We’ve talked a lot about staying present this month—about finding inspiration in the everyday moments of your life and designing your days to help you live with intention.
Day Designer was originally created to help support you in this process—and we’re still just as dedicated to that mission as ever before!
In today’s post, discover how you can use your Day Designer to design an inspired and present life.
Get Inspired
Each daily page in your Day Designer starts with an inspirational quote; with words of wisdom to remind you of your purpose and help you start your day with positivity.
“Always do what you are afraid to do.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Every day, we get a fresh chance to live the life we love.”
“Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.” – Henry David Thoreau
While these turns of phrase may seem like just a collection of words, there’s impact in the words that resonate with us. These meaningful mantras can be powerful reminders that we can always tackle what lays ahead in our days, and that we have the ability to proactively design our lives. And what better way to start your day than by reading that?
Prioritize What’s Most Important
At Day Designer, we believe in prioritization. Before you even start designing your days, we ask you to prioritize your top three tasks. What are the three things that must get done? What top tasks would make your day a success if you completed them?
The reality is that we all have a million and one things to do every day, but we’re not very likely to finish any of them if we try to tackle them all. Become present to what’s most important and most necessary, and shift your time and attention there first.
Set yourself up for success from the beginning of your day by prioritizing what’s most important and starting there first.
Schedule Time for Yourself
It can be really easy to fill in every time slot on your calendar with the activities and appointments and emergencies of everyone around you. And while a happy and full life is often filled with helping your family and friends, it’s just as important that you create space in your days for you too.
Schedule time for yourself into your calendar wherever and whenever you can. Can you take 15 minutes before the kids wake up to read a book? Perhaps you can set aside Sunday evening to watch your favorite new show? Can you sneak in a meditation session before bed?
It doesn’t have to be every day — though all the better if it is! — and it doesn’t have to take up too much of your time. But time for yourself is imperative to living a present and inspired life — and if you don’t schedule it first, it’s a lot less likely to get crossed off your to-do list.
Make Notes
We’ve talked about this a few times this month, but it’s hard to stay present when you’re walking around with a mental checklist in your head. That’s why we recommend making notes!
While you might not be able to sit down and update your Day Designer calendar and to-do list at every moment of any day — you can likely pause to jot down a few notes. And we’ve created space for that too.
By getting that information out of your head and down onto paper, you’re not only able to continue through your day with clarity and presence — you’re a lot more likely to actually remember to do whatever you jotted down.
Practice Daily Gratitude
Practicing gratitude has been a core activity in the Day Designer planner from the very beginning. How else can you appreciate and cultivate your well-designed life if not by taking a few moments to appreciate it?
There’s space for a daily gratitude reflection on every daily or weekly planning page of your Day Designer. It’s not meant to be overwhelming and it’s not meant to be another to-do; it’s just a small space in your every day to look back over your life and remember all that you’re grateful for.
When you take these brief moments to reflect on that every day, you can go into the next days with a renewed sense of purpose, refreshed energy, and a consistent reminder of all that is good right here in the present moment.
How does your Day Designer help you stay inspired and present in your life? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!