“If you want something done ask a busy person to do it.” This quote dates back to 1856 but its origin can not be attributed to anyone. This is a quote I have heard many times and based on my experience it is true. Although I am not typically a pressure prompted achiever, I can plow through a to do list when I am at my busiest. For me procrastination kicks in the shorter my list gets.

I have tried many systems to stay organized as I juggle work, home, business and volunteering. The system that works in one moment is clunky when the situation changes. I have used sticky notes, pre-printed planners/lists, notebooks/journals, whiteboards and apps but I inevitably return to a homemade handwritten to do list categorized by dimension. Nothing fancy but extremely easy to manage with. The list stays in my “command centre” in my kitchen. (My command centre is on a kitchen counter near the phone, chargers and paper organizer for coupons, takeout menus, school notices and flyers.)

My list is made up weekly with the following categories – In, Out, To Buy, Work, Business, Church, and Volunteer Obligations. Keeping even the regular chores like laundry on the list helps me to mentally slot the tasks that keep our house/lives running smoothly. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that I get a dopamine hit when I cross things off the list!

I know some people use to do lists only for the additional tasks that come up and believe it or not some people do not use lists! You do you – find something that relieves some of the mental weight of keeping things in your head and craft a system that works for you. (and if it only works for awhile, it is good to experiment!) Daniel Pink, author of several books including Drive, A Whole New Mind and The Power of Regret posted an Instagram video the other day explaining the MIT system – Most Important Tasks list. He suggests 1-3 items should be on your MIT list to keep you focused.

What system do you use to keep life organized?

Unprecedented is defined as never done or known before. I looked it up because it is uttered at least once every news show. Sometimes it is politics, sometimes sports, and frequently about weather. I have grown to really dislike and bristle at the word. I nearly lost my nut this week when something was reported as unprecedented while also saying the same thing happened last year! Hello – NEVER done or known before! Not – hasn’t happened since last year!

The word is now so overused that it is meaningless. What word did we use before the pandemic when it became used daily? Language matters, precise language matters. Lazy language is misleading. In a world with so much conflict, mistrust, and disinformation lazy language is also dangerous.

Is there a word that irritates you or that you think is lazy language?

Goal or No Goal?

As the new year begins, many of us find ourselves immersed in setting both professional and personal goals. It might come as a surprise, given my penchant for planning and list-making, that I am not particularly fond of setting goals. While I fully recognize the importance of establishing specific and measurable objectives and appreciate the clarity, they provide in communicating with team members and partners, I have some reservations about goal setting.

Upon reflection, I have identified two primary reasons for my aversion to setting goals. Firstly, I dislike the feeling of being confined by a goal. Knowing the destination, I prefer the freedom to explore various paths to reach it. The concept of the “North Star” was mentioned in a recent McKinsey article as the unshakeable direction that allows for everyone to find their way speaks to this. Secondly, goals tend to amplify the self-doubt and imposter syndrome that can occasionally plague my thoughts.

I know my reasons sound pretty unconvincing. However, I believe that, innately, I do have goals in mind, as evidenced by my use of work breakdown structures and my never-ending “to-do” lists. I stumbled on this quote, and it really resonated with me “Write your goals in ink, but your strategies in pencil.”

One of my goals for 2025 will be to consciously practice and enhance my goal-setting skills.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I typically select a word to define each year. In the past, my chosen words have included "fearless," "resonance," and "whole." For 2025, my word is "unfolding."

The process of discovering my word of the year usually involves compiling lists of words and synonyms. I delve into the lyrics of the music I am listening to and the books I have thoroughly enjoyed. After sifting and sorting, I make my choice. This year, however, the word appeared to me unexpectedly, and I instantly knew it was the one.

Once I have chosen my word, I reflect on how it will apply to various facets of my life – my roles as a mother, daughter, sister, friend, and colleague. I consider how it fits with my faith journey, career path, and lifelong learning plans. Most years, I create a small vision board to highlight my word of the year. My vision board includes photos, symbols, definitions, synonyms, and translations. It resides on my bathroom mirror and in my home office, serving as a daily reminder to refocus and live by my chosen word.

What is your word of the year?

I am a naturally born efficiency, productivity and LEAN process practitioner. When I say that I mean that I have always thought of daily activities in terms of organizing things to only touch something once, taking few steps to do something or batching work to get more done. Examples of this include emptying the dishwasher by limiting the bouncing around the kitchen or planning my errands to limit left hand turns and parking in a location that I can allow me to optimize my travel between my car and the various stores I am headed to.

