Start Thinking Now About Stories You Might Want To Include In Week In The Life™

As I was driving my kids to school this morning I started thinking about the stories I might want to tell in the upcoming Week In The Life™. I love the idea of starting to pay attention right now to the stories that make up your days at this point in time.

You might want to consider jotting down some notes for yourself about the patterns, stories, etc you are finding in your own daily life right now before the project even begins. It's a great way to practice paying attention. 

Here are some things I'm thinking about:

I'm thinking about how every morning when I drop Simon off he shares two or three Simon's Cat videos. They are super short YouTube videos about a cat owner named Simon and his one or two cats. I love that my Simon wants to share that moment with me before he gets out of the car. I love that we start the day laughing together before he moves out into the world of high school and I head home to work. It's a simple, tiny piece of our overall day right now but it's something I treasure. 

I'm thinking about how all seven of us go off in different directions each day during the week. Each kid in our house goes to a different school and I head to my office upstairs and Aaron heads to his office downstairs. I'm thinking about ways I can include a bit more of each of their stories from the day. Maybe I will include a map that pinpoints around our town where we are each located during school hours.

I'm thinking about the things I see out in our house right now, the projects in progress and the little things I love + maybe loathe: stacks of frames waiting to be gone through and then hung up both in the hallway outside my office and downstairs in the living room, the fake plants I've been picking up at Target to add easy green to our inside to go along with all the green I see through the windows outside, the puzzles on the work table where different hands contribute throughout the week, the ways the boys navigate video game time on the main TV, the piles that different kids leave on the counters and tables over the course of a week, the way two of our cats wrestle each morning before sleeping the rest of the day, the boxes outside Simon's door that include books he thinks he's outgrown that I want to go through and store away for a time when he might change his mind in the future, the boxes of cleats in the entry way for Elliott to try on as his feet get bigger and bigger each day.

I'm thinking about those kid piles again and how they won't always be a part of my everyday story. 

I'm thinking about screen time and how that is one of the most common conversations in our home on a daily basis. That and the reminder to "wash your hands."

I'm thinking about how our homes hold so many stories and all we have to do is pause and look around. I'm thinking about how this project is the perfect home for these little micro stories of our lives. Our basic routines + our daily thoughts. Our lives are made of these moments. 

I'm thinking a lot about new photo angles. Everyday life photos are my passion and after doing them for years and years - many from the same point of view (which I love because they show the passage of time from the same perspective) - I'm having fun intentionally changing things up. This has been an exercise in mindfulness for me - paying attention enough to see what I can see from different spots within my own house. If often requires me to sit or stand in different areas than I normally do - you know how we have habitual places we sit or stand? I have to tell you that even the practice of sitting in different spots in my house, with or without a camera in hand, has been refreshing and motivating. 

I'm thinking about spring sports and how our calendar is full of events making that the focus of our weekends. 

I'm thinking about how I can't imagine my life without all these people in it. I'm thinking about how I really wouldn't trade my life experience - the totality of it including the really hard parts and the really awesome parts. This is one of the things this project always encourages me to do - get really thankful about the life I'm living right now (even in the most challenging of times). 

I'm thinking about how Week In The Life™ is really a Week In My Life™. It's always been that way. I am the main character and my family are all supporting characters of this story. I can only tell you what I know and what I see from my perspective and I never try to include every single detail of the week because that's just a recipe for overwhelm. The invitation to include other voices is always there. 

I'm thinking about how with just a little effort + a little pause in your day you can have a list of stories that give a picture of your live right now. I made this list on a Saturday morning while sitting at my dining room table and simply being a witness to the life that is happening around me. 

You can totally do this too. 

Need supplies for Week In The Life™? We can help you with that here.

Also, digital products are now available including layered templates. Check out the digital options here

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17 thoughts

  1. SFK14 says…
    04/15/2019

    Thanks for the reminder that this project is really mainly from my point of view as the narrator of my story. I feel self-imposed pressure lift off as I remember that I do not “have to” include everything about everyone. I “get to” share my thoughts about my/our life, and include other perspectives as a bonus!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      04/15/2019

      Yes!

  2. laura_g_ says…
    04/15/2019

    This is such an awesome post! I'm sure I will refer back to it over and over again as I map out what I want to document, or the stories I want to tell! :)

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      04/15/2019

      Thank you!

  3. hgauvin says…
    04/15/2019

    I'm making my list right now because I want to include different stories this year. I love these inspirational posts that get thoughts moving around in my very crowded head! Thanks Ali.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      04/15/2019

      Awesome! I think just a little thinking ahead can help focus on the stories you most want to include.

  4. Houston says…
    04/15/2019

    I just opened a new document and jotted down ideas as they came to me in this blog post! Thanks for the great ideas Ali! I hope you have a wonderful week!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      04/15/2019

      Perfect!

  5. DebbiG says…
    04/15/2019

    Thanks, Ali. I think this is a great reminder for noticing stories...all year round. :)

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      04/15/2019

      Agree!

  6. julesb03 says…
    04/15/2019

    Thank you for posting this early, especially because I am doing my picture taking this week to try to capture some things I wouldn't be able to in a few weeks. Plus, I'm on Spring Break and have time to write more things down and take a few more pictures.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      04/15/2019

      You are welcome!

  7. lizness says…
    04/15/2019

    It's been so long since I had the time to join in. Now that Duncan is off to high school and we're no longer homeschooling, I can participate. And, I'm feeling super giddy about it all! =)

    Also, I love that you're encouraging/cultivating both the intentional observations and the surprises that emerge from our daily/weekly patterns. It's all about finding meaning, right?!? The hunt and documentation of the matterful.

    (Like I said, I'm pretty stoked to be joining in this year!)

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. anowotny says…
    04/15/2019

    This is beautiful! Week in the Life is one of my favorite projects. Can't wait to participate again this year. I have my kit set up...just waiting for the date.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Audreydz says…
    04/16/2019

    I am planning on doing theme days, i.e routines, work, home, etc... and because my One Little Word is EMBRACE at the end of each day I a, going to make a list about what from that theme I embraced. I’ll still include things/events/moments outside of the theme, but the small things I capture will have a target.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      04/17/2019

      Love that idea!

  10. kelsterjean says…
    04/24/2019

    Thank you for sharing this to get those brain wheels moving. I’m going to write down my own list so I can start thinking of what I want to capture during that week.

    Reply 0 Replies

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