Second Cup: Reflect on the highlight of the week

0:03 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 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, too. Long-time listeners know that I recommend everyone get in the habit of having a regular weekly planning time. This allows you to 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

1:00 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 you do it. But when you do it, though, I find it is 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 assign yourself the same amount, or even more, for the next week. It won't happen. Reflection isn't all negative, though.

1:41 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. 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 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.

2:31 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 can still savor the highlight yourself. I track my time on weekly spreadsheets that go from Monday at 5am to Monday at 4.30am. That means I am opening a new spreadsheet and archiving the old one on Monday mornings. So, as I save the old one, I 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.

3:22 Lingering with a positive memory is fun 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 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 lauravandercam.com.

4:05 In 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 lauravandercam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media. For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.