This digital journal template changed the way I track my productivity. Scroll for a free download.
It made me more productive while also making me feel more content in my daily life. Check it out to see if it will help you!
Have you ever climbed into bed, but instead of looking like an actor in a mattress commercial, you felt frustrated and angry about the day you just had? Maybe you’re dissatisfied by the amount of tasks you’ve completed that day.
Maybe you’re enjoying quality time with family or friends, but instead of enjoying yourself, you’re focused on all of those items on your to-do list.
It seems like there’s never enough time in the day. So instead of being productive, we doom scroll social media because there’s no way we can get everything done.
I was exactly like this. Then I started an Effort Journal and it’s completely changed my mood. I’m more present when I’m spending time with my wife and daughter. And I can actually relax at night.
Maybe the most important benefit: I’m more productive than ever.
There are other versions of this effort journal. I’m sure I heard about it from somewhere (I’m certainly not innovative enough to come up with it on my own) but I’ve dominated this version and I’ll never go back.
Here’s how it works.
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List the Ideal
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Weekly Score
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Imperfection is Progress
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List the Ideal
If you’re here, you’re probably a writer. Great! So maybe you have a specific word count you want to hit each day. Maybe you’re a parent, too. So you want one-on-one time with your child. Or you’re in a relationship and want to have a quiet dinner with your partner.
The first step in this process is to list out your ideal day. It can be (almost) anything. Here are some options:
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Write 1,000 words
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Support the Writing Community by liking 10 tweets
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Have dinner with my partner
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15+ minute workout
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Walk the dog for 30 minutes
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Read 10 pages
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Call a parent/grandparent
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Submit my freelance resume to a prospective client
You get the point. There’s also a longer list of examples when you download your Free Effort Journal Template (link below).
But keep in mind, you want to make use of really specific goals.
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“We have found that if you successfully complete 85 percent of the activities in your weekly plan, then you will most likely achieve your objectives”
What TO do:
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Utilize a mix of daily and weekly goals
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Add some things on the list that might take more than one day (I don’t post on Medium.com/Writerly Income every day but it’s on my list because I try to do it twice per week)
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Celebrate high-scoring days
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Write really specific goals so you can clearly identify success
What NOT to do:
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You’re not create some outrageous goal like write a whole book
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Avoid putting items on the list that don’t move you toward your ideal self (Doing the laundry or dishes should only be on your list if your ideal self needs to clean up!)
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Don’t add general to-do lists (pick up the kids from soccer practice) unless those items add to your optimal self (Instead, try: Talk to the kids about their favorite part of practice while on the way home) Make sense?
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It’s not useful to put a weekly number goal on something. Just put the item on your list (Not: Yoga 2x per week. Just write: Yoga).
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Don’t beat yourself up over one bad day. You still have tomorrow!
2. Weekly Score
Okay, do you have your list of 10 items? (If not, that’s okay!) Hopefully you filled them in on the template above.
For each day, you simply put a checkmark in the appropriate space. Then, at the end of the week, you see what your score is.
It’s that simple.
See, that’s how this works. It’s not about beating yourself up each day. Even if you don’t get to everything on the list, and honestly, if you designed your list appropriately, you won’t. But you’ll still have an opportunity to win your week.
When you complete the template for week two, your goal is to beat your score from week one. Then, week three should beat week two.
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“The secret of getting ahead is getting started”
3. Imperfection is Progress
What I hope you’ll find is that you’ll feel more present when with family and friends instead of worrying about a single day. You might also have a daily to-do list (I do) but they’ll be bite-sized, completable tasks.
If you can settle into the idea that a bad day won’t ruin you, it’s more likely you’ll end up actually getting more done because of the reduced pressure.
We all have good days and bad days. The key is to average them out to be more productive. After the first week, my competitive side took over and I really wanted to beat my score from the previous week.
I don’t always beat my previous week’s score but it still provides a hurdle to shoot for. After all, the point isn’t to get a perfect score. Perfect doesn’t exist. Instead, we’re striving for improvement.
What you might notice by the second week, was that you’ll feel inclined to get up and complete a single task (read ten pages or take a twenty minute walk) to get a point for that day. Whereas, before using my effort tracker, I’d look at that long list of ‘goals’ and become paralyzed by it’s daunting length.
Now, if I find an extra ten minutes in my day, I try to see if I can get a point. When you stack day upon day upon day like that, you should find substantial personal growth!
Bonus Suggestion: Accountability
Share your Effort Tracker (completed or not) on Instagram or Twitter. Tag @Writerlyincome or use the hashtag #writerlyincome. You’re much more likely to stick with it if you have some accountability partners. That’s what we’re here for!
We monitor the tags and will reach out periodically to see what’s working and what isn’t. Plus, our members monitor the hashtags and will provide support on your journey. It’s the added lift you can use to propel you forward even on the hard days.
If you want to join our community, it’s easy! Search #writerlyincome or go to Twitter @Writerlyincome (click the image above) to ‘Like’, ‘Retweet’, and ‘Follow’ members just like you who are starting their income journey.
Final Word: Help!
At Writerly Income, we’re such fanatics for efficiency. So if you (yes, you!) have recommendations on how to be better, our community wants to hear them. Write a comment below and we can all grow and develop together.
Our community gets better when there are more voices. Your perspective is the one we’re missing.
