David Sanders

Catching Up – The List a Compass?
October 23, 2007

It has been some time since I have blogged about anything. Unfortunately the latter part of my summer and first part of the fall have been inundated with private matters that have reduced the amount of time I have had to blog. A long weekend in the big apple trains planes and automobiles style and I am still playing catch up.

As engineers we try to plan ahead for future events. We maintain contingencies to accommodate unforeseen circumstances and we always have a best-case / worst-case scenario in our back pocket. There are some things even our scenarios will not account for; there are those things such as life that there exists no control plan.

I had to travel to New York City recently for a funeral. This was not an unforeseen event it was something that existed on my radar for some time but it was way out there on the periphery far from my center. We all knew this day would come but we did not know nor realize that the day would come so quickly. Such is life and the frailty of it.

This time allowed me to reflect in more ways than one. Have you ever lost your compass? I lose mine from time to time not often but when I realize what I have lost I am quick to regroup and retrieve the key tool I need to move forward. So after a few weeks on a roller coaster I recently found my compass and settled in to see where the heck I am.

I found myself in the middle of (2) major projects with deadlines closing fast. My first reaction was doom! I had to take a 5 minute hiatus and find some solitude so I took a long walk down the road headed nowhere in particular not thinking about anything important. I distanced myself from it all, purposely, intentionally I checked my attitude at the door and took in some fresh air.

After walking for some time I decided to head back to the office. On the way back I began to develop a strategy to deal with the issues in front of me. I removed myself from the impossible thoughts and began to focus on the possible. My first reaction was to throw myself at each project like a lineman on a football team. My gut reaction was to call in reinforcements but then I begin to think about how effective those people would be if I didn’t have my own act together. Not an option. Finally a light went on between my ears and I realized what I was missing – my compass.

My compass is a Franklin Covey Planner. I have every electronic gadget in the world but I still love the worn out binder and the plain – Jane (no offense Jane) original pages. When applied properly and referred to often this tool can keep you on the right track. 

I returned from New York without one journal entry, one note, or one to-do. I had totally abandoned my compass. I still had the cell phone, lap top, and email but I had not referred to nor opened my planner. Talk about losing synchronization.

After retrieving my planner and forwarding half a dozen to-dos from the weeks before I began to develop a plan that is working well and I don’t need reinforcements.

It’s good to be back!

http://www.franklincovey.com/fc/index.jsp

http://www.stephencovey.com/

http://www.davidco.com/

Posted by David Sanders on October 23, 2007 | Comments (0)