One of my favorite things in my bedroom is the white board that hangs above my calendar next to my desk. Just another way to keep organized, I’m constantly writing down book or movie recommendations, blog post ideas, or pantry staples for the next grocery run.
When it comes time to erase and start over, I find that things that have been on the board for a while (write about xyz) are harder to erase than things I’ve written more recently (buy soy milk). It makes me wonder if ideas that we leave untapped are harder to get rid of. Like when I spend months moving something from this week to next week in my planner’s to-do list. Might it be easier if I just did something right then and there in the moment?
Might it be easier if I did something right away rather than letting it sit?
And isn’t it often the case anyway that by the time we get to that thing we’ve been avoiding, we find out it was actually pretty simple all along?
An old colleague taught me a trick. If it can be done in five minutes, do it in those five minutes rather than writing it down. Each time I find myself tempted to jot a note about something I could just do, I do the thing instead. And each time, I am grateful I have.
Some things need white board space. Need notebook pages. Need time to simmer. And some things, you should probably start right now. The most important thing you can do for your own time management and work prioritization is be able to determine the difference.
