People think I’m an organized person. I’m not really sure how I give them this impression, unless it’s by constantly taking notes, setting reminders, marking things on my calendar.
Why they don’t know is that I don’t always re-read my notes; I don’t always check my calendar; and worst of all, when a task reminder comes up, I hit the snooze option.
I’ve known for years that it’s in my best interests to cut up carrots and celery on a Sunday so that they’ll be ready to grab for lunches each workday morning. But I so often act against my best interests. I hit the snooze option: I really don’t feel like cutting up vegetables, I’d rather be reading, I’d rather be sleeping, I can just do it in the morning, no big deal.
It is a big deal, though. Sometimes I don’t get to bring vegetables in my lunch because I’ve run out of time in the morning, and need to make the bus. Sometimes I get carrots, but no celery. And then I don’t have enough to eat at lunch, and end up buying something additional at work; usually something high in fat, satisfying in the moment, but not for long.
So here’s the idea I came up with this weekend: don’t stop with setting the reminder to do the task, but have the reminder also tell me the benefits of doing the task:
When the reminder came up today, I wanted so badly to ignore it. I had a book to read, and I was just so sleepy. But how could I argue with that reasoning? Do this now, and your weekday mornings will run more smoothly. It’s a winning trade-off.
At first, I was really annoyed that I’d outsmarted myself. It’s not like I enjoy cutting carrots. But now that I know the power of stating in advance what the benefits of my actions will be, what else can I accomplish?
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