Each day before leaving work I write a message to myself reminding me of what needs to get done.
It’s amazing how many things completely slip my mind in the hours between leaving and rebooting my computer in the morning.
As I’ve written about in the past, every Yom Kippur I spend as a day of reflection, looking to see how I could be a better person in the year to come. I’ve done this planning for over a decade now. This annual planning is basically a series of notes or mental snapshots so future Tammy can have a more in-depth glance of how I was feeling at the time I was writing.
A few years ago I added an additional component of spending an hour or two during Passover (which is roughly the half year mark) to help me realign priorities and marvel at how much things can change in six months.
Last week I reviewed the notes I left for myself last September. I was amazed to be reminded of the all encompassing life changes that resulted from leaving my former employer. I still sounded a bit shell shocked by all the newly found free time.
Another big change is race walking. My workouts now have a point and a goal. What a huge difference that has made in my attitude, even towards my gym days. Those are now labeled as “cross-training days,” where the emphasis is on increasing foot turn over speed.
I’d forgotten how concerned I was about processed foods sneaking into my diet. With all my new from scratch skills, that felt a bit foreign – but it was one of the triggers for making these changes.
I’m always so grateful that I take the time for reflection. I’m a better, happier person for it. It also gives me a yardstick to see how far I’ve come.
Does anyone else do annual reflection activities? or How much has your life changed over the last year?
Grown Up, Now What? 
I’ve never done anything like this, but it reminds me of something I read about once. Someone suggested leaving little notes for yourself throughout the year. Just write them out and dump them into a bucket – little things like reminders of what you’re suppose to do or small compliments to yourself. Then you occassionally take them out and read them. It would be interesting to do – although I’m not much of a note writer. If I do write a note I just leave it on my phone.
LikeLike
I’ve also heard of a note jar. Once for a gift I made a memory jar for a friend: On days when she was feeling in need of a pick-me-up or a blast of nostalgia, she could reach into the jar and have a trip down memory lane.
LikeLike