#2045 Just Say NO to meetings
“Some people take no care of their money until they come nearly to the end of it, and others do the same with their time.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I take this Goethe quote to heart, and I want to share with you what is written at the top of my monthly planning page:
Monthly Overview September: ME FIRST - work minimized - Family, Exercise, Fun and Freedom are the Big Rocks
My weekly plan is similarly titled “Frankie First – Just say NO to meetings! Protect the white space!”
It may seem trite, like the way some folks dismiss vision boards, but the reminder is real. When I sit down to plan the month or the week, I plug in my workouts. Then I look at which day I can visit Mom and Dad. After that, I look to book breakfast with a friend, and finally, I look at the white space on my calendar and make a note to hold that sacrosanct.
This may seem easy or intuitive to you, and my reminders unnecessary. But after a work life of doing the opposite, over-scheduling is a hard habit to break.
You all know I am a goal-setter and measurer. Going from goals of business achievement to goals like “Visit my brother 6X this year or “Ten beach days” is a significant deviation from my norm.
This is especially tough because I am still working, but I know some high-achieving people who are retired and struggle with this as well.
Planning for achievement is a great habit, and I'm glad I adopted it over thirty years ago, but moving that habit from business success to personal success takes some work. It is a matter of, like Goethe suggested, taking care of my time before I come to the end of it.
My father-in-law, Charlie, was a great man. He was the kind of guy who would look out at the snow and ice on a winter day, grab a hot cup of tea, and drive around the neighborhood to find the mailman and deliver it. He died at age 78. That means that when he was my age, he had no idea he was in his last ten years. As I said, he was a great guy and lived a great life, but I wonder if he would have done anything differently during those final ten years had he known.
I hope this doesn’t seem morbid or maudlin. It isn’t intended to be. I want to live the Goethe quote every day. I love to work. I love to get up each day with purpose. I coach, sell, write, speak, consult, and advise. I enjoy it all. The challenge is balance. I go into each month thinking about Charlie. I’m getting better and putting the personal big rocks in first. Still, I get caught now and again with a week that looks like I’m still building a career instead of winding one down. It’s those weeks that teach me. It’s the pain of slipping that gives me traction to go forward as I intended – and it’s working.
We have readers just starting and others further along the unwinding, like me. Goethe rings true at all junctures, albeit in different degrees.
Regardless of where you are in your journey, plugging in health-related activities, family time, and hobbies first is a good habit. They may be scant at first while you build your career, but the habit will carry over, and when the gold watch comes, instead of wondering what to do, you’ll just shift to doing more of what you’ve already been doing.
Own Your Sales Gene…