The title of this post is probably a bit more dramatic than needed, but it does convey a little of what i felt when i realised that it is already June!
Now i know that it is June for everyone and that time moves fast for everyone and that no one can believe that so much of the year has passed already etc etc. So i wont write about those things as i am very sure that you will not gain anything from reading about this. You might even be upset as you just wasted so much time reading about me talking about how precious time is and how we should not be wasting it.
What is this post about then? It is about me realising it is June and not feeling like i have accomplished anything significant in 2013 yet. Not even 50%. I did not like the feeling.
I decided to make a list of things that i want to get done this year. And if i have done these things, i would feel that 2013 was a great year. Anything on the list that would not contribute to the year being described as “great” would be taken off. For example, I really would like to run a half-marathon under 2 hours. But, if i do not accomplish that this year, i would by no means feel that the year was a failure. Also, if i accomplish this, but nothing else, the year would still be pretty lame.
So as you can see, this is not a normal to-do list, goals or even a bucket list. This is something different. I had to find the most basic, most essential accomplishments that would qualify an entire year as a success. Something like a minimum effective dose. Not too much (life goals or bucket list) and not too little (daily tasks). Let’s call it a Goldilocks list. (You don’t have to call it that).
I challenge you to make a list like this. I found the exercise to be extremely challenging and enlightening as it forced me to ask myself some critical questions:
- How am i really feeling about my life right now?
- Why do i not feel how i want to feel?
- What is stopping me from feeling the way i want?
- What do i need to do to change that?
- Am i willing to do this?
Here is the most interesting conclusion for me – The list was extremely short! I have not taken enough time to consider the implications of the list being so short, but i found the result very surprising. I expected the list to be much longer as there are so many things i work on everyday- things that keep me busy, things on my to-do list, things i want to get done.
The Goldilocks list let’s you look beyond the things that keep you busy and find out what really matters.
Suddenly, having six months left to accomplish the things on the list were not ridiculous. It became very possible. I could now figure out what needs to be done to make that happen, who should get involved and when what needs to be completed.
I closed my notebook being excited for the year ahead and motivated to make great things happen.
Have you ever made a list like this? What did you learn from the experience?
Dit is so ‘n goeie ding om te doen- maar tog ‘n bietjie intimiderend vir my. Ek dink ek laat myself partykeer nie toe om so ‘n lysie te maak nie omdat mens bang is jy voltooi dit nie of kom nie by helfte van dit uit nie. Defenitief iets om oor te dink en verseker werk van te maak. Die lysie in my kop is al baie lank van Maart af:)
Ek verstaan daardie intimidasie baie goed. Het besef dat deur nie te doen nie, gaan ek minder reg kry as om die lysie te maak en net helfde daarvan te doen 😉
Launching your Startup (Lunchbox)? Don’t discard that mate – huge achievement and hard work.
Thanks Erin! While i was writing the post i realised how easy it is to forget or disregard the things that have happened or that you have done during the year already. Also important to know that the past accomplishments should not make us complacent for the future 🙂
I recently learnt a very valuable lesson: Dream | Plan thoroughly | DO!!
Those three goes hand in hand 😉
This is where the idea of a have-done list comes in. Instead of feeling guilty because you spent a day following no prescribed path, simply take note of what you did. At the end of the day, make a shortlist of what you accomplished. This gives you a chance to reflect on how well this approach to work fits with your personality. It will also help you better understand the types of things that you do naturally and the types of things you avoid. This understanding can benefit you when trying to use a to-do list in the future.