It’s about this time of year — when I’m cleaning the Thanksgiving leftovers out of my fridge to make room for my Christmas dinner leftovers — that I make all sorts of resolutions. And, yes, they are the same ones I made last year: I have got to be better organized.
I mean, the whole joy of Thanksgiving for me is the leftovers. I plan for there to be leftovers. Nothing is better than a turkey-cranberry relish-stuffing sandwich. It’s like a reward. Why am I not getting around to eating them?
So ten whole minutes ago I did something drastic and put my mother in charge.
Yeah. I’m 39.
We made a list of:
- all the things I will do before December 31st (including cleaning out any remaining Christmas leftovers)
- all chores I will do before Friday of each week
- all paperwork I will do before the end of each month
- all projects that I will do before March 31st
There aren’t drastic things on these lists, like installing wood floors, this is just basic organization that I can’t seem to get on top of.
Each of us posted the list by our respective phones. Mom’s going to call and check in as each deadline approaches. Do I want to tell her I haven’t done something? No. Am I going to lie to her? Not a chance. (She’ll know.) Is there an element of fear here? A little. Yes.
And that’s how fuzzy, green turkey slices changed my life.
When I think about it, this is sort of how groups like Weight Watchers works and how life coaches work. They help you figure out your goals, give you clear directions, and then they check in with you. The goals and the responsibility are still yours, you are choosing to explain to someone why you changed your plans.
Did you miss the window for sending out notes/offers/coupons to your clients this season? Does Valentine’s always sneak up on you? Are you tired of launching half-conceived marketing plans when you’re up against a deadline?
Think about finding yourself a mom (mine would probably volunteer) even just for one little project you’ve been meaning to get done in your practice. See how it works.
Merry Christmas all!
Eileen
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2 users commented in " Thanksgiving Leftovers: The lessons they bring "
I really like the idea of keeping them by the phone. I keep lists in my computer, but those annoying little ToDo windows keep flashing up at times I can’t get to it so I end up delaying working on said project, and sooner or later the list that pops up is overwhelmingly long and overdue; so I just get used to looking at it and eventually delete everything and start again.
However, maybe by my phone – then I can go to IT when I have my time rather than having IT come to me (which is a whole ‘nother control issue I don’t need to go into here).
But, can I get your Mom’s phone number, just in case?
I really like the idea of keeping them by the phone. I keep lists in my computer, but those annoying little ToDo windows keep flashing up at times I can’t get to it so I end up delaying working on said project, and sooner or later the list that pops up is overwhelmingly long and overdue; so I just get used to looking at it and eventually delete everything and start again.
However, maybe by my phone – then I can go to IT when I have my time rather than having IT come to me (which is a whole ‘nother control issue I don’t need to go into here) .
But, can I get your Mom’s phone number, just in case?
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