Calendar Magic

I hope that you are having a great week. I want to share with you a little story about something the recently happened to me.

It started about three years ago, my husband Peter, started his campaign to get me to move away from Portland. He was done with the rain. I, however, was not so easily swayed to leave my community, my businesses, and my home. But, I’ll give him credit where it’s due – he was relentless. He sent me articles about Boulder, he put a Boulder weather widget on my phone … and the desktop of my computer … and my tablet, and he amassed a collection of referrals from friends and acquaintances about how they just love Boulder.

Finally, after two and a half years, I got fully on board. It was February 2012 and I said, “Ok, we’re moving to Boulder on August 15th.” He was a bit surprised, I think, because even though there’d been times when I was at least somewhat amicable to the idea, I had never been definitive about it.

Then I put it in my calendar. August 15th: move to Boulder. That’s when he got excited. Peter knows that if it’s in my calendar, I’m serious.

I was committed. There were huge obstacles that had to be overcome and a lot of hard work that had to happen. But, we did it.

After we found a house and started the purchasing process, there wasn’t much more thought about the exact date we’d get there. Once that ball was rolling, we knew the move was inevitable, and we were more focused on the nuts and bolts of packing our stuff, shipping out our animals, and all the other material details. Many hectic days and nights with minimal sleep blurred into each other, and then we found ourselves flying into the Denver airport late on the night of the 14th, just to arrive at the doorstep of our new home at 12:38 AM on August 15th.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize this until a reminder popped up on my phone that was connected to the original event I scheduled into Google Calendar: “August 15, 2012: Move to Boulder.”

In my 7 Days to Manifesting Your Beautiful Life I talk about how your calendar is your best friend. But, that’s only true if you’re dedicated to using it. I think a lot of people feel that living your life by a calendar is like putting a nail in your coffin. Like you can never be spontaneous again. Your animal side can come out and play on … hmmm, let me check my calendar … never. But I’m not advocating a life that’s devoid of spontaneity. As crazy as it may sound, putting your life in your calendar can be truly liberating. If you’ve already signed up for a life that involves social commitments, goals, house maintenance, car maintenance, work, taxes, and the like, it’s generally more stressful to try to keep all of this stuff straight without a calendar than with one. Without a calendar, there is often a vague sense that there’s something you need to do – even while you’re supposed to be having fun. With a calendar, you schedule in the fun time (and all the other stuff), and then you know there’s nothing else you’re supposed to be doing at that moment except to have fun.

Here are three tips on how to engage your calendar:

1. Transfer to-do lists straight into your calendar. Choose a date and time to get each item done (and not just a beginning time, but an ending, too). No more long lists that make you nauseated to look at. Instead, you will have a specific time to get each task done.
2. If you have a goal – like opening a business, exercising daily, or becoming an expert kazoo player – put it in your calendar.
3. No pretending. If there is something that you put in your calendar, do it! Your calendar can be flexible, meaning you can move things around, but be vigilant about rescheduling things you can’t complete, rather than just letting them fall away unconsciously.

My hope for you is that you become fiercely committed to your calendar. It is truly one of the most beneficial relationships you could possibly create.