Getting Ahead of Things

I have a brutal stretch of travel coming up. That’s not a complaint; I feel entirely blessed to have a full calendar and a host of incredible clients! But I do know that I need to rigorously manage my project list or I’ll quickly find things are slipping through the cracks.

Recently I made a master list of everything that is coming up for the next quarter and I assigned dates to all the sub-tasks. To tell you the truth, it was a grueling and painful exercise, but it forced me to come to grips with the realities of my schedule.

What I did not expect was an interesting and powerful side benefit. The due dates are lined up from here to the end of October; I can see that. But with everything lined up neatly I can also see the opportunities to get out front of some of the actions. And that is exactly what is happening. I am proactively racing ahead of due dates…and it feels great!!!

All this to say that I am re-learning a lesson you would think I would have learned by now: being ahead on stuff feels great; being behind stinks!

Want a quick feel-good opportunity? Line up your to do list and assign dates. Don’t be aggressive – feel free to string it out. But then get to work and get ahead. You’ll feel more productive, more successful, and more in control of your own schedule.

It’s all about protecting our mental well-being. When my mind is right I am in a much better position to change someone’s world!