Why I Could Never Stick to a Daily Check-In (Until I Did This)
I’m obsessed with planning. Weekly planning, monthly planning, yearly planning, daily planning. You name it — I’m doing it.
Why? Because I love a good framework. Planning gives me structure. It calms that part of me that wants to live in control. At least on paper, I have it figured out.
And yet I never kept up a daily morning and evening check-in. Until recently. Because I simplified.
What Does a Simple Daily Check-In Actually Look Like?
Here’s the whole system. It takes 10 minutes a day, split across evening and morning.
The Evening Review (5 minutes)
I ask myself three things:
- What were my wins today — meaning, what went well?
- What 3–5 things am I grateful for?
- What does tomorrow look like?
For that last one, I answer three specific questions:
- What are my 3 most important to-do’s tomorrow?
- When will I take breaks?
- What’s something good I can do for myself tomorrow?
I write it down in my calendar.
The Morning Check-In (5 minutes)
After I get to work, I look over the day and read back what I wrote the night before.
That’s it.
Why Does This Work for Busy Moms?
It works because it’s simple enough to survive real life with a toddler. And it keeps you honest about taking breaks and refueling yourself — two things that disappear fast when you’re running on low.
Most routines collapse because they ask too much. This one asks for 15 minutes and three honest answers.
A Real Example: What My Check-In Looked Like Yesterday
My 3 most important to-do’s:
- Call my OB-GYN
- Follow up on my complaint about the water bottle
- Do a 30-minute spinning session
When I’ll take breaks:
- Walks to and from work
- A walk during lunch
- After my daughter’s bedtime: my favorite Dutch comedian’s show from the night before
Something good I can do for myself: The spinning session, the comedian’s show, slowing down throughout the day, a 5-minute meditation before I walk home from work.
Nothing complicated. Nothing aspirational. Just real things that actually happened.
How Do I Get Started With a Daily Check-In?
Give it a try tonight. Grab your calendar, a notebook, whatever you have. Answer the three questions. Read them back tomorrow morning.
And if you’re anything like me, once you feel what it’s like to have structure that actually sticks, you’ll want more of it.
