I had set a goal at the beginning of 2023 to attend at least one in-person event each month starting in March. That gave me Jan/Feb to unwind from the previous season, revamp a few things, update a few things, be around and available when my goats were ready to give birth, and generally take care of some things in life that tend to get a little neglected during our busy fall/Christmas season.
I was on a coaching call one afternoon in Jan and behind the coaching client was a wall of a calendar (a calendar wall? A walled calendar? I don't know what to call it.) Instantly, I was on fire for it.
I have trouble with object permanency. Quite literally, out of sight, out of mind. If I can’t see it, plain as day, I struggle with remembering about it. I’m good with big, nebulous thoughts, but I’ve always had difficulties with making and executing and planning. And for 46 years, I felt less than because of how my brain works.
Electronic calendars don’t work for me. Weekly calendars don’t work for me. Dry erase boards don’t work for me. This person's wall of a calendar felt like it had the potential to be a breakthrough of epic proportions.
I immediately went to Amazon and bought a pretty desk calendar and some post its. Confirmed events are written on the calendar and unconfirmed are on the post its until they are confirmed. Vacation dates are on a post it until confirmed. But I can see my year. I can SEE that I have at least 1 event every month starting in March except for Aug. I can SEE where I can add or shift.
I wish I could remember who it was with the walled calendar because I would probably fall at their feet and thank them profusely for improving my life. This photo is from the day I put it up. I've since added to it, shifted events, removed events that didn't get confirmed, and generally used it as the Live.Simple.Command Center. I honestly don't think I'll be able to run my business without this in the future.
Do you struggle with Out of Sight, Out of Mind, too? What tips and tricks have you learned over the years to help you?