A few days ago, I received a newsletter from Alexandra Franzen announcing her newly launched book The Checklist Book: Set Realistic Goals, Celebrate Tiny Wins, Reduce Stress and Overwhelm, and Feel Calmer Every Day Her newsletters are always lovely as well as inspiring. This specific one contained a little assignment: Create your own checklist. Any checklist. Well, since some time, I carry a tiny notebook around to dot down all sorts of questions. Small ones, big ones, rhetorical ones, simple ones and more sophisticated ones. You get the picture.
As I started to type my list, it seemed helpful to cluster them as in when would be a good time to ask myself these questions.
This is certainly work in progress, but thank you, dear Alexandra, for providing this nudge and making me pull together this list! I’m loving it already.
While journaling / doing my morning pages
- How do I feel right NOW?
- What’s on my mind?
- Is there something I am in danger of forgetting?
- What am I grateful for?
- What will bring me joy today?
- Who could I surprise today? & How? 🌟
While kicking off work
- What is the one thing I will absolutely get done today? 🌟
- Which three things come next?
- Is there something I want to prevent myself from doing today?
Before deciding to work on something
- Is this worth doing?
- How long do I expect this to take?
- If time could expand endlessly with this task: Can I set a time by when I will call it a day?
- If it is a complex task: How will I know it is done? / What is a feasible milestone for today?
When trying to break with a bad habit or building a new one
- What would a healthy person do?
- What best advice would I give my best friend right now? 🌟
When planning ahead
- Do I have a plan or a wish? / How clear is my plan?
- How do I feel about my plan? Does my plan excite me? Too little, too much or just enough? 🌟
- How likely is it that I will stick to this plan?
- Would there be consequences for not sticking to it?
- How do I define success?
When checking in with my overall direction
- Is there something I regret doing?
- Is there something I regret not doing?
- If I knew I had only five more years to live, would I be doing exactly what I am doing or would I be doing something different? 🌟
- If I would be doing something different, what would it be? What hinders me from doing it?
When I feel I am wasting time
- What did I do all day yesterday?
- How did I prioritize yesterday?
- Did I also work on the important things? If so: what specifically?
- When was I driven by urgent stuff?
- What could I do to shift the focus more to working on what’s important?
- What am I wasting time on right now that won’t matter a year from now?
- Do I find joy in the things I do?
- Am I in a hurry? 🌟
- Is it time to give myself a break or to step up my game? Don’t fool yourself. 🌟
When I feel time is turning too damn fast
- Am I breathing properly?
- Was my past week filled with distress/negative stress or eustress/positive stress?
- Am I busy or productive?
- What have said yes to, and now wish, I had said no? 🌟
- When I think one or two years back, what am I proud to have accomplished?
- What am I not satisfied with? What makes me less proud?
When I feel my happiness/inner peace is not where I would like it to be
- Would this be a good moment to go take a walk?
- How many lovely memories can I recall on the spot?
- What am I thankful for?
- What brings me joy?
- What used to bring me joy?
- What would I like to do more of?
- What would I like to do less of?
- Which things come easy?
- What am I looking forward to? 🌟
- Am I being a good friend?
- Also to myself?
When in doubt
- Can I trust my hut (Heart and gut)? Or is this a moment I need to re-read the book Thinking fast and slow?
- What’s worth worrying about? Is this worth worrying about? 🌟
- What am I pretending not to know? 🌟
- With whom could I best talk this through?
- If I were to throw a coin, which side would I like it to land on?
- Am I pushed by my problems, or led by my dreams?
- Why do I need to convince myself?
- Haven’t I already made my decision? Be honest.
- Am I waiting for permission? If yes from whom and why?
- Am I waiting for the right moment? When should that be?
- If I want to choose the bigger life, what would that mean?
When in an argument
- Am I really listening or am I listening to reply? 🌟
- What else could this mean?
- How do I know I am right?
- Is it more important to me to be right or to be kind? 🌟
- Is there something I could do to make this easier?
- Should I postpone this conversation?
- How important is this?
After attending a meeting
- What have I received from (person x)?
- What have I given to (person x)?
- What troubles and difficulties have I caused to (person x)?
When thinking about who I want to be
- What do I want to stand for?
- Do I have habits or tendencies that are not in line with who I want to be? 🌟
- Who am I not?
- Am I speaking and living my truth?
- Am I easy to influence?
- Who are people I admire?
- What do I admire in them?
- Do the people around me reinforce who I am?
- Do I feel lifted up by those around me? 🌟
- Do I feel I can lift up those around me? 🌟
- What might people get wrong about me? 🌟
When thinking of my world views
- What is worth being certain about, even if there is a good chance I am wrong? 🌟
- What strongly held opinion of mine will my grandchildren one day struggle to understand?
This list was inspired by THE CHECKLIST BOOK by Alexandra Franzen. Get the book at your local bookstore, local public library, or order it online.
It’s on my kindle already, I’ll be reviewing it on Goodreads & Amazon soon.
The questions on this list have been inspired by Alexandra Franzen, Zat Rana, James Clear, Gretchen Rubin, Brendon Burchard, Impulse, Förster & Kreuz, mymonk and many more…
