Someday…I will…
How many times have I made that statement? I’m not talking about procrastination which I can be a master at. I’m talking about good ideas that one day I’ll get to. Something that needs to be done but while important, it’s not urgent (at least in my mind which many times has a different purview than my wife). The Four Square Time Management box that President Eisenhower used for leadership decisions focused attention on urgency and importance.
What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.
– Dwight Eisenhower
Spending time in the important and urgent box maximizes productivity.
What I’ve found is that we all have ideas that SOMEDAY we’ll get to; something that is meaningful in our lives.
Someday I’ll stretch myself and take on a new role, try a new approach.
Someday I’ll call someone I think of as a stretch, someone who within in my field would be wonderful to connect with but they seem to have a higher status in my mind than what is normally comfortable.
Someday I’ll reach back out to a person who played an important role in my life that I need to say “You are important to me.” It could be someone you haven’t spoken to in weeks, days, or years. Today, with the turmoil we face, people need those calls.
We all have great thoughts of steps to take, actions that the busyness of work and life pushes aside. Strides make a difference when we shorten the gap between thought and action. The shorter the gap the more fuel we have. When you prepare a daily plan, the best way to exercise it is when you look at what needs to be done, not analyze but act. It keeps the to-do list from becoming the someday list.
As I pondered this question, names started popping into my mind of the people and companies that I need to reach out to that were good ideas but in the heat of battle I pushed aside. People who are considered a reach, not easy to connect with.
What have you said that someday you will get to? In writing this, what came to mind was someday I’m going to organizing the garage, not an inspiring idea. What came out was I shortened the gap between thought and action. No, I didn’t stop mid-day and look for the broom. But I did talk to my wife about it at lunch and discussed the day we would set aside to make that a reality.
Someday became today for me when I ordered a teleprompter to help me launch a video series of short segments to blow up the activity on my YouTube page. YouTube is now the #1 search engine surpassing google for go-to when looking for how-to. So, look for the launch of Moments with Mike in 2 weeks. I’ll have to learn how to drive the teleprompter, which is why it stayed a Someday.
Our fear of incompetence moves so many things to Someday.
Right now is a perfect time to evaluate the Somedays in our lives. What was once normal has been turned on its head. We get to change what we do, where we do, how we do. We are called to revisit why we do.
I hate the word procrastination. Sometimes it makes sense to put things off till later. But there are steps you should be taking now to drive your productivity, connect with your family, stretch your talent.
What is your Someday? I think it’s Today.