Exercises, Templates and Checklists
Here are some resources for you to use.
Feel free to adapt any exercises or refer to checklists or templates when you work with clients or groups. Exercises are typically step by step processes. Checklists are categories in list form, and most templates are graphics, grids or visual maps. More about these tools.
Exercise 8670 Hours: What’s Worth 1000? What is worth a thousand hours? That would be around a sixth of your awake hours.
- Exercise 8760 Hours: Awake? Asleep?
You have 8760 hours in a year, but those aren’t all available for activity.
Template 8760 Hours – Awake? Asleep? Total sleep opportunity hours
- Exercise Sunshine Moments
Rachel and Jacqui Alexander introduced me to this yearly ritual. Throughout the year they keep a jar in the kitchen. It’s handy and ready to receive pieces of paper, notes, tickets, etc., that represent sunshine moments of the year.
- Exercise Ten Favorite Things
Sometimes when we are most in need of rejuvenation, we aren’t mentally resourceful enough or determined enough to 1- figure out what would feed us, and 2- take the time to do it.
- Exercise Fill in the Blank Framing
I use fill-in-the-blank exercises in a variety of ways. Framing for use with any of the checklists.
Checklist Health fill in the blank Fill in the blank prompts. See Fill in the Blank Framing for ideas.
- Checklist Relationships fill in the blank
Fill in the blank prompts. See Fill in the Blank Framing for ideas.
- Checklist Work fill in the blank
Fill in the blank prompts. See Fill in the Blank Framing for ideas.
- Checklist Purpose fill in the blank
Fill in the blank prompts. See Fill in the Blank Framing for ideas.
- Exercise Word Rivers
In this exploration, we take a step back and look at the world we create, the environment that exists inside our mind.
- Exercise Alternate Lives
Here we explore alternate lives in the way a child would imagine “if I were….” You daydream. Be playful with this.
- Exercise Voting with Time
It’s an understatement to say we have experienced big changes in 2020 and 2021. How did we spend our time Before? How do we spend it differently now?
- Exercise Modeling
“Modeling” is a simple process: Find someone who has achieved what you want to. Watch and listen. Then break their action down into manageable chunks and you practice until you are able to achieve the same result.
- Template Open Map
Framed space for any thinking exercise.
- Exercise A Parts Party
Virginia Satir created an exercise that she called a “parts party.” When we host a parts party, we check in with bits of ourselves and invite them to get to know each other.
- Exercise Tim’s Office Transformation
Clearing may be in the air this time of year. We’re in our homes and offices more in the winter, the nights are longer, we want to nest in a cozy and comfortable space.
- Template Tim’s Office Transformation
Use with: Tim’s Office Transformation Exercise
- Exercise The Year Wheel
Several years ago I started using a circle to create a different map of a year. In this exercise, you think about your personal time and you map out how the next year of it might be used.
- Template The Year Wheel
Use with: The Year Wheel Exercise
- Exercise Reinvent the Set, the Props
This exercise is adapted from the textbook Actor for Life.
- Exercise My Ideal Time of Day
This exercise prompts you to explore your own unique relationship with time. When you discuss your discoveries with another person, you deepen the learning.
- Template 24 Hour Clock
Use with: Perfect Time of Day Exercise
- Exercise End of Year Review
I do this exercise to celebrate and review the end of each year. I describe the exercise as a personal review, but you can adapt it to teams, families or groups as well.
- Exercise Noticing Breath
This exercise helps you notice changes in breathing which can give you hints about a person’s state of mind.
- Exercise Building a NO muscle
Learn to say no; it will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin. -Charles Spurgeon
- Checklist Visual Words
See, Look, Bright, Clear, Picture.
- Checklist Auditory Words
Hear, Tell, Sound, Resonate.
- Exercise Dialog with Inner Wisdom
In this exercise, you talk to yourself.
- Checklist Proust Questionnaire
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
- Checklist Kinesthetic (Feeling) Words
Grasp, Feel, Hard, Tickle.
- Exercise Laughter
Many of us are afflicted with terminal seriousness.