Writing Prompts to Set New Priorities
Writing things down is an effective way to process emotions and understand where you might be getting stuck. I don’t care if you are a terrible writer, if your handwriting is illegible and your grammar is questionable. If you find yourself writing below your standards, lower your standards. No one else ever needs to read what you write. Set a timer for five, ten, twenty minutes — whatever feels reasonable, and free write with zero judgment.
Writing prompt:
Pick one thing that is a priority in your life right now. (Health, family, career, mental wellness…) What is one thing you’d like to encorporate into your life to work towards that priority?
Then, write a paragraph about each of the following:
purpose - why is this meaningful?
discipline - why it is important to keep this promise to yourself?
how it would feel to having this become a consistent part of your life?
a reasonable schedule you can stick with - how many times a week? For how long?
Set the bar really low here. Maybe it’s five minutes of stretching, three times a week. Make it easy for you to succeed. You can build up from there. Then, schedule your priority into your calendar of choice, preferably with alerts. Celebrate the wins, offer plenty of self-compassion on the days it’s just not happening.
This writing prompt originally appeared with the article entitled Are You Searching for Motivation? Stop.
About this Photo
Jeremy took this photo from his office window a few years ago. The rainbow is real, but he definitely used an app to fancy up the colors. Although the landscape looks sort of serene, if you look closely you can see light post from a parking lot.
