How I Set My Expectations for the Day

Author

Yash Singh
June 24, 2024

Good morning folks! Welcome to the MeowMed Newsletter. If you’re new here, I just like to explore fascinating health and wellness topics, along with some intriguing pop culture subjects that catch my interest.

This week I wanted to share something simple yet powerful—setting your intentions/goals for the day. It’s something you may have heard of a multitude of times before. Yet I cannot emphasize the importance of such an action in an age where distractibility is the norm and attention the currency.

It does not take much time…I’d say about 5 minutes tops. I like to jot them down in my journal, but if for any reason, I’ve skipped over this important component of my routine, I take the time to make a mental note.

I will say, though, writing information down has been shown to improve memory, with variability in aspects such as handwritten vs keyboard modalities, free recall vs recognition, and even the type of writing (e.g. expressive writing). I have linked a few interesting studies in the references section below, but this is no way a comprehensive list. For me, I find that handwriting my goals down and even occasionally auditorily reciting them works best, so you may need to experiment.

By the end of the day, I quickly check in with myself to see to which extent I’ve accomplished my goals. Usually, I get through at least half of the work necessary to accomplish them. Specifically, I reflect on my personal efforts to see where I could improve, and even check whether the goals I set were realistic in the first place. After all, we’re only human!

That’s all I got for this newsletter—hope you have a fantastic jump-start to this week!

What other topics would you like to see covered? Feel free to reply to this email with any ideas! If you wish to share this newsletter, provide your family/friends/colleagues with this link:

REFERENCES

  1. Mangen, A., Anda, L. G., Oxborough, G. H., & Brřnnick, K. (2015). Handwriting versus keyboard writing: Effect on word recall. Journal of Writing Research, 7(2), 227–247. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2015.07.02.1

  2. Conway, M. A., & Gathercole, S. E. (1990). Writing and Long-Term Memory: Evidence for a “Translation” Hypothesis. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A, 42(3), 513-527. https://doi.org/10.1080/14640749008401235

  3. Klein, K., & Boals, A. (2001). Expressive writing can increase working memory capacity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130(3), 520–533. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.130.3.520

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