“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” – John Wooden
Have you ever noticed that the busier we get the more work we make for our self? We rush about doing a sloppy job and then have to do it over or go back and correct the many mistakes we make. Or how things that we know will happen catch us by surprise? I am amazed on how many people rush like crazy just before Christmas. Did they not know it was coming? Did someone look at the calendar and say “Shoot! Who put Christmas on December 25th this year?” The truth is that we can avoid so much stress and pressure in our life if we just did a bit of preparing.
Success-Minded People know that being prepared is not just doing things a head of time. People who are prepared are those who know what is coming and are ready for it. It is as former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said, “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” That means you are aware of what needs to be done and you are ready to handle it. If you do these two simple things you will be amazed at how much more in control you become.
PLAN YOUR DAY
First, you need to take some time each day to prepare yourself for the day. This is not some long involved process but a simple review of what is on your agenda. This is why keeping an up-to-date calendar is important. If you have three meeting that day you are plan the other work you have it fit that time frame. DO NOT allow yourself to create stress over things that you can control. Preparing gives you control. It is never a case that it cannot be done it is always that it is not done. For those events that are not in your control, learn to flow with them. Have a plan that you can fall back on if something happens unexpected. Just having a plan, even if you do not use it will relieve a lot of stress. Remember the old saying: “You can claim to be surprised once; after that you’re unprepared.”
KNOW YOUR RHYTHM
Second, know your own rhythm and how you function. Let’s face it; some of us are last minute people. We do well with deadlines but only in the last few minutes of the deadline. Many Success-Minded People are this way in getting things done. They knew on Friday that they will have a report due on Tuesday afternoon but they do not do the report till Monday night or Tuesday morning. If that is you then plan for this kind of behavior. Have what you need ready and free up the time before your deadline. Yes, we can say that you need to get things done early and not wait till the last minute, but you know that and still wait. So stop fussing about it and prepare for your way of doing things.
BE A WINNER
Jackie Joyner-Kersee said, “It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” Just a bit of planning and preparing can remove all the stress, remove the mistakes that eat away at your time and make you more productive. You have the power to control this in your life. George Allen, Sr. said “Winning is the science of being totally prepared.” Success-Minded People are winners after all.
© 2011 John Patrick Hickey
