I’ve been struggling lately. Getting things done. Prioritizing. Trying to get my life in order. Trying to move forward on too many fronts. I know. I know. “Life is what happens while you’re making plans.”
I bought myself this Franklin/Covey daily planner thing last week. And, I must admit that it’s actually working for me. I’ve been getting up in the morning, making my coffee and breakfast (oh…I love breakfast…I could eat breakfast three times a day), and planning and prioritizing. Think. Plan. Do.
It worked up until Wednesday. Then–I tried doing too many things again. Then, I think things compiled from the first part of the week. My computer has been in the shop and I was borrowing a friend’s so I couldn’t work on my map project. And I helped another friend start a blog. And I thought I’d lost my camera, and keys, and iPod. And I had guests arriving on Thursday. And I helped another friend with some trees (and almost knocked my face off). And..well. I’ll just stop there and say I’m restarting again this week.
From my cousin Nik: Plan it and it will happen. From Franklin/Covey: Focus.
One of the things this starter planner organizer things suggests doing is a series of activities which will help me focus on my life priorities. Define a personal mission statement on living life. And I know. It seems weird and personal and hokey–to me. But I’ve spoken to a lot of pretty successful people over the last few years (or people I consider pretty successful in the realms of life/work/achievements). Most of them said they made a plan. A life plan. Then they make a yearly plan, monthly, plan, and daily plan. And I thought I would try this series of Franklin/Covey thinking activities to help me get my life in focus.
After a week of identifying values and roles and tribute statements (ok…that feels more than hokey to me and honestly, that part of my work book is blank), I figured out I already have a life mission statement. I wrote it this summer, when I wrote my entry to my Dad on Father’s Day.
Oh. And laugh hard along the way.
And PS: Yes. My parents are two of the people I consider successful in the life/work/achievement realms.
I have to say, I took the Covey workshop last year and was all pumped about my new potential for organization, the life goals, the planning, all that good stuff!
Ok, so that didn’t last long. I still use the book. Sometimes. Sometimes I forget about the book. Sometimes I lose the book. And weeks later look at it and realize there’s all this sh*t I didn’t do. Because I forgot the book existed in my world.
I hope you have better luck! Maybe I need to take the workshop again?!?! 🙂
Maybe you should print out you life mission statement and post it – on your mirror, on your fridge and the back of your front door. It’s a great statement! It might help with the whole focus part? A reminder to stay grounded and not get too caught up in the things other people want and forgetting what you need.
Have you ever read Steinbeck’s “Of mice and men”?