Two Paths
This morning for some reason it donned on me that realistically there are at least two approaches that I use in this process:
- chronological
- area focused
Chronological
Simply put I will pick a period of time, normally a month at a time, and mentally go through what all happened during that month. During the year, I try to keep a calendar of what is coming up, as most people do, but I also attempt to add back in some of the major things that happened. In addition to that calendar I have keep a calendar that outlines what I have done in general each hour or two that I am awake in a day, at least what I have done in specific areas of my life. This is not a habit of mine quite yet; I might get back to it at some point, but looking at those periods of time really helps me remember what was going on and what the *wins* were.
Area Focused
As opposed to an open “What was going on in March of 2008?” approach to reflection, in this one I start with a specific area, like my physical, and either look at records or just think about where I was and where I am and write down what the major milestones were.
The best Approach
Either way is good as long as you don’t ignore some area of your life. Some areas you will find easier or more natural. There will be a strong draw to those areas. Those natural areas are probably either one of two extremes:
- area you are naturally drawn to – thus needing the least amount of work and intention in
- area you struggle with – your wins jump out at you because they are so unique or special
The best approach really depends on you. I tend to use both, one at a time, or a combination. Part of this process really is just to make you look at your life from a different set of eyes, perspective, or paradigm at least for a short period of time.
Why Divide the Pie?
For some reason I believe some questions must be addressed here or it will be nagging for a portion of people.
1. Why divide your life into areas?
Simply put people are complex; life is complex. Attempting to look at the past year as just a chunk of time will cause you to overlook some things and focus on others simply because that is how you are made or have developed.
A friend of mine once asked me why I was not a rocket scientist after he began to realize how natural math & logic came to me and my level of understanding related fields. At that time I did not have a good answer for him, today I do, it was inspired in some book.
Sending a rocket to the moon is relatively simple. You know where the moon is today, you know where the moon will be at any point in time. You know where you are today. We know about trajectories, gravity, and other forces and elements involved in that system. You can calculate how much rocket fuel will be needed, and barring anything like a rock putting a hole in your fuel tank … you will be correct 100% of the time. People are much more complex.
People are illogical. They have emotions, desires, wants, and limited knowledge.
To understand and predict what a group of people, or an individual person will do is much more complex than sending a rocket to the moon, now add a person into that rocket and you add a lot of complexity, but still because of the controlled environment the variables and options out there that need to be taken into account are limited.
To review your life without some layout, or structure, you will either just skim the surface, or get overwhelmed.
Thus years ago I picked up on this system from Dan Miller, modified it a little, and used it as a base.
2. Why this division?
I don’t know of anything better and everything I have considered fits somewhere. Could there be a better system? Yes, and if you have one please email me, I would love to improve.
The question of why each area is important will be covered in the individual areas, but realistically all aspects are important for the best life you can. Not to say you should be equal and spend 1/7th of your time on each, but more important is to not ignore one area for too long, because each area affects the others.
