M4 At Your Office Marilyn H. West is available to visit your place of business and discuss topics that she has covered in
Marilyn's Monday Morning Message.
Please call 804.782.1938 for more information.
Making a List and Checking It Twice
In my youth, I grew up on the expression "making a list and checking it twice." I recalled these words first with the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Making a list and checking it twice became a great tool to help offset distractions that prevented me from staying focused on tasks that required my attention. At one time, paper was the medium to prepare lists that were not etched in our memory. Now, we are the beneficiaries of smart phones and we can place our lists there.
There are a few steps that I use in building the lists that I check twice. I keep the list short, use only a few key words and identify a short completion date. Oftentimes lists involve small tasks such as picking up the laundry, obtaining a battery for your watch and purchasing an anniversary gift for your spouse.
I have found that making a list and checking it twice also helps to reduce anxiety experienced from overload. Developing and using lists can decompress cluttered minds with "stuff" that occupies too much space. Freeing up the space could open up new, different or alternative strategies to accomplish your vision or that of your employer or company.
For motivation to develop a list and checking it twice, consider the following examples of consequences that could result from not doing so:
1. A delay in a refund or acknowledgment of payment for failing to sign all the pages of a tax return
2. Rejection of grant funds to support an important community initiative because two of the required attachments for the proposal were omitted
3. Exclusion from a ballot for public office because the filing deadline for signatures was missed
4. Postponing of a diagnostic procedure because the rules for eating and drinking were not followed
5. Being pulled over and ticketed by a law enforcement officer because you failed to renew your vehicle registration
If you are looking for approaches to become a better architect at designing those lists to keep you on track, Connect with Marilyn West today - consulting@mhwest.com.
