Today I thought it might be fun to share a “S**T I GOT DONE TODAY” list from a recent workday.

[I’ve talked about these lists as self-care HERE.]

This was a day I accomplished a lot. But at the end of it, I still found myself feeling uneasy about all the BIG PICTURE items I had coming up in my calendar. To quell my unease, I took a step back to reflect on all the things I’d crossed off my list that brought me closer to completing the scarier deadlines I felt looming large.

If you’re curious, here’s how this day went down —

Copy edited a project – Editing requires careful reading. Careful reading requires full attention. I try to tackle editing work first thing in the morning for this reason. Plus, starting my morning with reading feels like a great warm-up for the more creative work to come.

Wrote and designed 3 monthly newsletters – I’m at my most productive in the morning, and my brain was feeling effectively warmed-up after the editing work, so I jumped into a project that required a lot of writing next. The design aspect of newsletters like these requires a lot of work up front, but I had already designed templates for all three before this day so I mainly had to perfect layouts and make things pop.

2 weeks of social media content – This was the second most creatively-focused task of the day so I rolled right into this after the newsletters. I usually try to batch 4 weeks of social media, but this client had a lot of upcoming events that would be filling their feed in the latter half of the month. I sent off the copy and images for approval and then took a well-deserved lunch break.

LUNCH BREAK 

Created a letterhead – Brain warm-up part 2! I try and slot in a few easy to accomplish tasks right when I get back to my desk. It’s kind of like how Target places the Dollar Spot right as you enter so you’re in the habit of throwing stuff in your cart by the time you roll into the rest of the store. I need to get in the habit of checking things off my to-do list so I can keep my momentum up for the rest of the day. Today it was a simple document design but these sorts of things can also include lengthier email responses, phone calls, scheduling social media, or making small website changes.

Research for a client’s book – This took up the bulk of my afternoon, but while it took brain power and thoughtfulness, it didn’t require a lot of creativity. Making it a great afternoon activity for me. (I get the 2 pm slump!) I love helping clients through the entire book writing process but there’s something about filling in research gaps with a bit of internet sleuthing that I find especially engaging.

Compiled data into a deliverable – A perfect item to end the work day on! The research was already done, so essentially this was just some data entry. But the final product needed to go to a client which meant it felt high stakes enough to keep myself on task and to go the extra mile to make it look pretty.

And there you have it! I hope you found that interesting. If you’re ever feeling anxiety about work (there’s just always MORE to do!), I highly recommend taking a moment at the end of your day to reflect on the S**T YOU GOT DONE! Let me know if you give it a try!!