Monday, 3/27/23: Talking about thinking before doing and the book I just read

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.

Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: I’m thankful for a fun time celebrating a friend’s birthday Saturday, having time to myself and for my long walk on Sunday.  

TODAY: I’m most excited to see Matt today!! He gets back from a trip this morning. 🙂

INTENTION: My intention this week is to stay calm handling whatever may come my way during work this week.

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: Thinking Before Doing

I recently listened to a podcast episode titled “Five Ways to Reduce Overwhelm When Writing (aka Thinking)” from author Jenny Blake’s Free Time podcast.
 
As the title suggests, the episode provides five suggestions for reducing a feeling of overwhelm around writing. But for me, what resonated most was what Jenny said before the five suggestions.
 
At the start of the episode, she says to do a quick check before you start writing. Are you feeling overwhelmed by writing or by the thinking required to write?
 
Woah.
 
She goes on to say that 80-90% of the thinking should be done in advance so that when you sit down to write, you’re just transcribing. She compared it to the idea of meal kit services. Consider the difference between using a meal kit – where the recipe is selected, ingredients are pre-portioned, and everything you need is provided – vs. standing in front of the fridge and trying to decide from scratch what to make for dinner. Which is a more enjoyable process?
 
It makes sense – of course you’re going to get blocked starting a blank screen and trying to think and write! But I hadn’t thought of it in this way before. And while the idea was presented in the context of what to do when writing, I think it can be applied to so much more.
 
For past week or so whenever I’ve felt overwhelmed or unsure where to start, I’ve been asking myself, do I need to think or do?
 
It sounds silly but separating the “thinking” from the “doing” is a reframe that I’ve found to be helpful. Before writing this newsletter, getting started on a project, joining a work call, making my grocery list for the week, I take some time (even just a few moments) to think. It helps me clarify where to begin, identify what I actually need to do, draw connections, and makes the task at hand more enjoyable (less overwhelming).
 
I’ve been liking it so much, I wanted to share it with you today to see what thought.

As you go throughout your week this week, try taking a moment to ask yourself if you need to jump right into the doing, or if it would serve you best to do some thinking first. I hope it helps to calm some of the overwhelm and make the actions of your days more enjoyable, just like it did for me.  

Have a great week!

On My Monday Radar

Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:  

• I finished this thriller last night and would definitely recommend (it comes out next week – I got it early through Book of the Month). When I read the description of the book, I thought the premise might be too dark, but ended up really liking it. The author (Sally Hepworth) masters the thrill of surprising and unforeseen twists that make it gripping. Loved her books The Mother-in-Law and The Younger Wife too.
• I can’t believe the full Daisy Jones & The Six season is out now! I still haven’t started the series. Planning to do so next month and cannot wait. If you loved the book (I did) and are watching, what do you think?
• Another book-to-TV series I’m excited about! The Last Thing He Told Me premiers April 14.
• Speaking of overwhelm… 5 things to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
• I got a lot out from reading this blog post from author Laura Vanderkam, specifically the part about while the topics of productivity and time management can seem mundane… they really do matter. Completely agree.

Picture of the Week

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this! 

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan