As it does for many of us, January fires me up, igniting ideas for a new batch of life-enhancing goals. There is something really motivating about that clean slate the new year offers up, kicking my internal goal-making apparatus into gear. The annual ritual of taking down all the Christmas decorations and giving the house a good cleaning seems to beckon for new, fresh beginnings. I thrive on this beginning-of-the-year energy.
Three years ago (can it be?) I hatched a plan to start my own business at home, and wouldn’t you know it, by that March I had actually started TWO. This is what can happen when that burst of New Year energy is harnessed and then funneled into a real-life game plan—versus sitting there in my head as a wish never to be acted upon. Yes, starting any kind of serious endeavor is risky—in my case a long shot. But with a little belief in oneself, the skills and talents we all have just waiting to be accessed can serve up some pretty cool outcomes.
Which brings me to the point of this blog post: Sticky notes. Ok, yawn if you must but this brainchild of Romy and Michele is worth writing about. Yep, anyone who knows me knows that I am a slave to the little gems. At any given time you will see a patchwork quilt of multi-colored Post-it notes scattered across my computer to remind me to do this or that.
Mind you, I prefer the old school written-in-real-ink-on-real-paper kind of list or reminder, versus the sterile, lifeless phone app versions. Something about actually writing the items out and seeing the physical paper staring back at me helps me to focus and remember better. Sure, I will send myself a quick text now and then or create a list on my phone when no paper is available, but it isn’t my preference.
I have used the written to-do list for decades in an effort to rein in my natural (undiagnosed) ADD propensity to approach the day in a scattershot style, bouncing from project to project, or room to room with nary a plan to actually get anything done. My to-do list obsession is simply a coping tool to compensate for a crazy brain full of nuttiness that is easily distracted. If I am to get anything important accomplished I MUST write it down or, just forget about it, it will indeed be forgotten. My mom used to always tell me I would forget my head if it wasn’t attached. Quite true!
I actually find that making a list of stuff to get accomplished each day relieves a lot of stress. Without writing things down I would be totally sidetracked by trying to remember what it was I was supposed to do, or where I was expected to be. I have learned this the hard way, missing an appointment here or there because I hadn’t taken a moment to write it down. I feel mortified when I miss an appointment, so avoiding that shame is my ongoing motivation for diligently noting my daily obligations.
On a larger scale, when I decide to tackle a new project—yes, I like to challenge myself even when there is a high probability of failure—I make copious notes. I will flesh out the process of achieving said goal first in the pages of a good ole college-ruled notebook and then make a daily plan via to-do notes to actually see the idea come to fruition. Some may be thinking, wow, this woman is OCD and ADD! Maybe, but I say it is the German in me (paternal genes) that seeps out in this quest for order combined with my grandfather’s unyielding entrepreneurial spirit. I blame my DNA.
Say what you will, but thanks to years of abiding to my to-do lists (love to cross off stuff as I accomplish items during the day) I have managed to pull off some pretty awesome personal goals. Approaching any big endeavor—whether it was going to L.A. to be a print model in the 70s to opening stores in the 90s to homeschooling my kids to planning trips to Europe, and most recently to buying a home on my own (and overseeing renovations), these mini blueprints have walked me through large scale efforts in little incremental steps, leading to actually fulfilling my dreams instead of just sitting frozen imagining them.
So for anyone reading this tripe who may be allowing too much time to pass before tackling a new goal, only to see it go up in smoke, go get yourself a pack of Post-its…the large size with lines are the perfect tool to help you reach for your dreams, too.