This may come as a surprise to some of you but I’m not much of a goal-setter in the traditional sense of the word. I am much less of a five-year plan, color-coded spreadsheet, every to-do written down gal and much more of a let’s make a vision board or journal on a worksheet gal.  That said, I do believe in checking in with myself – taking a step back fairly regularly to ask: In all the different areas of my life, am I being the person I really want to be? And then making sure the habits, practices and routines I have in place support that version of myself. 

It’s easy to get swept up in the day-to-day and go on autopilot – at work, at home, in our faith, in our relationships. One minute, you’re mindlessly scrolling Instagram and the next, you’ve somehow watched three (or 33) home organization videos and convinced yourself you need matching acrylic bins for your fridge. (Spoiler: You don’t.) Or you’ve learned five new productivity hacks but haven’t actually done anything to make your life better.

In my last little heart to heart check-in with myself, I noticed some areas were going great and others needed a little work. I put together a weekly check in worksheet to help me track some of the practices I wanted to focus on. It helps me reflect on different areas of my life – faith, creativity, movement, service, learning, and even small habits like writing notes to people I care about. It only takes a few minutes at the end of the week. 

For me, it’s a way to support myself in an empowering way – making sure the way I spend my time consistently aligns with the kind of person I want to be. It’s one of the best ways I’ve found to be a really good friend to my future self.

James Clear says it this way, “Many people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve. This leads us to outcome-based habits. The alternative is to build identity-based habits. With this approach, we start by focusing on who we wish to become.”

Start by focusing on who we wish to become. 

If you want to try this, here’s where I’d start:

1. Make a list of the roles you play. Think about the ones that matter most to you – parent, professional, son or daughter, sibling, partner, friend, learner, creator, disciple, reader, etc. Anything that feels important.

2. Take a moment to reflect. Are you showing up the way you want to in these roles? Are you being the person you want to be? Be honest, but try not to be harsh with yourself.

3. Now look at your current habits, routines, and practices. Are they helping you? Do they match the kind of person you want to be in those roles? Do any of these roles need more support, energy, or attention?

There’s no right or wrong way to do this. But I will say, a small moment of reflection can go a long way in making sure your time feels aligned with what matters to you.

I’ll share my check-in sheet below if you’d like to see it. And next week on my website, I’ll post a fill-in-the-blank version under printables so you can fill in your own sections based on what’s important to you right now. 

I can’t wait to hear what you learn when you check in with yourself about the roles in your life. And if you need help with figuring out what role to focus on, I’m your gal.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

PS If you liked this post – or any others, I’d love you to pass it on to a friend.  They can subscribe here if they’re interested!