Martin Luther King is the epitome of someone with a
purpose, he had a BIG PICTURE, and he definitely had priorities. What he began as the pursuit of civil rights
through non-violence has been challenged and “put to the test” over the
years. Progress has been made but not near enough. Now, more than maybe any
other time in recent history; with the violence in Ferguson, MO, today is a day
to examine our personal beliefs with more authenticity. I hope yesterday didn't pass without you
taking time to reflect on what the day represents and what each of us can do to
move forward so ALL people feel valued, respected, and heard.
From last week’s blog, how did you do with your own
reflection on YOUR Big PICTURE? What
priorities did you decide you want to continue, rework, or even new ones you
want to establish? You may have chosen
just the area of work or home which is great for a start. (You will also want to examine the areas of
finances, your spiritual health as well as your physical health as you move
ahead.)
The BIG PICTURE is the key to a strong “foundation” of
what we want to accomplish which then leads to prioritizing our focus and
activities. Yet no matter how hard WE
are working on those priorities, we also need to be flexible without losing
site of our overall goal. As my daughter
reflected on last week, she had HER priorities of what needed to get
accomplished, however, there were
other demands on her time outside of her control. Customers
needed to talk, loan committee took more time, there were drop in requests, last minute needs from others which caused her priorities to stack up. She focused on customer service
which is a key priority and the "right thing" to do. Consequently, she worked on her day off. Working on a day off, ideal? No.
Necessary, yes. Once again we are
in charge of our priorities and actions on a continual basis. It’s a CHOICE. Keep
in mind, we must always be flexible to various situations that pull us
away. The key, however, is not to lose sight
of that BIG PICTURE and our priorities.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if you too have to make adjustments. Just don’t allow that occasional situation to
continue when you can get back on track.
Planning and organization are the two areas we began
with when talking about how the holidays went this past year. In my humble opinion, that period of time is
usually a reflection on how we do throughout the entire year. For me, I can say I’m usually pretty good at
planning and am always looking for better ways to do something or to organize
my life. For me, the key is to get
things on my calendar first, then I can “back into” what needs to be done. Having a deadline even if it's self imposed keeps us accountable. It’s a strategy. You may have a different way which as long as
it accomplishes your priorities then it’s working. I learned this approach many years ago through
a high school study skills class. Planning and organization do not come
naturally for most people - it is a life skill that needs to be modeled, taught, and
practiced like any other skill.
When I was first teaching, I made many assumptions that
my students knew how to plan and organize.
It wasn't until my own children were having difficulty getting a handle
on their long term assignments, that I began to rethink how I was dealing with
teaching the skills of planning and organization. My first change was to have all the students
use planners (calendars), write in the
due dates with reminders along the way.
(Fifth grade is the first year where assignments may be over a week rather
than just overnight.) So why did I
continue to have many late assignments? My
“ah ha” moment was to realize there is a lot of time between the start and end
of a project or assignment. Once I began
to teach the students how to break things down into smaller steps to reach the
end goal, I began to see more success. That meant together we brainstormed all
the steps it would take to complete a task, then we “backed into” when those
tasks needed to be done. I modeled this
step by writing in my planner, and they did the same in theirs. Did everyone have success? No, but there were
far less late and/or incomplete assignments hence less stress and frustration
on the part of the students AND their parents.
For those still struggling, we collaborated to find a strategy that
worked for their particular learning style and needs.
What’s my point?
Planning and organization are skills that we may not have been taught or modeled, but they are skills that can be learned. That means there has to be a BIG PICTURE of
wanting to have less stress, less last minute running around, less frustration,
less conflicts with others etc. When something is a priority it needs to have action behind it, but we often don't know where to begin. So the first action might be to ask others in your same
position how they plan and organize tasks, gather ideas and strategies from
other sources like Pinterest, purchase the right tools (aka a calendar for 2015), ask
for suggestions on a social media site, take a class etc. etc. If you truly want to do things differently you
can!
BIG PICTURE – PRIORITIZE – STRATEGIES
TO ACCOMPLISH THE PRIORITY – TAKE ACTION.
Some of you will read this and think, “I’m already
organized,” to which I say a resounding, “GREAT!!” Maybe this is an area of strength for you, so
be sure to help your children, co-workers, spouse, or others who seem to have
difficulty. My philosophy has always
been to learn from those who I admire and who are skilled in an area I need
help. If planning and organization is an
area needing attention it won’t change until you do give it attention by making
it a priority. My life as a teacher, a
wife, a mother of two children with many areas to juggle demanded planning and
organization with little “wiggle room.” I continue to have planning and organizational
needs even now. It definitely “looks different”
with fewer deadlines but still necessary. Life can be quite demanding
especially when we’re juggling work, home, children, activities of each family
member, church, times with family and friends etc. The more we can prepare and be organized with
fewer last minute tasks the more we can enjoy each day and the times we have
both at home and at work.
Make the next four weeks a priority to plan and organize
the events, activities, and even the mundane tasks such as watering
plants. Use a calendar of some sort, prioritize
what needs to be done and when, and see how life can become more manageable
with less stress. You will be thrilled
with how much more you’re able to accomplish.
New habits take a minimum of 21 consecutive days to become
established. If you've fallen out of
sync, get back on track, and if you’re a pro help someone else. I would love to hear other’s suggestions of
what they do to be well planned and organized.
Have a fabulous week of planning and organizing. It comes down to mindset. YOU CAN DO THIS!
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