It was a helluva productive day, which surprised the heck out of me because I did not plan my day nor did I consult my planner today.
I think the key to success was that I have indeed been reviewing my planner regularly (or, better said, more regularly than usual), so my big tasks were firmly implanted in my head. When I sat down this evening to look over what else I need to accomplish in the next couple of weeks, I was amazed by how productive I was the entire week, but particularly today.
I have been under a tremendous amount of stress since the first week of May 2022, so my brain just isn’t holding onto things like it used to. I’ve also had enough birthdays to know that thoughts do escape with increasing frequency.
I also suffer from intermittent anxiety and depression. Writing things down is the simplest step to helping with these issues — not letting my brain bear all the weight. I do have a few places I store my info. I prefer to write things on paper, but when it’s not convenient to write, I use my phone to dictate an email to myself. I check my email regularly, so I know the item won’t get buried. I can also dictate an email to Trello if the thought isn’t immediately actionable because I usually review my Trello inbox while I am engaged in my weekly planning session.
Therefore, I am going to devote many future posts to the philosophy of planning, productive v non-productive anxiety, recurring depression, and self care. I know these conditions won’t magically disappear with the strategic use of a calendar and a to-do list. But in my personal experience, having a planner and a strategy has helped most when I felt least motivated to use a system. I will explain the system I use and how I make adjustments depending on where I am in my depression and anxiety cycle.
Stay tuned.
Howling Yeti 
Leave a comment