Of course, over the course of my education and career I have taken course/training covering these topics, but it is also an innate part of my personality. Knowing this about me gives you a clue to my first reaction of indignation when two different people I was working alongside gave me the feedback that my way was only one way to approach the work in front of us. Well perhaps my way is not the only way, but it is the most efficient and effective way! Ha! As you might imagine I did not say it, but I did think it! But then I began to think about what the outcome would be if I did not try to apply the efficiency/LEAN practices to the process.

Deep breath and let go of my tight grip of the process.

Did we spend a bit longer at the task? Yes, but we also had more time to talk and invest in the relationship. Was the outcome of lesser quality? No, in fact by going a bit slower we discovered new information in the material we were working with. Will the person be more likely to want to do a project with me again and will they be willing to speak up to share their opinions and ideas? Yes, and yes!

And full disclosure – it was the Toad who was one of the people providing me this life lesson…. the other my Dad!

On the eve of the winter solstice, I found myself on a plane with no digital source of entertainment distraction. I even drafted this blog with a pen and paper – totally kicking it old school! I had a physical book, but my attention span is about the same as a gnat so only able to read and absorb in short sound bites. It is not lost on me that is in part because of always having a source of digital distraction.

I have been pondering my renewed (or new) accountabilities for the first quarter of 2024 – the 3 or 4 things (habits) I am going to focus on to try and embed into my routines and schedule. This last quarter I had a target number of steps, a target about purposeful connections and a new activity out of my comfort-zone target. I was pleasantly surprised that by being very specific, stating the targets out loud and daily tracking, how motivated I became to try and get that checkmark on the calendar. Yep, says a lot about my personality I know.

As I am pondering the next quarter, I cannot help but think of a theme for 2024 and my word of the year. If you recall I set an optimistic, inspiring word for the coming year and work to live into the word or notice things in my life that fit the theme. Past words of the year have included fearless, resonance and wonder. Last years word was FLOURISH and it was the perfect word for both Toadie and I as we launch into and learn through new life stages together.

My list of words for 2024 includes: convergence, synergy, acceptance and serendipity. I am happy for you to weigh in on these or suggest others! What is your word for 2024?

Happy New Year!

Best wishes for a holiday season that is filled with peace, love, and joy.

Full disclosure – I have never been an early adopter of new technology. My self-assessment would have placed me near the front of the rising slope of the bell. Recently I had an a-ha moment – I have slid a little further back on the technology adoption curve. For clarity I am not a laggard or a luddite, but I now recognize that keeping pace with technology change is taking me more time and more focussed efforts on my part. I still get to the outcome of using technology – it just comes with a few more curse words, a bit longer sitting with the instructions and a few more frustrated paces around the office.

That confession aside, I am improving my prompts as I experiment with AI…. And for the record I wrote this without any AI help!

Did you know the development of mNRA vaccines was launched forward by a chance meeting of 2 scientists at the photocopier?

Now think of all the ways serendipitous meetings have been curtailed over the last few years. … we work remotely… we grab lunch and eat at our desk… we commute solo or with earbuds firmly planted in place.

Do you read widely outside of your field?

Now think of how curated all our media feeds are. The chance of stumbling on something of interest (or value) outside of your customary view is slim at best – unless you are purposeful.

The next time you have a fleeting thought about something being a “waste of time” reframe that to be a potential for a creative collision!

An article I read this week outlined that workaholism is actually an addictive behaviour and like drugs, alcohol, sex, and shopping can be used as a distraction from hard to face life challenges or to self-medicate to dampen the impacts of a larger mental health issue (depression, anxiety etc.). In the past it was often thought that extreme work hours were the cause of many mental health problems – something the article turned upside down with the notion it was a salve to and not the cause of this mental distress.

Another article I read studied the impacts of treating a regular weekend like a vacation. This study looked at two groups – 1 which treated their weekend as they normally do with chores and obligations along side a group who were purposeful in carving out the weekend to be a vacation/staycation. The vacation group spent slightly more money than the other group but even accounting for this the positive impacts felt by the vacationing group, both mentally and physically were statistically significant. These vacation weekends could be as simple as strolling through a downtown area to window-shop or grabbing a cappuccino on the patio.

Note to self – STOP hiding behind work and START planning a vacation weekend!