The Fabulous 52

"If you want something to get done, give it to the busiest person."
-- busines maxim

Have you ever noticed that when scheduled, more stuff seems to get accomplished? Do you ever have those times where you go through an hour, a day, a week or weekend, a month, and it seems like not a whole helluva lot actually got done in the end?

I've been thinking about a variety of motivational menus along these lines; there's a whole smorgasbord of spiffy slogans and precise little plans that one could use to schedule their life as well as German trains.

I was looking around my house earlier. You've heard the saying, "the walls talked back," perhaps. My walls probably would, but they are muffled and gagged by the amount of junk stuck in front of them, waiting for something to be done.

My house projects, life projects, health projects, kid projects, garage projects, and other "goals" are starting to stretch into the horizon of infinity.

And if I'm not making a ton of headway on them, perhaps it is because I am not really trying. I am not constantly reminded of them. I don't have any actual schedule for them. They just become "wishes," lost to the binary oblivion of blogging or the neurological randomization of daydreams and unfulfilled plans.

It's time to expand my horizons, increase my recognition of my own potential, and explore the increased 'attention' value that reminder and planning for goals brings.

So to this end I am creating The Fabulous 52. Also known as, "52 accomplishments I will get off my ass and do within the next calendar year, because I rock and I deserve to do that for myself."

These have to be possible -- and reasonable -- for happening within a year from now. Nothing that will take 2 years in any sane guess, or will require more money than 3 years of saving could come up with. They have to be things I control, e.g., I can't count my kid's hopeful weight loss in there no matter how much I want to help her, that's her goal not mine. It can be anything from a construction project to a spiritual goal.

There are 52 weeks in a year. How much is it to ask that I "average" accomplishing one thing of importance a week? (It can vary of course, I might do none on the list for a few weeks, then cover a dozen in the next couple.) If the things I would put on my F-52 list are not worth having some priority, why are they on the list? It needs to be stuff I really do want to get done. I can add and remove things from the list over time.

The important thing is that I take the time to MAKE the list and to POST it somewhere, yes ON PAPER 'cause I'm a luddite, in my house, so I can SEE it. And to make a weekly habit of briefly reviewing it. 30 seconds a week to review. How hard is that? So the list takes time? -- how much time do I spend on the internet? I have time to make a list of what is truly important to me.

So next up, soon as I get them worked out (or most of 'em anyway), is my Fabulous 52 for the next year of my hopefully productive life!

PJ
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