The app I mentioned yesterday (Time Left) encourages you to select a highlight of the day, and even has an option to display this highlight on your phone dashboard. This I see as potentially serving a few purposes:
- By being forced to identify something, you might think of something fun to do on a day that would otherwise just be an ‘ordinary Thursday’ or whatever
- You will see that item all day every time you open up your phone, so . . . anticipatory fun?
- You might see your life as more filled with fun things if you are forced to name them daily
I do not think the app catalogues these for future reference, so there is not a “looking back” benefit that I can surmise.
(Did you know Hobonichi is coming out with their very own memory-keeping sort of app? I am intrigued and will give it a try, though it is not going to sub for my use of their paper . . .)
Here’s what the widget looks like:
Haha, it’s like a phone of finitude given all of those icons (and the background) reminding me of finite resources and the passage of time! Just TRY to mindlessly scroll on there (jk, I sometimes manage anyway . . . but probably less than I would without these reminders there.)
Anyway, I struggled with today’s Highlight of the Day, since we don’t have anything particularly exciting on the docket. But then I remembered G had asked to do journaling together and then C wanted to join in, so I told them we’d have a journaling party together tonight (I have some Campus notebooks lying around that will be perfect for them, plus 39834 stickers). A will be at gym but maybe I can get G to write her a letter. Perhaps this “party” might even include something like hot chocolate. Daily highlight, check!
(Note: I always write down something about the prior day in my 5-year journal but that is purely retrospective. Also, admittedly not all of my entires are highlights – some are quite low. This exercise feels a bit different since it’s prospective!)
11 Comments
I have been struggling with planning fun again, so maybe doing an exercise like this would be helpful. I probably wouldn’t use an app to do it… but I don’t think that’s critical to the exercise. Let’s see… today I am looking forward to being able to zone out on my Uber ride to the airport. Life has been sufficiently crazy that sitting still and doing nothing hasn’t been happening enough. So. I’m also happy that I get to board the plane in zone 5 today woohoo!!
sounds good to me! maybe even the flight can contain some zone out time too if you don’t have to work!!!
If I get upgraded to comfort plus (which I might!) I plan to do work. If not I plan to read on my kindle and maybe take a nap. Win win!
Haha I make this tradeoff too! Back of the plane time is fun time!
I hope you got upgraded AND decided you were worth the indulgence of kindle and a nap!
Couldn’t nap, but did read on the kindle, AND got some work done (airplane is a nice sensory deprivation chamber).
Oof. I had something fun planned last night and then it went sideways due to kid stuff… which feels like the reality more often than not. Have you had this happen with the anticipatory highlight yet? I love the idea….
It easily could!!!! So best go in holding it loosely. But even if it only happens 70% of the time probably a win? (And you could always name something else.)
how did you get screen time on your main screen? That is brilliant.
It’s a widget you can select when you are setting up the scree!
Ooh this is really inspiring. I’m in a slog it out til Christmas phase right now, and I think I need to build in things to look forward to, even on the days when I’m staying on campus overnight.