How do we know if it's a "should" or a response?
Last month I started bullet journaling. Before I understood what bullet journaling was, it sounded like some boring “productivity hack” that would stifle my creativity.
When I was introduced to what it was via youtube video during a 1-line deep dive I was doing on creating engaging videos (more on that another day), I was like “Oh. This is something I kind of already do but it’s an even more open and free and thoughtful format!”
I decided to put away my planner, which had become too constricting, and get a new dotted journal. And from there, my next 1-line obsession began.
MIND: BLOWN
The creator of the system, Ryder Carroll, has a litmus test in his book for everything that ends up on the to-do list:
Does it matter (to you or someone you love)
Is this vital (Think rent, taxes, student loans, your job, etc.)
Thinking that through helped me SO MUCH. I tend to add every little thing possible to a to-do list (thx Virgo sun, moon, and Mars) and I easily get overwhelmed and unfocused. Ever since I started bullet journaling, I am very careful about what I put on my to-do list because it represents how I am expending my precious energy.
As a Sacral Being, another thing I ask myself before I put it on my to-do list is: DOES THIS FEEL ENERGIZING TO ME?
Of course, certain things are just…to-do list things. Taking out the trash, managing finances, checking in on my stepson’s school progress, etc that are just…things that have to be done. And that’s fine.
But there is also part of my day where I am free to use my energy however I would like in order to build my business and since it is just me here at this point, I have to be very intentional in how I’m using this precious life force. If I’m grinding away at a “should” and losing the focus of what my true desires are, that is where I get lost.
Here is the formula I use as a Sacral Being to check in on whether something should be on my creative to-do list or not:
© Pure Generators. This image cannot be used without permission.
It has been shocking to me how often things that I thought were necessary, simply because I thought of them and could do them, were not actually necessary and were really sucking my time and energy.
Now I stick with the things that feel energizing and they flow so much better, I get things done, and I feel satisfied at the end of the day!
I want to talk more about bullet journaling for Generators and MG’s soon!
Love,
Rachel
Make sure to keep in touch!