Subscribe to 🔎 Finding Focus, an email newsletter, where I share with you my reflections from the past week to give you one thought, tip and tool to improve your focus and creativity.
🗓️ Weekly Reset #7 — Finding Gratitude
👋 Hey Friends,
I hope the week has been good to you.
🗝️ Key Idea: Finding Gratitude
It feels like I’m finally settling into the new year. I typically get this feeling within the first few weeks of the year, but aspirating a pill on New Year’s Day didn’t exactly start my 2024 off the way that I would have liked. I’m mostly feeling back to normal, and I’m excited about getting back into my routine. Before we settle into a new year, it makes sense to take a look back and reflect on the past year. I find that I need to stop and take a moment to appreciate my achievements and good fortune.
Said simply, take a moment to find gratitude. It is easy to be cynical in life because the frustrations and the setbacks are often way more memorable than the successes, yet they are typically equal in frequency. We just need to stop to appreciate them.
A challenge for you: Take thirty minutes one morning this week and jot down a few things you achieved this year and a few moments of good fortune. Here’s my 2023 in Review if you're looking for some inspiration.
📼 Video: How I Use Obsidian For Weekly Review
If you found it difficult to remember the things you did last year, or even last week, this is one of the best uses of a Daily Log or Journal. I personally use Obsidian for this, but use whatever works for you. If you’re looking for a place to start, check out this video to give you some inspiration.
🪄 Tool of the Week: Reflection Plugin for Obsidian
Remember that app Timehop that would show you photos and social media posts from years past? Well, I don’t really use social media anymore, but I find that mechanism fascinating and very powerful. I found myself wanting that mechanism for my Daily notes in Obsidian, and that led to me writing the Reflection plugin for Obsidian. When viewing a daily note, it will show you any journal entries from that day in years past. It also works for weekly and monthly notes if you do those. It is an excellent way to see the progress that I’m making or the old habits that I continue to fall into year over year. Go check it out.
I’m curious, How you do daily reflection? What’s worked for you? What hasn’t? If you haven’t started, is there something in particular that has stopped you?
Reply and let me know.
Have a great week! Brandon Boswell
Looking to improve your focus & creativity?
Brandon Boswell
Subscribe to 🔎 Finding Focus, an email newsletter, where I share with you my reflections from the past week to give you one thought, tip and tool to improve your focus and creativity.
👋 Hey Friends, I've been heads down the last week or two. There are some cool things brewing (more on that at the bottom of this message). Stick to the Plan: A Sticky Note Strategy These first 90 minutes are essential. They are my most valuable of the day. This short window after I get up is when my brain is sharpest. It is my High Energy Time. I’ve known this for two years now, but I still wait until that block starts before I schedule something for it. I wake up, walk down the hall, grab a...
👋 Hey Friends, Today’s post is a personal reminder to myself. Many call me particular. Others say: attentive to detail. It is a skill that I have found helpful, especially as a designer. I recently came across this quote from John Gruber: “The quality of any creative endeavor tends to approach the level of taste of whoever is in charge.” — John Gruber I like to think my particular nature has led to increased quality in the projects I’ve been involved with. What I haven’t (until now) thought...
👋 Hey Friends, Remember that negative thing that Matt said? Actually, he never said anything at all, and I think that hurt more. I still think about it from time to time, and it still stings. That amazing dinner I had with Steve? That has long since been forgotten. This is how our brains work, they are built for survival. To our brains, things that are going well are often tuned out to create room for things that are a risk or cause us harm. This served us well when we lacked shelter and...