How to Write a “TA-DA List”!
As busy millennials we all have a loooooog To-Do list.
We need them to help us keep track of grocery items to pick up after work, gifts we have to buy for our best friend’s sister’s bridal shower and, probably more importantly, To-Do lists give us a way to plan out our goals into actionable steps.
But the downfall of a To-Do list is that it can feel like a never ending cycle of obligation.
As helpful as it might be, a continuous list of unaccomplished tasks can feel demotivating and relentless.
That’s why I’ve started to write a Ta-Da List!
I first heard about the “Ta-Da List” from one of my favorite podcasters and authors, Gretchen Rubin.
Gretchen suggests that instead of ending each day writing a new list of uninspired tasks to do tomorrow, you should instead write a list of things you’ve accomplished throughout the day!
This simple perspective shift of how I could be remembering my days,
changed the game for me.
I suddenly found myself excited to recount the big and small wins from my day.
Small wins like meeting a fellow coworker who happened to have watched the same Ghanaian soccer game that I did back in 2008 and remembering to take my CBD drops in the morning to balance my anxiety to big wins like well… finishing this blog post!
I now have a new sense of accomplishment at the end of each work day that carries me through to the next.
How many of us can honestly say that?
I loved Gretchen’s “Ta-Da” List so much that I expanded it to reflect on my accomplishments from an entire year!
For me, the transition into a new year is a time to Reflect. Rest. and Reset.
Follow these three steps to creating your own “Ta-Da” List and see if you can’t find more gratitude from your full and incredible life!
Step 1: Proclaim it!
Grab a piece of pen and a paper and write down a title that will hype you up whenever you read it.
Mine reads “Joy’s 2021 Ta-Da List of Awesome Accomplishments”
Did you write down your title? Great. Let’s move on.
Step 2: Start GLOATING
Ok, this is the fun part. This is where you start to write ALL the amazing things you’ve done this year. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished and don’t second guess yourself.
Did you join a book club and gain new friends?
Write it down!
Finally cleared out those boxes of clothes to be donated?
Write it down!
Said yes to an opportunity that scared you?
WRITE. IT. DOWN.
Don’t worry about feeling self concincious, no one is checking your paper for grammar. This is a moment for you to go inward and thank yourself for showing up everyday striving to be your best.
Most importantly, do not compare. Your Ta-Da list doesn’t need to be bigger or better than anyone else’s.
*Tag me on Instagram @JoyBrunson and show me your Ta-Da List!
Step 3: POST IT!
This step is optional, but I will tell you that looking at my positive accomplishments has helped me to continue pushing during the challenging times.
It reminds me that while I might be experiencing a tough moment, there is always a bigger goal worth fighting for.
Plus, a year from now I’ll be adding '“tenacity to overcome any obstacle” to my next Ta-Da List!
So post it to your social media if you’d like or just post it to your bathroom mirror.
Let your Ta-Da List remind you of all you’ve done and all that you’re capable of doing in this New Year!
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