There are some songs that instantly bring me back to my childhood. Tapestry by Carole King is one of those albums I listened to over and over as a child. I think we may have worn out the needle on the turntable at some point because we played it so many times. I got to revisit those songs when I saw the Carole King musical, Beautiful today. I knew very little about this songwriter/singer’s life except that her hits could be a soundtrack for parts of my life. Hearing songs like “I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet” and “You’ve Got A Friend” easily brought me back to my old house listening to that album as we did the dishes. My sister and mom have better singing voices then I do, so I just hummed along, but the memory is clear as day. And then, sitting in the theater, I had an unexpected reaction to another old favorite, “So Far Away.” Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore? Cue the tears…I mean, how true is that? So many people who have come and gone in my life. It would be so fine to see their face at my door. And it doesn’t help to know they’re just time away. Okay, you get the idea. Ugh, those lyrics just get me and I don’t know why. Maybe it is because I have a child going off to college or maybe because I miss friends that I haven’t seen in a long time and not sure when I’ll see them again.
A List for Life
I write a lot of lists. There is my daily to-do list, a project list, a list of books I want to read, and restaurants I want to try. Lists remind me not only what I must do, but what I want to do. Plus, I’m a big believer in what I put out into the world will somehow work out in the end. The act of making lists is allowing myself to write down dreams and goals and then giving myself permission to fulfill them. Four years ago, under the advisement of a career coach, I created a completely different kind of list. He called it a life/work balance grid, but it is still a list. We took the time to map out what I wanted for myself in 1 year, 5 years and 10 years. Today, I’m revisiting this list. Here is what I’ve discovered. The good news is “remodeling my kitchen” was slated for year 5 and I did it in year 3. I also wanted to see one Broadway show a year starting in 2020. I’m happy to report that in year 4, we are seeing not one or two, but six(!) Broadway shows in 2019! Not on Broadway, but I never wrote down where I wanted to see the shows. That isn’t as important to me as enjoying the theater experience. I love supporting the arts and there are so many shows I want to see, so I’m happy to be able to do this. I also wanted to read 12 books a year and according to my Goodreads account, I’ve come close but haven’t hit the mark yet. Of course, this year, I doubled my reading goal and although I’m already falling behind, I plan to catch up soon. I’m still pursuing my writing dreams by blogging (obviously) and I now see myself as becoming an author. My dream, scratch that–goal, is to write a book that will help others and then stand in front of a room full of people to talk about it. Also, in my dream, I see myself sitting at one of those “Meet the Author” events signing my new book and seeing a long line out the door. Hey, it could happen. There are a few areas in the grid where I’ve shorted myself, but I’m glad to be doing this exercise so I can get back on track. Speaking of exercise, I need to lose weight and then maintain it. This is a consistent goal which appears on year 1, 5 and 10 on my life/work balance grid and yet, I haven’t been taking it seriously enough. Losing weight has been a struggle for me. It seems ridiculous too because I only need to lose about 25lbs to be at a healthy weight. But, it is so hard! I know it will only be harder as I age so I need to really take charge of this area of my life. I mentioned that I enjoy hiking—which I completely forgot that I wrote down 4 years ago. And then a lightbulb went off in my head. Hiking is exercise, right? I’ll be checking this goal off my list next year. Recently, a friend reminded me that we are about to embark on the beginning of the best part of our lives. We’ve put ourselves through school, our kids are either headed to college or will be in the next few years, our professional paths have made us financially secure (knock on wood). Pretty soon, we will have more time, as Oprah would say, to live our best lives. So, what exactly does that look like? It’s a good thing I have a list.
A To-Do List for a Quiet Workday
Downtime at work is such a rare thing and sometimes, it can catch you so off guard you don’t know what to do with yourself. You are caught up on your e-mails. The phone isn’t ringing off the hook. Here are a few quick and productive things you can do to make the day go faster and still feel like you have accomplished something: Get Organized – Take a good look at your projects and make a list of everything which needs to be done in order to check the entire project off of your to-do list. Choose one project –Pick a project that you can spend a big chunk of time on today. Set your timer for an hour and see how much you can accomplish. Need more time? Well, today you have plenty of time! Keep going until you reach a point when you want to stop for the day. Leave the office feeling like you got something accomplished. Learn something – Read some articles on-line or watch a TED talk on a topic of interest that relates to your field. Browse trade publications or read a few LinkedIn articles. Have a mobile meeting – Instead of meeting with a colleague in his or her office–take it outside and go for a walk. Get some fresh air and maybe your new surroundings will bring some new ideas to light. Break out the label maker – This one is my favorite! Take out old files you don’t need anymore and create new ones. File papers away that have been sitting on your desk with no place to go. Leave your workday with a clean desk. Help someone else in the office – Maybe you don’t have a lot to do today, but someone else is up against a major deadline. Offer your assistance —even if it is just to stuff envelopes or make copies. They will appreciate it and they won’t forget it when you are in need. Don’t forget the small stuff – Get a few quotes from vendors for an upcoming project. Order office supplies. Update your calendar with upcoming meetings and events. Empty your in-box. Send a thank you note.