Reflect on the highlight of the week

As you plan your next week, think about what you enjoyed in the last one

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to reflect on the highlight of the week
as part of your regular weekly planning session. Take just

(00:25):
a moment to think back on what you really enjoyed
over the previous seven days. Not only can this put
you in a positive frame of mind, it can give
you good ideas for the next week. Two longtime listeners
know that I recommend everyone get in the habit of
having a regular weekly planning time. This allows you to

(00:48):
look forward to the next week and figure out what
is most important to you professionally and personally. You can
figure out a plan to make those things happen. I
tend to do this on Thursdays or Fridays, but other
people do it on Sundays or maybe Monday morning. The
time itself doesn't matter as much as the fact that

(01:09):
you'd do it. But when you do it, though, I
find it as helpful to do just a little reflection.
By taking a minute to think about the previous week,
you can make the next week's plan more realistic. For instance,
if you thought you'd get a certain amount of work
done on a project and you didn't, You probably shouldn't

(01:31):
assign yourself the same amount or even more for the
next week. It won't happen. Reflection isn't all negative, though.
You should also get in the habit of identifying what
over the previous week was an absolute highlight, what was
most memorable or wonderful. You could write this down somewhere.

(01:55):
It's a great list to keep, or if someone was
with you, you might tell them. You might text a friend
to say, the highlight of my week was lunch with
you on Monday. I love that we can still see
each other twice a year and connect as deeply as ever.
Or you might tell your preschooler the highlight of my
week was going to the butterfly pavilion with you and

(02:18):
seeing a butterfly land on your shoulder. Some highlights may
occur in your professional or volunteer work, perhaps a meeting
that is especially productive, a presentation that you ace, or
a discussion with a direct report that sets him on
a path to growth. Even if it doesn't feel right
to remind the other people of moments like these, you

(02:40):
can still savor the highlight yourself. I track my time
on weekly spreadsheets that go from Monday at five am
to Monday at four thirty am. That means I am
opening a new spreadsheet and archiving the old one on
Monday mornings. So as I save the old one, I

(03:03):
take a minute to look over it. I look to
see what was most interesting and pleasurable over the previous week.
I can enjoy the memory. Indeed, I can make a
memory a little stronger by taking a moment to consciously
file it away. Lingering with a positive memory is fun

(03:24):
in its own right, But an added bonus of taking
note of last week's highlight is that then you can
ask if this is something you'd like to add into
your life in the future. After all, this is happening
as you are planning your upcoming week. If walking with
a friend was a highlight last week, it suggests that

(03:45):
maybe this is something you would like to add into
your life more regularly. With some good planning, you probably
could if you try the highlight of the week routine.
I would love to hear how it goes. You can
reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In

(04:05):
the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening
to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

(04:35):
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