(I wrote the following for
Parents & Kids Magazine this January, and today was just one of those days that I needed to revisit my own advice!!!)
___________________________________________________________________________________
I am a master planner. I am the queen of lists and the sultan of schedules. I sketch out my daily routines, but I also spend a great deal of time formulating plans related to business ventures, stock options, workout routines, books I'd like to write, art I want to make, and trips I hope to take. You name it, and I've probably planned for it. I take great comfort in organizing every last detail of what I have to do and what I would like to do, and all of this plotting brings me pleasure. Unfortunately, I stink at executing my master plans.
When I was a junior high and high school overachiever I craved the structure of a to-do list, and would map out my weekends down to the minute. I would even pencil in my bathroom breaks! This obsessive method actually worked at the time, and I used it as sort of a game to motivate my productivity.
As I've aged, my to-do lists have become even more intricate (if you can imagine!) but my motivation has diminished. This admission has taken me quite some time, but it's the truth. I will spend hours, days -sometimes weeks, depending on the magnitude of the task- planning what I will do, how I will do it, perhaps even what I'll wear while doing it. I will spend time with my nose in a book, or surfing the net researching how it's been done before and I will give you the best pitch as to how I will do it again. All these hours calculating my next move seem to be such a waste when I look back and see that all I've really done is a lot of conspiring and not much "doing."
A little preparation is rarely a bad thing, but if you are like me and get so caught up in the planning that you find yourself too exhausted for the execution, you may have to take a step back. In 2010 I'm going to try to pare down my infamous lists and instead push myself to act on my ideas. In the words of the famous retail giant, Nike, I am going to attempt to set aside my well-made plans from time to time and "just do it."
___________________________________________________________________________________
***How very ironic that today's photo is of my running shoes that are not Nikes at all. I purchased them to motivate myself to get active and healthy. (Right now the only cardio I get is chasing after a 17-month-old and the 10-hour power house workout -aka wedding days- every few months.) How do I keep my running shoes so clean, you ask? Well, not wearing them...ever...really helps. Yes friends, the following photo was taken May 22nd, 2010 and these bad boys still look exactly the same. Soon, I tell you, I will post these sneakers again, and they'd better look worn...
