My very first boss in TV was an extremely successful news producer, running one of the most popular news programs in history. She wasn’t the easiest person to work for but, suffice to say, she knew what she was doing. But oh-so-wise 22-year-old me found some of her expectations a little over the top. At the time I felt the biggest nuisance was her requirement that we submit a ‘call sheet’ at the end of every day. For the segment producers on the show, that meant an update on people they were trying to book as guests for future shows. For me, the production coordinator, it felt like absolute busy work (especially as my day ended at 11pm). She still wanted a running list of what I had done each day. “What a control freak!” I would complain as I filled out my daily sheet with scintillating details like: “opened viewer mail, filed old show notes, ordered staff Chinese food, unjammed copier, talked to travel department”.
I‘m here to tell you that 30 years later I’ve realized that my tough-as-nails first boss knew something I did not — the power of a daily review. I have reintroduced the old ‘call sheet” into my solopreneur, mom of non-driving teens, gen-x sandwich-generation life (I SALUTE YOU MY PEEPS!) and it’s saving my butt.
My daily review is kind of like a journal or diary. Now we all know it would be great if we journaled every day and I’m sure some of you do. I write long form in a journal sometimes, but it does feel a little like something you need to be in the mood for or be kind going through something to do it. My daily review is not that. It’s a bullet-pointed affair that reflects all aspects of my life - personal and professional. Simply put, I write what I did or what happened. On the simplest level, it’s a list of to-do’s you did:
March 1
Called mom
Finished my book “Paper Roses”
Emailed school with a question about SAT registration
Wrote newsletter
Got text from K
Sent reminder emails to clients
Received contract for basement renovation
Ordered appliances from Home Depot
Made dentist appointment
Maybe you then add a layer of things NOT so task oriented:
Heard funny story from P. about his teacher
Super annoyed by dishes left all over the house
A. in great mood today
Hubby complaining of new pain in hip
Slept ok, no hot flashes.
Once you’re doing it, why not add a little gratitude?
Grateful to hear K’s dad is out of the hospital
Grateful my car didn’t need any additional repairs
Grateful I got to chat with A. for a long time this evening
Grateful for Hello Fresh meal kits
Grateful that hubby walked the dog late night instead of me.
Grateful for chocolate chip cookies
There’s one more layer there that makes this list extremely powerful. For me, it’s little arrows. As I write the list, if there is still work or follow–up to be done, I put an arrow to the side:
Finished my book “Paper Roses” —> Get new book at library
Emailed school with a question about SAT registration —> check dates on website
Got text from M —> Remember to ask her how appointment went Tuesday
Received contract for basement renovation —> Order appliances from home depot
Heard funny story from P. about his teacher—> ask him about math test tomorrow
Grateful to hear K’s dad is out of the hospital—> send a card
Grateful for Hello Fresh meal kits —>check next week’s recipes
Grateful that hubby walked the dog late night instead of me
Grateful for chocolate chip cookies —>Order groceries
At the end of this review, I tend to be feeling pretty good about myself. Look how much I did! I’m also pretty chill because I’m clear on what I need to do tomorrow and appreciating the good in my life. There’s psychology in all this – we focus too often on what we failed to do in a day and don’t give ourselves credit for all we accomplished. No dopamine hit in that. And I’m sure you’ve heard all about the power of a gratitude practice. And, not-for-nothing – if that hip pain gets worse, we can pinpoint when it started with no trouble. And you can take this to the next level with a weekly review, where you can flip back among those daily pages and assess what next week needs to include. Saving weekly review for another post. For now, give it a shot for two days. See what happens. If you have a review habit already — tell me about it in the comments!
March Product Recommendations
I don’t have terrible handwriting, but I have learned that I write more neatly in pencil than in pen. Something about that little bit of lead to paper friction that just keeps my writing under control, and I appreciate my notes much more when they are tidy. I love these mechanical pencils and keep them with my notebooks. Pricey for a pencil for sure, but they last and last and are refillable. Been using them for years.
Stuff I’m Consuming
I recently listened to a super interesting podcast about generational differences, titled “Why Everyone Hate Millennials” from Belle Curve. In it, generational researcher Kristin Scroggin takes the conversation about generational differences to a deeper level than I’ve ever seen before to explain why all of us do what we do. Hint: It’s your mom’s fault. Oh yeah, and society.
Severance on Apple TV+. Solving work-life balance in the extreme in this unique thriller where your memory of one side of your life is erased while you’re in the other.
I don’t like the term “guilty pleasure”. I feel no guilt whatsoever watching NBCs new showThe Bachelorette meets Bridgerton. A tasty snack of TV!
Do you have a daily review habit? I’d love to hear about it
The Courtship on NBC, Sundays