jeklynhyde
Sticky Notes & Intentions
(Part I of II)
Posted by Jeklyn Hyde on 2023-08-18
Read Time: 5 Minutes
Edited by Jeklyn Hyde on 2024-04-12 to update Youtube link
I own too damn many sticky notes. So I've started putting them to use by writing down my goals each day. This will help keep me on task & provides a hard record of progress as a reminder of how far I've come.
Sticky Notes & Intentions (Part I of II)
I've enjoyed watching TED talks for years. It's easy to click on one and then let autoplay take me on a journey. That rabbit hole eventually led me into motivation & self-improvement talks and interviews. If you listen to them enough, they start to sink in.
Image Date & Alt Text: 2023-08-15
A stack of multi-coloured sticky notes on a wooden surface.
There are two such videos that floated back to my memory that have helped to spur my current revived push to improve myself.
David Goggins mentions something he calls the "Accountability Mirror"
Navy Seal: "The 40% Rule To Win At Anything" - Get Ahead Of 99% Of People | David Goggins
(The name used to be much more click-baity: "If You Want To COMPLETELY CHANGE Your Life In 7 Days, WATCH THIS! | David Goggins")
"How did I attack today? How did I attack yesterday? ...
If I didn't do something I was proud of, I write down a sticky note and I would fix it."
One example given was that he was trying to act like someone he wasn't in order to fit in with the cool kid table at lunch. His note to himself: "Fuck the table. Sit by your fuckin' self".
The result was that other people, who felt the same, started to join his table.
The other thing that came to mind was one of Jay Shetty's videos (probably a morning routine, though I can't find the specific one right now - he has so many). There were a couple of concepts that I had likely heard before but had never really sunk it: the guidance to start your day with gratitude, and by setting intentions.
Previous times that I've made the effort to start my day with gratitude and intention, I just did it in my head. It's easy enough to think in the morning, "ok, what do I intend to complete today? What will make today a win regardless of whatever else happens?" ... Then move along through the day.
But that relies on my memory to stay accountable. There's a chance of forgetting something, or getting distracted and running out of time. Or maybe there are some things that could be added. And then what happens with the goals that aren't met? Memory must be relied upon again to add them to the next day.
But if it's written down, you don't have to remember it, it's right there in front of you acting as a visual reminder. You can add things easily without the other things being forgotten. At the end of the day, you get a little dopamine hit by checking off the complete things on the list. If there's anything that doesn't get done, it's still there as a reminder for the next day.
So this is where my post-it note collection comes into play.
... And one of the last notes I had written for myself (I'll write more on this later).
Image Date & Alt Text: 2023-08-15
An orange sticky note with handwritten text: “Are you venting, looking for input, or both?”
I have what feels like a million sticky notes. Most of them I acquired when I was in high school because I was very into origami and they are almost perfect little squares. So there was a time when it felt like whenever I was in a store and there were sticky notes, I would buy another pack.
But then I didn't end up making that much origami. (Though every once in a while I make little paper lanterns as toys for my kitty.)
And now I'm a 35-year-old adult with what might as well be 20-year-old sticky notes that I still haven't used yet. Not to mention that feeling of wanting to save something for a better use, but then never using it because you've made it too precious in your mind and nothing seems worthy of being written down.... (this is the current status of some branded journals that I've purchased.. But come on, these are sticky notes we're talking about. They're dime-a-dozen... and at this rate will end up being antiques when I part ways with my possessions.)
Image Date & Alt Text: 2023-08-15
Four stacks of sticky notes in varying colours.
No seriously. This is way too many sticky notes (at least for my purposes and given my history - and I know for a fact that there are other little piles hiding around the house).
So with the inspiration from David and Jay, I decided to put my sticky notes to good use and actually write down my intentions. Here's my setup and a gentle reminder that I've added to one of my work monitors (see look another pile!).
Thank you Major for holding my pen for me. (I love that I wrote "new" there, since these are all very old, but it's meant in terms of using at least one note a day. Part of the point here is to use them up, you see.)
Image Date & Alt Text: 2023-08-15
Another sticky note pile with a note stuck to the monitor above with an arrow pointing down at the pile and the handwritten text: “Take a new Post-it & set your intention for today =)”
A toy Motoko Kusanagi is holding the end of a pen that is resting on the pile.
In part II, I will touch on my general struggle with focus and motivation when it comes to goals (aka life), some of the intentions I have set so far (and in the past), where I've already succeeded and fallen short, and my long term strategy to keep this momentum going forward.
I really do want to get better. I hope that I can keep this up as a new way of life instead of a multi-month fad that fades out.