Last week, I heard about how one extremely successful person grades himself daily in a write-up. He calls it his one-page daily report card. At the beginning of the day, he records what he plans to do and how he decided on his plans. At the end of the day, he records what he actually did, any mistakes or errors, and what he learned. He also breaks down his day into two-hour blocks and grades each block.

This really stuck with me and got me thinking. For one thing, it aligns with my having positive outcomes from daily habits (e.g., this blog).

So, this past week, I decided to copy that idea. I created a Google Doc that’s basically a journal of daily report cards. I create my plan for the day in the morning, and at 5-ish, I reflect and grade my day.

It’s only been a week, but so far I like this habit. I have a clear idea of what I want the day to look like, and I’m forced to look for and document mistakes and micro lessons. I also like grading each two-hour block. I noticed what appear to be some early patterns that I might not have noticed otherwise.

I’m looking at this as a week-by-week commitment for now. I’ll reflect at the end of each week to decide whether I want to keep going. After this first week, I’m looking forward to doing it again next week.