Week #5: Journaling and To-Do Lists (Part 3)

Hello blog! To finish off the week, I continued to journal everyday! I followed the same format as I was before. I created a color coded to do list, wrote down various positive affirmations, and reflected on three good things that happened to me each day this week. I have used the same notebook and same color coding system each day as well!

Thursday's Journal/To-Do List

Friday's Journal/To-Do List

Saturday's Journal/To-Do List

Conclusion:

In conclusion, journaling and creating a to-do list everyday has been a super helpful addition to my schedule. Creating a to-do list each day allowed me to set my goals for the day each morning which was a very refreshing way to start my day. It was very helpful to be able to reference my to-do list whenever I forgot what I needed to do next throughout my day as well. Writing down positive affirmations throughout the day was also a great way to restore my positive mindset when I felt myself getting stressed out or I felt that my self-esteem was dropping. I also feel that reflecting on the positive parts of each day allowed me to really appreciate the small things. This helped me realize how blessed I am and how much I take for granted as well.

Effect On Mental Wellness: 7.5/10

Setting goals each morning helped me begin each day with a positive mindset which put me in a better mood and also made me feel more organized. I feel that creating a to-do list also increased my productivity. By getting more done each day, I had more time to take care of myself and do what I wanted to do, which helped reduce a lot of my stress. I feel that these list helped me stay focused on what I needed to do throughout the way so I was able to get more work done. One thing I did notice is that towards the beginning of the week, I felt very stressed and anxious when I did not get everything on my list done. One thing that helped me overcome this was color coding each task on my list instead of just crossing them off. This way, instead of just a harsh yes or no, I was able to label my tasks as done, still need to be done, or still need to finish. This helped relieve a lot of my stress and helped me realize that whatever I did not finish one day I could add to my list tomorrow. Writing down positive affirmations also improved my self-esteem and mood as well. Writing positive affirmations also allowed me to recognize areas of my mindset I needed to improve so that I could target them the next day! By recording the positive parts of each of my days, I was also able to recognize what made me the happiest and make sure that I included this in my schedule more often. Overall, this healthy habit was a great way to increase productivity and improve my mindset, but it did not have any calming or health related benefits like the other habits have had so far.