A lot of things are done for me.
Other people give me soda on an airplane. Entire institutions hold onto my money until I need it. Lighted objects direct my traffic. I don’t have to worry about the logistics of getting up in the morning. My children see to that. Most of my events are at the very least co-created or suggested by others. I just have to show up and create something new and interesting.
It makes me think that there isn’t much to logistics.
Here are the rules:
1. Keep records of everything including contact information, meeting notes, and brainstorming sessions.
2. Put all events on the calendar, even if they are tentative.
3. Confirmation codes, registration, and reservation information are better than physical keys, boarding passes and access cards. So long as you have the first step, people will help you do the others.
It is hard for me to think of much else. So long as I follow those three rules I don’t have to worry about being productive or getting where I need to go. It is all laid out in front of me like a poem that is writing itself. Taking divergent paths comes naturally when I can actually see what needs to be done. If I plan it out too much or worry what it is going to be like, my life is no longer tangible.
Figuring it out when I get there means that I am one big IF-THEN statement. IF this meeting happens THEN I will work on the next version of that presentation. IF I have lunch with my wife when she asks me THEN I will be happy and fulfilled for hours afterward. IF the Elf on the Shelf moves from one spot in the house to another THEN my children will be filled with wonder and amazement at this small piece of holiday magic.
So long as I don’t make things more complicated than that, I generally get to be passionate about learning and collaboration all day. I don’t have to do things that are uninteresting for too long because there is always an equation that is just waiting to balance out. I just have to wait until I get to the other side of the IF-THEN statement and I will have reached my next step.
We will figure it out when we get there. I know because I make a habit of asking really good what IFs.
Like this:
What IF I create a community that all teachers and students want to be a part of?
What IF I spend as much time as is humanly possible with my children before they grow up?
What IF I learn something new every day?
What IF I write a book?
