This post was updated on 15/06/21
Self-development is taking steps to better yourself, such as by learning new skills, overcoming bad habits and this includes retraining your brain!
It is an opportunity to reflect on your life and focus on what makes you happy, what you want to achieve and how you can get there. I’ve been doing a lot of self-development recently. It has always been something that I’ve enjoy doing, I just love learning. I am lucky enough to be able to dedicate more time to it now.
A key part of self-development is self-reflection….
For those of us with a chronic illness, it is important to pace yourself and not try and cram too much into each day. It might also be that plans change, because your symptoms are triggered, so you have to reduce the activities or spend the whole day putting you first and resting. Which is still an important and valid use of time, remember.
However with this in mind, how do you keep track of what you need to do and what you have done in a day? How do you stop your anxious mind thinking your to-do list is twice as long as it is in reality and getting a feeling of over-whelm?
One of the simplest ways is to spend a few minutes at the beginning and at the end of each day, taking stock. Read on to see what I do…
My Routine
At the beginning of the day, I plan the day using my Getting Things Done Planner
It is undated, so you can start it at any time of the year. You can stay on track with your daily goals. For example it has sections to note down water intake, meal plans and exercise. It is also a useful reminder to check we have food for dinner or get things out of freezer etc.
Another detail I like about this planner, is that it has a section dedicated to self-care. How brilliant is that? This means that self-care isn’t an accident. There is a mindful act at the beginning of each day to give thought to what you are going to do for self-care.
Throughout the day I keep the planner close by, so I can tick actions off as I complete them.
In the evening, as part of my routine for winding down, I like to have some time to reflect. I tidy up anything I need to in my planner to close things off for the day. Then I also like to journal. I have recently bought Fearne Cotton’s Happy Journal
Amazon states it is
“A place for you to express, wind down, reflect and take stock of all that is rumbling along in your life. Dip into its pages as often and for as long as you like…whilst this book is open it’s all about YOU!
Ideal when you need some self-care time! Which in turn, is also a key part of self-development
So this the way I like to take time out, for daily planning and reflection. Do you do any daily planning and reflection. What tools do you use?
