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Compare a few ordinary activities
Compare activities and the circumstances around them before choosing one small change to try.
How to use this worksheet
Use three recent moments you can describe, including one you appreciated and one that felt draining. They can be different activities or the same activity on different days. For each, note what you did, when, who was there, whether you chose it, and what you noticed during it and afterwards. Ordinary words are enough; you do not need a score.
Compare the circumstances before deciding an activity is always helpful or always draining. A rushed walk and an unhurried walk are different arrangements. Write a possible explanation, then something else that might explain the difference. A few notes can suggest a practical experiment; they cannot establish a cause. It is fine to write ‘not enough information yet.’
Choose one condition you can realistically change next time, and keep the comparison small. The example below includes a third walk that complicates the first explanation. Use it as a model for keeping uncertainty visible, rather than trying to produce the same result.
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What happened, when, with whom, and how much choice did you have? What did you notice during it and afterwards?
Include the same kinds of detail so you can compare the arrangement, not just a label such as good or bad.
Another observation can support or complicate your first impression. An unclear result is useful to record.
Keep it tentative and specific to these observations. ‘Having time afterwards may help’ is different from ‘walking always helps.’
What changed at the same time, or what did you not record? You can leave the explanation unresolved.
Change one practical part of a similar activity. Name what you want to learn, without promising how you will feel.
Choose when to return. Record what actually happened, other changed circumstances, and whether you want to keep, adjust, or drop the idea.
A worked example
Illustrative example · Your own answer can look different
- First activity and its circumstances
- Tuesday, 20-minute walk between appointments, alone. I chose to walk but had a meeting immediately afterwards. During: watching the time. Afterwards: rushed.
- Second activity and its circumstances
- Saturday, a similar 20-minute route, alone after lunch, with no appointment afterwards. During: noticed the trees and buildings. Afterwards: settled.
- Third activity and its circumstances
- Thursday, another 20-minute walk with time to spare, alone. I was waiting for an important phone call. During: distracted. Afterwards: still preoccupied.
- A condition that might matter
- Having no immediate appointment may help me feel less hurried. The Thursday note shows that spare time alone did not make every walk feel the same.
- Another possible explanation or missing detail
- Waiting for the call may have mattered on Thursday. The notes do not establish a cause, and I did not record every circumstance.
- One small change to try
- Leave a short gap after Friday’s walk rather than scheduling it immediately before a meeting. Notice whether that arrangement feels less rushed.
- When and how I will compare it
- Write a during/after note on Friday. Compare on Sunday, including anything else that changed. Keep, adjust, or drop the gap based on what seems useful; an unclear result can stay unclear.
When you return to your notes
Read the circumstances alongside the activity names. Keep a useful preference separate from a claim about what caused it. If the new note does not fit, revise the explanation, gather another ordinary observation, or leave it undecided. Use the notes to organize your everyday preferences and plans.
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