So, after a bit of sweat and hard work, I got the strategic structure for Goal #2, and am hopefully on my way to staring down the other two goals.
In the meantime, I was so energized by the process, and revving my engine to move forward, that I decided to put some fuel in the tank and work on my scheduling (an action, not a strategy). Perhaps that was my way of celebrating. Or perhaps it was more of a visioning exercise for me.
I took pen to paper (sometimes computer just doesn’t cut it for me), and “chunked” my general schedule to reflect my weekly and/or long-term planning (e.g., cleaning and organizing; regular and not-so-regular appointments; writing; personal; follow-ups; correcting past sins…that last one will be explained in another blog). Then, I listed my “locked in” times in the average week.
Having completed this outline, I created a schedule for the upcoming week – times and all. (You should know that this is not like me. I generally only make lists when I am completely overwhelmed – and that is because I figure that, if I can write it down, it is do-able.)
In the meantime, as if trying to tell me something, I received a free scheduler in the mail (not a calendar, but an actual scheduler!).
As I said, I listed by the hour or half-hour, what my week would look like, with a little “to do if there is time” at the bottom of each day, as well as underlines and stars for the very important tasks. Then, as I completed each task (not always on time, but darn close), I checked it off. And, oh, it felt so good!
Unfortunately, I dropped the ball after a week. Habits (good or bad) are not made in a day (or a week). I’ll take another stab at it (again and again, if need be), and finally get there, I hope. After all, I do have that scheduler!
About the Author:
The above entry is part of a guest blog series titled “A Coaching Journey” written by my friend, client, and talented writer, Linda Epstein. She has graciously agreed to write on her experience with the coaching process as she navigates it, to give a first-hand view of what the journey is like. Visit weekly to find out more!
Read the rest of “A Coaching Journey” by clicking below:
Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4