LOP

In the world of texting sometimes a mnemonic device can be both a memory aid and a time saver. So, here goes.

L.O.P. stand for Life On Purpose. Got it?

I took the old Franklin Planner course 15 years ago and it helped me survive a busy work schedule, the activities of the kids, the school board and being bishop. It's more than just a calendar if you use it right.

That's where LOP comes in. When you know what you want to do with your life, planning makes it possible to get there.

It seems obvious that anything worthwhile takes planning and step-by-step execution for it to actually happen.

For example, if you want to be an engineer, you have to get a degree. "Get a degree" is a fine goal, but it lacks the details you need to turn the goal into daily action steps. This isn't complicated to understand but it is very difficult to carry out with all the distractions in life.

Breaking it down a little, you'll need to enroll in some engineering classes...classes that require prerequisites.

Then you need to get decent grades in those classes, which means that you have to invest time and energy in books, studying and attending class. If the grades don't come easy to you, you'll need to invest extra effort to compensate.

If attending class is a problem due to illness or lack of energy, you'll also need to make plans for exercise, sleep, and meals.

And one thing I learned from LOP is that when you say "Yes" to something you almost always are saying "No" to something else. In other words, you can't have it all, at least not at the same time.

Saying "Yes" to earning an engineering degree means saying "No" to a fair amount of hanging out, gaming, snowboarding...

You're on your own when it comes to discipline, but a planner helps to remind you of your goals and the progress you've made.

Tech note: I tried the PDA versions of planners but found them less rewarding. First you have to turn it on, then find the program, then the menu. With paper you open your book and check it out.

Another point with paper is that it is a visual reminder of the tabs that contain your goals and the steps involved. I found with a PDA that I didn't refer to the big picture nearly as much as I did with paper.

You're going to have four or five major goals going at once. Some you'll work on daily and others once a week or so, but all of them are important to you. You "make time" for all of them with a planner. You can decide which ones are most important.

To a lesser degree, you can decide that you'd like to put one thing off because you aren't in the mood, then go back to it until you can check it off. (This notion doesn't work well for procrastinators, but if you are diligent in checking things off and carrying them forward to the next day if not completed, eventually guilt will kick in and apply some pressure to get back to the important stuff.)

More on LOP later.