loud why you’re grateful to do each item on your list.* This feels like multi-tasking because it is.
2. During the day when you reach the part where you do the thing you planned to do, remember the reason(s) you were grateful to do it. Especially if you’re not feeling motivated.
3. At night when you’re in bed, think about all you accomplished that day. The goal is to fall asleep with the confidence, gratitude, and satisfaction of a successful day. Keep the stress monster out of your head. The one who whispers or shouts that you didn’t do enough. Tell it to shh, shh, shh. Get a good night’s rest.
4. Enjoy sweet dreams and repeat the next day.
Since I started this practice months ago, I can say that it has helped me to relax about what I need to do and clearly answers the question, “Why am I doing this?”. If I’m groaning because I have to do a thing that doesn’t really need to be done, I take it off the list. Then I can take a break or move on to something I’m inspired to do.
Take up all your mental and emotional real estate with gratitude and observe the ripple effect it brings to those you interact with. We’re making a better world, starting with ourselves, in our daily lives.
Your inspired friend,
Gina
*Bonus tip: If you can’t find a reason to be grateful for the thing you’re going to do or have done and it doesn’t need to be done again, take it off of your to-do list and be grateful you’re not doing it anymore. Progressive change is going to happen and that is a good thing.
