For a fat guy who flies around in a red velvet,
white fur trimmed suit Santa is smarter than
we think. Obviously some of his tactics are
questionable. Like limiting manufacturing to
a secret, obscure location. And requiring that
a wee minority do all of his the heavy lifting.
Along with the fact that said man in red uses
wild beasts to execute his one night delivery
process. Such questionable issues aside, there
is one thing Santa has gotten right. Which is
that he has found a way to drive productivity,
insure accuracy, and maximize efficiency. All
because he makes a list AND checks it twice.
In frenetic times such as these its impossible
to keep things straight. Hence invariably it
seems that something gets missed. Be it that
bowl of cranberry sauce that lies forgotten in
the fridge on Christmas day. Or that special
Hanukkah tidbit that is remains hidden in the
back of the gift closet. Chances are that unless
we hold ourselves accountable, something key
will be overlooked. Which is why many create,
check off, and rely on endless lists during this
holiday season. If for no other reason that the
process of doing so makes them feel like they
are somewhat in control. Well... sort of...
With all of the mistletoe and tinsel it's easy to
get distracted. Therefore it's best to create a
roadmap with a set of guardrails to insure that
we keep things on track. And while Santa limits
his list to gifts alone, I try to stack up all things
holiday in my favor. This year we're hosting
Christmas dinner. A task requiring a plethora
of ingredients that insure success. What if I
omit limes for the gin & tonics? Or forget the
fresh parsley that gives my potato gratin it's
finesse. Equally important, my many lists
guarantee that once our meal is prepared, all
ends up on the table. And so I list on and on.
Most important is my post holiday bucket list.
Once the seasonal dust settles, I'll be able to
get everything done. All of those things that
up until now haven't made the list. Amidst the
silence of said solitude is the time when my
productivity dramatically increases. So even
as I'm checking off the final holiday elements
of my Santa list - I'm starting a new one. Call
it New Year's resolutions or whatever else. It's
time my catalog of to-dos was all about ME.
Insuring that by mid-January magical things
will be completed that hereto have been left
undone. Or places unseen. I'm checking out!