Make an appointment with yourself

You get to decide what’s most important to you. (Image by Fabricio Macedo FGMsp)

For years, I did my most important work in the nooks and crannies of my life.

I was so busy serving clients during the workday and into the evening that key activities, like curriculum development and building a website, took place during weekends and (shudder) holidays.

I also had little time for non-career-related self-development (like hobbies, exercise, friends, and fun).

Out of a misplaced sense of virtue, I put myself last. Ironically, this meant that I wasn’t as effective as I could have been in serving my clients, students, and employees. I was never able to tackle the projects I intended to get to — all my plans were for “someday,” when I could get to them.

Things began to shift when I took my own work more seriously. When I began to actually set aside time in my day to do the most important things instead of only the most urgent, a cascade of changes took place that led me to new insights and new opportunities.

I finally understand that if I want to get something done, I have to set aside actual time to do it.

And if I add a new project, something else will have to change to accommodate it.

I put my commitments to other people on my calendar — why shouldn’t I also explicitly acknowledge my commitments to myself by doing the same?

In this way, I can see more clearly what I have to do. I can say yes without fear, and say no without guilt.

And when my schedule tells me to write an article, complete some key paperwork, or do a task related to a project, I can take it as seriously as if it were a meeting with a person I don’t want to disappoint. In a way, that’s exactly what it is.

What projects and activities do you tend to put off? Do you set aside time on your calendar for them? If not, what could change if you did?