Life Audit Exercise: Move into 2018 with Intention

I’ve been following Ellen Chisa’s writing since meeting her at a Product Conference in SF in 2012, and I came across this article, “The Benefits of a Quitters Mindset.” There are multiple gems in there about frameworks to weigh decisions and the benefits in saying “no,” but I particularly liked one exercise on taking a Life Audit that helps you understand what’s on your mind, how you can prioritize what is most meaningful to you, and move you towards living your Ideal Life. When I read this section, I immediately bookmarked it and saved it to complete later.

This morning, after completing my newly minted daily routine of stretching and meditation, I steeped some Genmaicha green tea (guaranteed to make you feel warm, cozy, and healthy) and I set out to complete the exercise. On Post-In notes, I wrote down lots of 2018 goals and things on my mind, without thinking too much. This included everything from “participate in a silent retreat” and “take an artistic class like ceramics” to “shed fear” and “find a job with a combination of partnerships, internal cross-functional work, and heads down/solo tasks” -- yes, I'm hoping for it all.

After writing down about 20 of these goals, or intentions, as I like to call them (goals can feel weighty and stressful!), Chisa suggests you group them into major themes. What are similarities you’re seeing? For example, “write more” and “find a creative outlet” would likely be grouped together, and I’d place “join a non-profit board” and “volunteer in the mental health/mindfulness/yoga space” together. With larger post-it notes and a pretty marker (my boyfriend Nick is a designer and I get the luxury of using his fancy Japanese pens) write down the larger themes you’re seeing. Mine were “Wellness”, “ Create + Travel”, “Profession + Social Good”, and “Self-Reflection + Mantras.”

Based on what I mapped, I picked 3 intentions to focus on as a priority for the next month. There were some things, like “join a non-profit board” and “go on a road trip” that I absolutely want to do later in the year, but I know are lower priority for me at this moment (especially considering I’m currently looking for a job!). Below are three of my intentions with next steps.

• Write More

  • Pick up my journal daily. Sometimes I feel paralyzed about what exactly to write about, it feels like it needs to be profound. Lately I’ve been reading “Journal Book”, a sweet present from my mom for Christmas, with thought starters and topics to write on that encourage introspection

  • Write a few blog posts (like this!)

• Shed Fear

  • Daily affirmations: I say these after my 10-minute meditation sessions. For the next month, my intention will be to shed fear.

  • Remove victim-based stories that I’m telling myself. One example: I was chatting with a friend about a role at her company. She called me out on the phrases I was using, eg “There’s a very slim chance I’ll get this job, I’m totally not qualified, but could you refer me?” She’s all about empowering other women too, and called me out by asking me why I’m so adamant I won’t get this job. Why am I even using that language and putting those thoughts in my head and out into the world? Thanks Emilia. Done with that.

• Seek work that combines partnerships, internal cross-functional work, and heads down/solo tasks

  • Informational interviews with various second degree connections in my network to get a better understanding of what their roles look like. Schedule coffees or phone calls with people in Partnerships, Product Marketing, Program Management to help illuminate what I want to focus my job hunt on.

This was a really helpful exercise to organize the constantly swirling thoughts and goals in my head, and help me feel a semblance of control. It also uncovered themes - for example, I wasn’t aware that I was craving a creative outlet so much.

I hope this Life Audit exercise helps you move with intention into 2018.