Wow. I’m somewhat astonished at the response (mostly private) to my six small steps post. Several individuals have asked for clarification and/or expansion of the idea; and I’m happy to oblige. However, I’ll need to do it over several posts, so please be patient if your question isn’t addressed today. Let’s step into the sunroom to continue the conversation ... but before we do, speaking of sun, I’d like to share a photograph I took this morning:
The slanting sunbeams very prettily lit the frost dressing our picnic table come dawn. The photo doesn’t do the real scene justice, but the sparkling table is still a happy image to me. We had a lot of pleasant time at that table this past summer, and I suspect that if I were to suggest a winter picnic to the snolfs, they’d be quite enthusiastic about it. The opportunity draws ever closer!
And now, about those six steps ...
How did I come up with the number and character of my Six Small Steps was a frequent question; and it seems the best place to start exploring the process. I did a fair amount of thinking on the responsibilities I have, the projects I want to complete, and things that I enjoy. Fortunately for me, there’s a lot of overlap in those three categories; for example, I’m not a domestic goddess by any stretch of the imagination, but I do find pleasure in keeping the house reasonably tidy, our clothes in good condition, etc. So I focused on identifying broad categories that allow a lot of possibilities for accomplishing something within them each day; and categories that represent the most important elements in my life at present.
I imagine at this point that more than a few of you will be asking, “What about catching up, Sunni? You’ve bemoaned how behind you are on various things so often, why isn’t there a seventh step focused on clearing out your backlog?” An excellent question; and I did consider that, but ultimately rejected it. One of the implicit goals of this structure is to keep me focusing on progress—moving forward, rather than remaining tied to the past. I don’t anticipate having an ongoing backlog, as I complete discrete tasks that I’ve let slip, and as I assess possible projects and goals and categorize them. Some I have already set aside to be taken up in the future, possibly; some are short-term projects in progress; and some are longer-term projects. Having a seventh step that focused explicitly on past failings seemed an unwise move to me; it could encourage negative thoughts on problems and failures, rather than encouraging productive movement today, and tomorrow. I’m wanting to create as positive an environment as possible, because that helps keep the momentum going forward, and pleasantly so.
Why six steps? It’s just the number that worked out for me. Well, all right, I also do like the snakey consonance of “Sssssix Sssssmall Sssssteps”, so that was a small contributory factor. If you can devise a name for your structure that similarly brings a smile to your face, go for it! (I would suggest, though, that 69 is way too large a number of steps for most people to cover each and every day.)
Ian Scott says:
"I would suggest, though, that 69 is way too large a number of steps for most people to cover each and every day."
Well, that comment provoked more than a smile. I laughed out loud.