I started writing daily notes consistently two years ago. In the beginning, it felt like a chore. I had to push myself to just complete the task. But after months of writing the notes, I started finding the momentum of writing and enjoying the benefits.
I used to let my mornings start in a scramble and my evenings end with my mind racing over everything I missed. Before long, mental fatigue set in.
Plans, random ideas, and daily reflections always fill my head, leaving me with a messy backlog of half-thought-out ideas. I thought a complex project management system might help. It didn't. Over time, I found a 2-part daily bookend works for me.
Here is how I run it.
Morning brain dump: I start the day by writing a note. This helps to clear the mental noise and set the vector. I write about everything on my mind. It could be how my body feel that morning, my sleep, even a bad dream. Then I write about what I might be worried about, what I am looking forward to, what I am planning to do. There's no template, just pure brain dump. This morning note captures the thoughts, creates a runway and a landing strip for the evening note.
Evening note: I drop a quick record of what actually happened and write a short, honest reflection. The evening note closes the loop so my subconscious can actually switch off.
Clarity isn't a single lightning bolt. I have found a simple habit that opens and closes the loop every single day that does the trick for me.
Until next time,
Gav
