Rediscovering the Big Three

geralt via Pixabay

When the fall semester started, I slacked off on my Big 3 list/habit. With so many days already filled with class work and class preparation, what I needed to do seemed obvious. Why write it down?

Because, to paraphrase a book title, when I don't write it down, I don't make it happen.

In the past month or so, I've begun to become frustrated by all of the little things I don't seem to be getting around to. I had a little chat with myself about restoring balance, and that was a good start. Right around the same time, though, I realized that it had been a long time since I'd written down my Big 3. So one morning, feeling a little overwhelmed, I jotted three things down.

And then I did them.

Funny how that works.

Without my Big 3 list, stuff gets done. Time sensitive stuff. Previously scheduled stuff. Already promised stuff. All of that is good, but it still leaves a lot of stuff undone.

My Big 3 list is my way of making sure all of that other stuff gets on the list because apparently, that's the way I get things done. The Big 3 list is not a miracle or a magic wand, but it is an effective strategy. And, whether we're managing time or stuff, when we find a strategy that works, we need to make sure it becomes a habit and remains a habit. It's easy to rationalize, make excuses or even offer good reasons for why we're not using it. But, as I discovered (again) recently, all of these juicy rationalizations are easily counterbalanced by one simple argument.

When we use strategies that work, things get done.

Funny how that works.