Done and Did Journal

In the 1920s, Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik saw that a waiter at a restaurant was able to remember all the details for orders without writing a thing down. But after the orders were delivered he couldn’t remember any of it. 

The Zeigarnik Effect states that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. On a daily basis your brain prioritizes what you haven’t yet completed. Once tasks are completed you forget about them. 

The Zeigarnik Effect on Entrepreneurs

As a business owner, you do a lot every day: serve clients, follow up with prospects, do marketing, etc. And you might end the day noting what what you still have to do, tomorrow. Sound familiar?

It’s like spending the day hiking to the top of a mountain and continuing right back down the other side without ever stopping to catch your breath, enjoy the view, look down at what you just climbed, feel the accomplishment. 

How To Document And Celebrate Your Successes

How often do you acknowledge all that you do in a day? Any day, not just the big win days? I want to share with you a simple and profound daily practice that I use:

It’s a Done and Did journal. Every night I write down ALL the things I did that day. It requires a daily review of all the things that were done. It closes the day properly. It’s a great evening ritual.

This is especially powerful if you are very focused on achieving, moving forward, looking ahead, getting to that next goal. It’s important for us goal-oriented people with big plans and big dreams to slow down a little and acknowledge all things we’re doing every day. 

Try it. Experience a shift in perspective. Let me know how it goes for you.

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