Keep your appointments

Welcome to today's issue of The Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine. The e-zine of Motivateme: Breaking the Procrastination Habit. http://www.motivateme.info. Have you signed up for your daily dose yet?
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Appointments aren't just to do with other people and meetings you need to have. Although they are important. We have hundreds of appointments every day, the question is do you arrive promptly and in the right frame of mind with all the pre-requisite work done?
 
Of course not.
 
From the moment we wake up in the morning, until the time we turn off the light before we go to sleep we have things we need to do, things we must do and things we want to do. And yes there is a difference.
 
Depending on the type of person you are - you have either a written list or a mental one. Either of which can get lost. My written list of appointments and things to do is sitting on my kitchen counter, so I've had to rely on my memory. And believe me when I say it occassionally springs a few leaks. So today I've done those things that I can remember needed to be done. They may not be everything I was hoping to do during the day, but hey I can't do miracles.
 
Each time you have to rely on your memory, your non-conscious thought processes will fill your mind with what it thinks is important. Paying those bills may not be a high priority to your non-conscious thoughts processes, but they were actually sitting at number one on the list. Especially as you are thinking, I hate paying bills, what do I have to pay bills for. Your non-conscious thought processes have filed bill paying into the "pain" category and therefore won't remember.

Each list item if you haven't guessed is an appointment with yourself to move forwards with your dreams, goals and aspirations. If you have to constantly play catch up with yourself because you are failing to keep your appointments, then you are always going to be behind. Remember in a previous edition, we discussed that you are working for "you" - and if you had to go to work for you and watch yourself running around like a cross between a headless chicken and a mindless zombie would you be wondering how on earth you got anything done during the day?

I'd say the answer is yes.
 
Keeping your appointments with yourself means that you get up when the alarm goes off in the morning. It means getting prepared for the next appointment - ie., dressing appropriately, eating so your stomach doesn't rumble and making sure you have all your notes prepared ready for the things you are due to do during the day.
Are you punctual?
Are you prepared?
Do you ensure that you keep all your appointments or are your excuses longer than your to do list?
What appointments didn't you keep with yourself today?
What appointments didn't you keep with yourself yesterday that you are having to fit in today?

If I were to hazard a guess most people would ensure that they keep those appointments that you have with other people. However, if we are lax in keeping our appointments with ourselves, we may also be lax in our dealings with other people and their time. It doesn't matter to you if you are five minutes late for an appointment with the doctor, bank manager, or hairdresser, but to these people your lack of consideration has inconvenienced them greatly.

So if you have an appointment with someone else, please make sure you:
a) keep it
b) be on time
c) be prepared
d) don't waffle once the meeting has finished (respect their time even if you don't respect yours)
e) confirm the date and time beforehand - don't get the wrong day
f) be polite at all times to all people - even if they are late and have kept you waiting
g) if you are unavoidably delayed - telephone and let them know, they may not be able to fit you in when you do finally arrive.
 
Don't do less than you should becuase that is the culture of the organisation that you work for. Remember you are in the business of "you" so don't do what everyone else is doing, be willing to do all that you can....and smile whilst you are doing it.

Focus on one task at a time. Just so you can't be in two places at once - on the physical plane, neither should your mind be. So focus your attention on what you need to do now. Once you have completed that first task, finish it and move on to the next one. Don't stop for a 5 minute chat (even with yourself) - pretend you are going on holiday tomorrow and you need to get some things finished before you go. You will be stunned at how much more when your attention is focussed and you have a limited time span, and you will achieve a lot more than most other people possibly can.
 
If you are serious about getting more out of your life, then make appointments with yourself - and then keep them. Make yourself accountable for the business of "you"
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