Monthly Archives: October 2013

Turn your “To Do List” into a “Can Do List”!

Bulleye # 3

Over the years my life and responsibilities may have changed, but starting my day off at 5 AM with a cup of coffee and a pad and pen has not.  Each morning I review my calendar and create a To Do List. 

Most days my list is scary, and often overwhelming.  I have now made a conscience decision to look at things in a different way.  I now view each task with the “end game” in mind.  What do I hope to accomplish? Why is accomplishing this goal or task important to me? Who else will benefit? Will it benefit the greater good, my family, or make someone else’s life a little bit better? These questions help me prioritize and keeps me focused on what I need to accomplish and why.

 Now “Do I really need to put on my sneakers and go to the gym at 5:30 am?” becomes, “If I go to the gym at 5:30 AM I can check it off my list.  I will be in a much better mood all day, and look and feel great”. 

 If I am really motivated, I can turn on the dishwasher and throw in a wash before I go.  My bonus round can be picking up my dry cleaning on the way home!  Check, check, check!!

 When I get to the office I take the same approach.   “How am I possibly going to get this all done?” becomes, “What must I complete today to do my job efficiently”, “What is my team waiting on and what tasks or system can I put in place to make Love and Quiches Gourmet our company more efficient”?  “How can I help my teammates achieve their goals or check things off their to do list”?  My motto is “worst first” (taking the task that is the hardest or that you dread the most and get it out of the way).

 Then there are the things on my list that are not a must but can surely make my day better, like talking to a friend or mentor. Since we are all busy and time is a commodity I find first thing in the morning and in the car on the way to work best for a catch up chat.  Four out of five days getting ready in the morning or afternoon chores can become mentoring or catch up with friend sessions. Now that is multitasking with meaning!

 There are many things on my list that will not change my life one way or another if I complete them myself.   For instance cooking dinner after work can be nice, but so is ordering in.  A clean house is great, but having someone help is even better.  Making the bed is important, but no one comes to inspect if you skip a day, do they? 

 I never forget to schedule in some time for fun, and laughter, especially on the weekends. (Read next week’s blog for more on this)

 Throughout my day I always keep my “end game” in mind.  Sitting on the couch with my husband drinking a great glass of Red Wine!

 I end each day in my yoga room meditating, and reflecting on what I have accomplished that  day.  What still needs to get done?  What needs to get put back on the list for tomorrow?  What might have gone wrong that day? Lastly I reflect on what went right.

 I then set the alarm, get a good night’s sleep, and prepare to press the reset button!

 Buleye 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“To Each His Own Device” …….. Is there a price to pay for “Individual Electronic Freedom”?

Yesterday I went to the theater with my husband and a girlfriend.  We settled in to our seats, and each proceeded to take out our cell phones and check into the theater on Facebook.  We tagged each other, and as we pressed post, our devices rang out notifying us we had an update.  It made me wonder, what is the etiquette for this? Do we “like” each other’s post even though we are right next to each other?  Will it soon be like buying a round?   “Hey, I’ll get the first check in, and you can get dinner”

So it made me wonder, is there a price to pay for “Individual Electronic Freedom”?

If the norm today is for each of us to have “Personal” handheld device, does it even the playing field?

Is this a good thing or bad thing? 

Is there a set of norms for what is acceptable and  unacceptable?  Will we need to create one?

What would Emily Post do in this situation? (I threw this in because I was raised to always ask, what would Emily Post do?) 

At dinner we each checked in, but did not tag each other, and we started to discuss the pros and cons of personal devices?

I now share my point of view.

On Texting:

The biggest Pro for me is communicating with my children.  I clearly know that they are rolling their eyes when I ask them to do something, but it doesn’t matter because I can’t see them.  When my son turned20 and started living in a different city, it was clearly inappropriate for me to ask him when he was coming home; I could however ask him to text me and let me know he was alive after 2AM.

It is also great for making plans, locating people at conferences, and quick communications.

The biggest Con is that one can rely on it to keep in touch with friends when there is really no substitute for one-on-one contact whether on the phone and even better, in person!

On Television Watching:

I was so excited when I got my IPAD.  I thought it was the greatest thing in the world that I could sit in the same room with other family members and each watch our own program. 

I now wonder if this is really a good thing?  Is this what family Television Night is suppose to be like?  It makes me long for the days of watching “The Brady Bunch” and “Partridge Family” with my brother.  I still remember the excitement I used to feel on Sunday Night when the “Wonderful World of Disney” came on right after “Mutual of Omaha”? I hate not having someone to get excited about a series with!

Is fighting over the remote really that bad?  Isn’t it the way children learn about conflict resolutions and compromise?

On Cleaning the House:

This is one aspect of “Individual Electronic Freedom” that has absolutely no down side.  As I have mentioned in past blogs and will mention again in the future, I hate cleaning the house!  I do however, love listening to Audiobooks!  This is the perfect multi-tasking activity, matching something you love with something you hate! Oh, how I treasure my IPOD!

On Internet Shopping:

It makes it easier, need I say more?

On Personal Readers:

Now this took some getting used too, but convenience prevailed.  I’m over it!

So now, many of us have had to insist that our love ones and children come to the dinner table with washed hands and no cell phones or insist that our colleagues come to meetings and leave their cell phones at the door.  I only hope that the next generation learns to put down their phones when they are on dates or how the next generation will deal with this issue will be a moot point!

As with all evolution and uncharted waters, we will have to figure it out as we go along.  We will learn to take the good with the bad, set our boundaries and take comfort in the fact that we are all in the same boat.  I am sure if Emily Post was alive today, even she would be perplexed.