Overview
Welcome to the workhorse of The Happiness Plan, the Daily planner sheet.
Here is where we plan out our day by setting Objectives and key Action Steps we want to work on.
It’s also an opportunity to track our mood, productivity level and sleep. Believe it or not, tracking these things is an essential tool to helping us determine the effectiveness of our overall efforts.
At the end of each day we should take a couple minutes to reflect upon the days events and write down at least 1 thing we are grateful for.
Establishing a daily routine that allows for flexibility is the core concept behind The Happiness Plan. Use it wisely and we’ll accomplish many wonderful things.
Break it down
Step 1: Top 3 objectives
Write the days date, circle which week in the 12 week cycle, and the day of the week.
Step 2: Top 3 objectives
Grab the Weekly planner sheet and find your Objectives for today.
Write them down in the Top 3 Objectives on the Daily planner sheet.
Step 3: today's action steps & the big frog
Write down the Action Steps we want to work on today.
Which Action Step is the most important for today? That is going to be our BIG FROG!
BIG FROG
There's a whole story behind the BIG FROG, but I won't get into that right now.
The important thing to understand is that it takes priority over all other Action Steps.
Step 4: daily review
At the end of each day we should take a few minutes to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, notable events, our overall mood, productivity level, and make note of what time we went to sleep, woke up and if we woke up during the night.
sleep
Sleep is extremely important for our overall physical and mental health. Tracking our sleep can help us identify underlying problems that may otherwise go unnoticed.
As a side note, I typically write down the sleep information in the morning when I wake up as opposed to waiting for the Daily Review
Step 5: plan for tomorrow
Get out tomorrow’s Daily planner sheet and fill in the Objectives, Action Steps and what time you are going to sleep.
Step 6: gratitude
We save this one last thing before going to sleep…
Write down 1 thing your are grateful for. Don’t skimp and write down some generic platitude that is worthy of being on a fortune cookie.
Be grateful for something specific and personal. It doesn’t need to be some monumental Hallmark movie level thing. Something as simple as being grateful for having the commitment to eating a healthy lunch, or the energy to do our morning exercises. It could be as simple as being grateful for a peaceful meditation session.
If you had lunch with a friend, be grateful for their friendship and taking the time to meet with you.
Anything that is specific and meaningful to you.
dips in motivation
Anytime you have a dip in motivation levels, feel yourself slipping in the wrong direction, or just want a caffeine free pick-me-up we can pull out our Daily planner sheets and read through our daily gratitude entries.
I understand that some of you might think this is cheesy, and believe me, I was one of those people. I grew up in a stoic Scandinavian household. Emotions were not something openly discussed. Top that off with a very logical brain... I thought this was only 'fun' for 'emotional people'...
I WAS WRONG!
If you only implement one thing from The Happiness Plan, let it be this one.
Step 6: go to sleep!
I really can’t impress upon you enough how important a good night of sleep is to your mind and body.
Do the review just before going to bed. It will help train your mind to recognize that it is time for sleep. Reflecting on the day and planning for tomorrow allows your mind to let go of all those thoughts so you can be in a peaceful mindset before drifting off to the magical land of dreams.
problems sleeping?
If you're having difficulties sleeping I urge your to see a sleep clinic.
Lack of quality sleep, and sleep related issues, can lead to far more severe problems.
I'm not a fan of medications, and I typically avoid doctors unless it's serious... Sleep issues CAN BE SERIOUS. Get checked out. PLEASE!