I enjoy re-visiting posts from our Living Savvy archives. When I re-visit, I
tend to connect to the information and stories shared in a new way, discovering something different depending on what is going on for me or people in my life.
When I am coaching someone, very often an issue will come up that will
have me searching through the archives for a post best suited to help my client work through the process of Living Savvy, supporting them to ask, do, discover, commit & celebrate.
When you begin to ask yourself big questions such as, “What am I doing with my life?”, “Where am I headed?” and “Is my life satisfying and meaningful?”, the answers may not come easily. You may have a vague notion that you want to improve your life, but no idea of what to change or where to start.
Start Where You Are
You are already creating your life through what you choose to do each day. Some of those choices may be working well for you and carrying you towards your goals. It’s likely that there are at least some choices that are causing you stress and unhappiness. The problem is, you may not even be aware of the difference between the two.
Too many decisions are made automatically, or are determined by what other people want. Taking a snapshot of your current activities helps you clearly see the choices you are making. The pattern of your activities will reveal what’s important to you right now, and how what you do is shaping your life. Knowledge is power, and this knowledge will give you the power to pinpoint where you can begin making small adjustments to achieve extraordinary results.
Taking Your Snapshot
Get clear on your current activities using this exercise from the 1990 book Choices by Anne Cusick. (Note: The book is no longer readily available for purchase, but worth buying if you find it in a second hand bookstore.)
- Print a copy of this activity timetable template (PDF, 36Kb).
- For one week, note your daily activities – work, family, self and leisure.
- Make it easy by keeping the sheet close by – perhaps in your handbag – and updating it regularly. Use a frequent event, such as mealtimes, as a reminder.
That’s it! As soon as you have a snapshot of your week, the real fun begins. You can interact with your snapshot in all sorts of interesting ways to find guidance on what is working for you and what is not.
It’s best to make photocopies of your snapshot (you’ll see why in a minute) so you can try a number of different approaches. Now, grab some coloured pens and get started with the following prompt questions. You can choose just the ones that call to you, or do them all.
Where are you really spending your time?
Before looking at your snapshot, begin with a fresh sheet of paper and estimate how much time you spend in each of these areas per week – work, family, self and leisure. Now assign a different coloured pen to each category and go to work on your snapshot, blocking out how much time you actually spent (exclude sleeping time).
- What did you discover? (Are there areas you spend more time than you thought? Or much less?)
- What do you notice about your activity patterns?
What are the qualities of your activities?
Take a clean copy of your snapshot and this time assign a colour to each of the following categories: activities I enjoy, activities I find boring, activities I dislike, and activities I do automatically.
- What did you discover?
- What quality are the activities on which you spend the most amount of your time?
- What quality are the activities on which you spend the least amount of time?
- Where can you fine-tune activities to incorporate more positive qualities in your life?
How are your activities serving you?
Take a clean copy of your snapshot and ask yourself how you felt leading up to, during, and after each activity. Energised? Depressed? Immersed? Distracted? Purposeful? Compare your feelings to the quality of the activity. For example, you may have a social activity you find enjoyable, but it causes stress because it involves driving across town in peak hour traffic. Again, look for patterns.
What are your priorities?
On fresh sheet of paper, list all your activities from those on which you spend the most amount of time to those on which you spend the least amount of time. Is this the order of priority you would choose? If not, what would be different?
Now mark your list of activities based on whether you do them because you have to, because you think you should, or because you really want to. Have you made certain activities priorities because they are important to someone else, or because they are important to you?
When you have the final list of your priorities, return to your snapshot and see how much time you are actually spending on these activities. Are there areas you would like to change?
Knowledge Is Power
There are no right or wrong answers to any of these questions – the purpose of the exercise is to simply identify patterns and ask if these patterns are working for you. Suspend judgement, be curious and see if any further questions arise. If, after completing this exercise, you realise you want to make a change, don’t attempt a major life overhaul. Instead, look for one or two small changes you could make today to begin fine tuning your life.
- What will you stop doing?
- What will you start doing?
- What will you do more of?
Share your discoveries in the comments below. For more advice on how to begin fine tuning your life, check out the Living Savvy article 10 Simple Steps To Start Changing Your Life Today.
Image by John Kratz
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