“There ought to be a room in every house to swear in.
It’s dangerous to have to repress an emotion like that.”
— Mark Twain
I was talking to a friend and former client on the phone while driving — my favorite place from which to return calls — when this person, who is very observant and knows me well, laughed at my story and said, “That is your favorite four-letter word!” I knew I had not said that four-letter word that I never use in anger but love and share too liberally because it is an adjective that captures many moments well. (Another friend told me recently that the use of hard consonant words is a stress release!) So having not let loose with that classic hard-consonant, four-letter, semi-foul-language word, I was curious as to what my phone-friend thought my “Favorite Four-Letter” word could possibly be.
And then, laughingly, my friend told me that my Favorite Four-Letter word is L-I-S-T. And I thought that was right but I knew in my life that four-letter word could be a five-letter word because where there is one list there is a pile of list(s).
I start my day, folding an 8” x 11 ½” paper in half. I begin writing in the upper left corner. I write the same abbreviations every day. It is the activities I do every morning. I don’t forget them or how to do them, but this pause to write out the day centers me. I go on to write who I need to call, the list of priorities that must be accomplished, and the scheduling commitments and actions I need to take. This piece of paper travels with me throughout the day. I look at it and check things off and add more actions to the categories.
I end the day by reviewing it and starting the list for the next day. By the end of the week, I have multiple lists that I review and consolidate.
You might catch me writing a list when I am with you. Or if we are discussing something and I fold a piece of paper in half, know that I am starting the note taking.
Writing helps to slow down my mind. I make sense of divergent concepts as I write. I listen and can process what I am hearing and provide a solution if asked. I write on the page in a very specific way as I have a visual memory and can recall what I have written if I put it on the page in a way that my mind can visualize.
I didn’t always know how my mind and mental gifts operated. I discovered my visual memory as a foreign exchange student in Sydney, Australia at the age of 17. The expectations held for me in their education system required me to focus intensely and this is when I discovered this valuable gift.
I don’t take it for granted and can get anxious when it is not accessible, like when I am tired or distracted. If I am too stressed and not aware, I start to visually track my environment repeatedly. Every strength can also be a weakness if overused — so wisely said by Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman’s in his recent workshop entitled “The 12 Natural Laws of Business Success”.
• Do you know how your mind operates?
• Do you know how you learn and what you need to master a process or plan an initiative?
My friend/colleague went on to tell me about recognizing that everyone needs something different in how they approach planning, conversation, decision-making, and the daily work of living and working and getting things done.
She has learned that what works for one person may not work for another.
Such simple yet powerful observations on things that may contribute to miscommunications and why we become tangled when trying to do something together.
I appreciated her observations of my style. I embrace my love of L-I-S-T(s). It is my favorite four-letter word!
She gave me this gift of understanding not to try to change me or poke fun at my obsession but to let me know she “sees me” and we shared a laugh.
If I can’t find a piece of paper, you will see me use just about anything to write on. I love a napkin list or the back of a used envelope.
I get a little squirrely if I can’t find my list(s).
I have started using journals and have one in every room of the house just like my reading glasses.
For all the discipline I have for my list making – I don’t have the discipline to start a single monthly journal and stick with the same one until every page is used.
I like to review the papers and relish the activity of throwing the finished papers away.
I have several puppies from a summer litter in the house who can “Houdini” themselves out of any barricade. Twice this week they made their way into the room serving as my office and chewed my lists and files! Yikes! It was a real situation of “The dog ate my homework.” I cleaned up the mess but looked over every shred of chewed paper to ensure that a critical piece of information was not destroyed in the process. (I know. I know!)
My older client files were more easily accessible and so they shredded my files for me, which allowed me to tick those activities off my list(s). I can find the ‘silver lining’ to almost any calamity.
• Are you prepared to share your wonderfully unique ways of organizing and managing your responsibilities?
I have advanced with technology and I admit to frequently using my cell phone to write an email list. However, there is something very important in the kinesthetic action of writing that links up with my visual memory. So, I have a hunch that I will be writing with a pen and paper until my final hour.
May this time of year be filled with finishing important initiatives and envisioning a new year with buckets of positive opportunities.
Which you will approach in your unique style.
Cheers.
Leslie
“We will never finish everything on our to-do lists.
It’s not possible, and that is life!”
— Susan L. Taylor
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