"...we are going to tackle planning; obligations, commitments and choices; how to slow down and focus; decision making; procrastination and routines. For many, this will be the biggest area for simplifying your life with the hope of gaining clarity, reducing stress and finding more time to move forward with your goals and things that bring joy to your life…"
I have always been an organiser and a planner. As early as I can remember I liked to organise my things and the people around me. I was probably considered bossy and pissed people off but I like things the way I like them, and I like to organise and plan so things go smoothly. As the eldest child of the family, and my mum not well, my organising personality came in very handy. I had to help organise the home and my sister and brother quite a bit and this still happens a bit now. I always seem to be the event organiser for most family functions even now we are adults.
Organising must be hereditary. My dad is extremely organised, I am positive I got it from him. Emilie is already a massive organiser and will probably be a CEO someday bossing everyone around!
Organising and planning is something that comes naturally to me and something I enjoy doing. I love the way it feels when I organise something and it runs smoothly. I like to know I have covered all bases and anticipated most variations to a plan.
Like another friend of mine, I too have been referred to as a 'control freak'. Funny how this seems to come from people who seem to have minimal organisation skills, or leave things to the last minute and then wonder why plans do not work out. Non-planners seem to like it when events run smoothly but how do they think this happens? Being disorganised can be stressful and embarrassing and I hate the way that feels. I would rather be called a control freak than be disorganised, and unproductive.
One of my biggest lessons as a natural planner and organiser was realising that despite the best planning and organising, not everything will go to MY plan, and things can change very quickly. I used to get upset when things didn't go to plan and still do sometimes, but I think having a child was the main thing that taught the best laid plans can go whacky in an instant, and there is no point getting upset about it. Also sometimes it is good to just go with the flow, be spontaneous and not plan everything.
As an adult I have always kept lists. I love lists. I find getting it out of my head and onto paper the only way for me to get everything done I need to. Crossing things off my 'to-do-list' is a very satisfying feeling!
I am much less an obsessive diary keeper as I used to be. Prior to Emilie I took my diary everywhere, had a colour coded highlighting system, and wrote down everything I did or needed to do including when I had sex! It was way over the top when I look back at it now. While on maternity leave I got rid of my diary altogether. There was no point as babies do not run to plan. These days I use a work diary for work stuff, and at home i use a wall calendar and weekly planner.
So the week 14 challenge is very interesting. Though I already have lists, tried notebooks and consider myself a pretty good planner, there are some changes to my planning needed.
Firstly I will make some changes to my list making. One of my mistakes is having only one 'to-do-list' rather than Deb's suggestion of several lists including perhaps a daily, weekly, monthly and master list. There are definitely things on my 'to-do' list that have been there for ages and would be more appropriate on a master project list. This will also assist with procrastination, which luckily I don't suffer from too often. Another suggestion I will try, is to plan or list my self time. I will also start carrying a small notebook with me again so I can jot down any ideas and inspirations i come across.
Off to 'brain dump' now and reorganise my lists!
well written. 'I AM NOT A CONTROL FREAK!!!' hahahha. people just don't understand.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm not alone any more! LOL!
good blogging Lou xoxoxoxo