It’s that time of year…

September has hit.  The calendar has flipped. All of the things we have put off over the summer are staring us down clamoring for our attention.  We have walked by them for the summer.  We have said we will get to that sometime. And here we are.

I don’t know about you…

But September is a strange month for me.  It is a month where people forget their appointments at my office because they have too much on their plate or are scatter-brained from a new routine.  Life seems upside down.  And it almost seems like it takes at least the first half of the month to figure out how this is all supposed to work.

If I am being honest, my routine looks a little different this year as an empty nester, but I am still finding the urgency in the new routine.

I am getting attacked by the shoulds…

I should do this.  Probably should be taking care of that.  And even though my father told me how important it is to never should on myself, the urgency is there.  And in the urgency, I can get pulled in several different directions. I call this the tyranny of the urgent.

How about this scenario- you have a plan for the day.  It is a good plan.  You have it figured out.  You are feeling good.  Feeling productive.  Knowing the day doesn’t stand a chance against you.

And all of a sudden…

Out of the blue, a new urgency pops up.  Instantly you need to organize your desk.  Or read an article in your inbox that has been there for months.  Or you need to run to the store for who knows what.  But the urgency tells you it has to be right this minute.  Or am i the only one?

In a sea of urgency…

What do we do?  How do we know what truly needs to be done?  The truth is that we need a plan.  A plan of attack.  A game plan.  Yes- that plan will change based on true urgencies that come up throughout our days and weeks.  But without a plan, there simply is no plan and urgency runs wild.

Here’s what I do…

1. Make a list of what ACTUALLY needs to be done.  Write it all down.  This is huge.  Get it out of your mind and onto paper.  There is just something about paper.  You can hold it.  You can see it.  The feel of the pen on the paper.  I love it.  These notebooks are my favorite for getting organized, in case you need a suggestion.
2. Prioritize your list.  Give yourself the gift of knowing what needs to be done first.
3. Stick to it.  When the squirrel moment (hey look…squirrel) of distraction comes along, you can avoid it because it isn’t on your list.  You can add it for later, but it isn’t there for now!
4. Then cross it off as you go!  This is extremely satisfying to me.  Sometimes I put down the smallest, seemingly meaningless tasks, just so I can cross them off and see progress.  I bet I am not the only one!  Try it out.

Will this solve my urgency?

No.  But it is an important step.  We can win this battle over the tyranny of the urgent and actually get stuff done!  Which is a great feeling in the transition month of September.

Here’s the thing- I LOVE helping organizations and people take a win in the battle against urgency.  If your organization or group is struggling with focus and urgency, I would love to have an opportunity to have a conversation to see if I can help.  There is reason for hope!  And belief that #gooddaysareahead.