It’s no secret that today’s fast-paced lifestyle is super demanding and everyone feels like they need to ‘do it all.’
It’s one thing to just have a lot on your mind. It’s normal. It happens. But it’s another thing to have a million things on your mind ALL the time. So if you can’t even think straight, are feeling stressed, anxious, unproductive, and just UGH, this post is for you.
Life is crazy and we’re all doing our best to keep up and also enjoy every moment. We have something that can help you.
Grab a planner & WRITE. THINGS. DOWN.
A planner is a great way to keep track of & organize everything going on in your life. Writing things down can help you unload all your thoughts, and give you the mental clarity to process & deal with those thoughts.
While the benefits of writing things down vary from person to person, one thing remains true: writing things down can help change the way you live your life & help you make sense of all the happy, sad, frustrating, silly, fleeing, and even constant thoughts you have on a daily basis.
So, today, we’re dedicating this post to talking about the different benefits of writing things down + things to write down in your planner to up your game this year.
Let’s get into it.
The Importance of Writing Things Down
♡ Frees your mind from mental clutter.
When your mind is cluttered with a million thoughts, it can easily become too much.
You forget things, plans fall through the cracks, and you feel like you’ve let yourself down.
Don’t hold that sh*t in, get it out.
Then, you can address one thought at a time. As opposed to dealing with all of your thoughts all at once.
♡ Allows you to focus on what really matters.
Thinking about too many things at once can make it harder to identify which thoughts / issues should have priority over others. What do you do first? Which issue is most pressing? It’s tough!
Plus, when you’ve got too much mental clutter, it’s hard to actually focus on the present & live in the moment.
Writing things down helps you focus on what really matters.
One, because you can literally write down a list in order of priority.
And two, because sometimes just the act of writing things down helps you better identify what is pressing now, and what can wait until later.
Then, you can better prioritize your thoughts / issues, and make a plan to reach your goals.
♡ Helps you better organize your thoughts.
With so many thoughts swirling around up there, it can be hard to stay organized.
Exercise. Meal prep. Doctor’s appointments. Kids’ recitals. Social media. Important dates. Oh my!
Don’t stress yourself out by trying to remember every little thing & then beat yourself up when you can’t. You’re only human.
Instead, write down your thoughts. Writing things down can help you better keep track of everything going on in your life.
♡ Increases your productivity.
It’s so much easier to get all your sh*t done when you have an actual list to look at. This is a fact.
Rather than wasting time, effort, energy, and precious mental capacity trying to sort through your thoughts & figure out what you need to accomplish throughout the day, you already know what to do.
Why? Because you wrote it down.
Plus, since you made your list, you can better focus on each task at hand. Rather than having all the other things you need to do waiting in the back of your mind. Dr. Andrew Huberman who has been on The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER Show, just posted on his IG about this. See, it’s scientific.
More on productivity, here.
♡ Helps you better manage / process your emotions.
As humans, we have A LOT of emotions throughout the day. Some happy, and some not so much.
We don’t always have time to process these emotions. To figure out what caused them, why they came up, and what to do about them in the future.
By writing down your positive feelings, you can remember to practice gratitude & and improve your overall outlook on life.
And by writing down the negative feelings & emotions you feel throughout the day, you will be able to more easily identify your emotional triggers and work through them.
♡ Increases mental clarity.
Do you ever have a knee-jerk reaction to a situation, and then later wish you had responded differently? Not the best feeling, right?
This often comes from lack of mental clarity about the situation. Had you written it down & taken some time to reflect, you might have handled the situation completely differently.
Writing things down gets those thoughts out of your head, and onto pen and paper – where they can no longer become larger issues and where you can look at them from a different, and more calm, perspective.
This goes for every situation in your life, from work to personal relationships.
♡ Changes your perspective.
Speaking of a perspective change, that is another reason why writing things down is so essential.
With time, our perspectives always change. You will almost always feel differently about a thought, feeling, emotion, or situation once some time has passed.
In the same breath, ideas you once thought were silly may be brilliant now. Things that previously angered you may no longer stir up any emotion.
Writing things down & reading / reflecting on them later is a great way to encourage this perspective change.
It can encourage you to look at situations from different points of view & to think outside the box. Both of which will increase your overall productivity and problem-solving skills.
♡ Reduces stress.
Keeping all your thoughts, feelings, emotions, plans, and to-do’s locked in your brain & heart is a perfect recipe for stress, tension, and anxiety.
By writing things down, you can relieve that stress.
Repeat after us: “I wrote it down, I can stop thinking about it now.”
So now, we’re sure you’re curious “What do I need to write down to to reap all these benefits?”
As always, we got you covered.
Things To Write Down In Your Planner
If you’re ready to get organized & STAY ORGANIZED, here are some things to write down and track in your planner so that you don’t have to keep up with all of them in your head.
Don’t have a planner? Well, we do.
If you’re going to trust a planner to keep your organized & on track, you need THE HOT MINUTE PLANNER: The perfect everyday planner because we all need a fucking minute.
If you want your planner to last, be thoughtful & useful, this is the planner for you. It’s full of prompts that Lauryn has used for the last few years and it helps you plan your day like no other. It really takes the guess work out of everything from your workout & podcast to your gratitude & to-do list.
Here are some ideas of what you can write in your planner to help you run your day:
On a daily basis:
+ Morning routine
+ Self-care (gratitude, meditation, journaling, podcasting, etc.)
+ Breakfast, lunch, & dinner
+ Work schedule / due dates
+ Exercise (hot girl walk, yoga, pilates, gym, etc.)
+ Any appointments / meetings
+ Your children’s extracurriculars
+ Notable thoughts / feelings / emotions
On a weekly basis / monthly basis:
+ Appointment based self-care (hair, nails, waxing, etc.)
+ Important appointments & meetings
+ Personal appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.)
+ Weekly goals, personal and work-related
+ Grocery shopping / errands
+ Your children’s games / recitals / ceremonies
+ Date night / family time
+ Inspirational quote
On a yearly basis:
+ Birthdays
+ Anniversaries
+ Important events
+ Holidays
+ Bucket list
+ New Year’s Resolutions
+ Home improvement goals
+ Short / long-term lifestyle goals
GRAB A PLANNER & RUN YOUR DAY
No more worrying, forgetting, stressing, freaking out, and beating yourself up because you’ve got too much going on. Getting that shit out on paper makes all the difference. Do it while you habit stack – write outside to get your morning light, while you drink your spa water in a sheet mask.
What do you always include in your planner session?
x, The Skinny Confidential team
+ learn more about the HOT MINUTE PLANNER.
++ stalk these self-care tips to start & end your day with wellness.
GET PLANNING:
