I’m always a little amazed every time I learn something new through using the Define My Day planner. This process is ever-evolving for me. We are never the same person from day-to-day. Always changing and finding something new, so the process is always changing also.
The Define My Day process is both structured and flexible. That was my intent with creating it. Lately, it may have become a bit mechanical for me. I decided to change up my process.
This week, I started a new Define My Day planner but this time I did something very different… I started completely fresh.
You see, for years, I handled it like this: Finish one planner and grab another. Keep them side-by-side and copy my affirmations from the old one to the new one. I’d make changes from time to time but for the most part, they stayed the same.
I’d do the same with my to-do list items that still remained, my daily disciplines, and even my ideal day.
It worked for me for years.
This time, I tried something new. I didn’t keep the planners side-by-side. When I finished the previous Define My Day, I simply filed it away. The next morning, I scheduled some extra time to think, and I started completely fresh.
It was a different feeling than other times I’d started a new book. It was freeing. It sparked more introspection. It made me really evaluate where I currently was in my life and where I wanted to go.
But wasn’t that already happening?
Yes, but maybe with diminished results.
I was so set in my routine that my routine became routine… and numbed me a bit.
That’s not the case now. My affirmations are new. They reflect the changed me that I’ve become after living the Define My Day process for years.
I also found myself creating new daily disciplines that reflect my fresh set of affirmations. Even my monthly goals look a bit different than normal.
Better yet, my to-do list is empty. I transferred nothing over. If it’s important enough, it will pop up again. Otherwise, I have a clean slate. That feels good.
Is this how I’ll handle next month?
Probably not.
But I did learn an important lesson: Sometimes we need to break the routine and take time to re-think it all.
I was pleasantly surprised by the result.
