What do you do when you finish a notebook? If you’re like me, you’re so excited to open a new notebook. You might even just stuff the old one on a shelf and move onto those fresh, bright pages, full of potential.
But I’ve found that if I pause and riffle back through the pages, I discover gold in my own notebook.
I recently finished one of my business notebooks. I have dozens of these going back to 2000 when I started coaching.
I took myself to a cafe, got a soothing beverage and with my new notebook, paged through the old one.
I didn’t have a rigorous process. Here’s what I quickly listed:
- What I had done
Things to do now or in the near future
Ideas that still hold interest
When I go through a reflection process like this, I am always surprised. This time I was blown away by how much I did since the notebook began in September. A few things:
- Revived my podcast Stumbling Toward Genius with guest interviews
- Adopted a new task planning and management system – Notion
- Wrote a draft of a new book
- Designed and launched a new workshop in Paris.
And much, much more. It was surprising because all this happened alongside some very difficult personal experiences.
While it’s not about productivity above all, for me, I often overlook things that deserve a pat on the back. Going through my notebook gave me the chance to see and acknowledge my process, my progress, and my projects.
It’s hard to describe the benefit of this. I can only hope that you would find great value from pawing through your pages as I did.
I invite you to take that date with yourself when you finish a notebook. Go through and honor who you were. Appreciate how you showed up. Love yourself and your process.
What’s your ritual to close a notebook?
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