Laura’s recent post (and challenge) has me thinking about savoring. I realized that one of the things that really helps me to savor is . . .
(drumroll please . . .)
MY PLANNER!
I know, I know. Predictable. But really! When I put something in there, I start thinking about it. I then put a bit more weight into the actual experience (ie, if I’ve planned a date night it feels more significant than a spur-of-the-moment thing . . . not that a date night could actually happen for us without some planning, but you know what I mean). And THEN in either blogging or journaling about it (or even flipping back in my planner) I am reminded of it again.
This all helps me savor good things more. Reason #282723 why I love planning and journaling. OH, and I’ll also add that feeling organized (ie, not feeling like I have 35 random to do items floating in my head) helps me to savor, too. I can enjoy an experience much more when the rest of my life feels under control.
4 Comments
Interesting…. I did appreciate the post on savoring, but I can”t say I”ve made the connection with having an organized planner. For me the most enjoyment comes when I have an overwhelming list of things to do and I say f*** it and throw it all out the window in exchange for doing something fun, or nothing at all.
I definitely don’t think the connection is universal – but it is there for me. Planning in advance and journaling after the fact helps prevent me from feeling like life is passing by in an amorphous blur, if that makes sense.
Having a list with everything written down actually DOES help me say F*&$ it because at least I know what’s out there. It’s not about having everything done, it’s just having everything corralled in one trusted system (very David Allen/GTD of me to say that I know but . . . I tend to agree w/ him.)
I LOVE THAT! I am going to throw mine out the window too! But it would just blow back in today.
Preach it, sister. The only things lists and plans do for me is fill me with burning a desire to just NOT whatever it is that was planned.
Stuff that absolutely has to happen gets entered into a calendar on the phone with multiple alarms, and is not looked at or thought about until absolutely necessary. Otherwise, my instinct to flee kicks in and I will do everything I can to get out of the obligation.
Different strokes and all that.