For many, the last 1-2 weeks have been holiday, downtime or vacation. Many are off from work and school, some have vacationed and others, hopefully at least, have reduced their workload and to do list and relaxed a little. As I prep for return to work and my kids getting back to school, back to a busy and often extremely hectic schedule, I’m mapping out my week and planning for meetings, school events and getting my plans together.
I’ll admit that I normally am running late or just on time. This is the result of me trying to squeeze in one last thing; a habit I’m working on changing. With me running late, I generally find limited parking options and pull my car in wherever I can, jump out and walk/jog/run to wherever I have to be. And if it’s a crowded meeting, I usually get the worst seat where I can’t see or hear very well. Consequently, when my meeting is over, I often have to “remember” where I speedily parked my car. It’s a time waster and my car is usually a bit further away from where I am because the close-up spots are “reserved” for the early comers.
But this summer, my kids attended a new camp. Every day, during pick-up, I’d watch the traffic pile up which created a longer wait and more difficult time to get back to the main roads to get home. Because I had to pick up my kids before the end of my work day, I needed to get them quickly to get back to work responsibilities. I quickly devised a plan. I would get to camp a few minutes early to get a prime parking space. I started parking my car in the same spot every day. I always pulled in, turned and park in the direction headed toward my next appointment. The space where I parked was out of the heavy traffic and allowed me to quickly pick up my kids and bypass the traffic to get on the road.
The process was so smooth and efficient that I’m working to adopt it in my other planning. Somewhat simple, but impactful lessons, especially as I prepare to WIN 2017. There’s a path that I want to take. I need to be parked in the best space that will allow me to be prepared and ready to move, sometimes quickly, in that direction. Traveling a little earlier will allow me to avoid bottlenecks. The best parking space has several advantages. I’ll keep this top of mind. Be careful when and where you park. Moving forward. Ready. Set. Go!
Melanie A. Nix – Triple negative breast cancer survivor. Resilience Coach, Reconstructionist™ and Health and Wellness Advocate. Always striving to color outside of the lines when defining my new normal.