I’ve already hosed down, scrubbed and applied a coat of protectant and shine to the garbage bins (Amor All makes them look really good.) I’ve arranged the contents of the refrigerator to reflect a sense of whimsy should someone open it. I’ve used a toothpick to dislodge any debris from the corners of the windows. These are the thoughts and actions from crazy time; I am selling my home and today is open house.
When I moved into my house 15 years ago, I was determined the house would always be nice for me and there would be no mad rush at sell time to make it “look pretty.” I accomplished that. There wasn’t much to do to get it ready. No painting, no staging, no reallocating a sizable part of the house to the garage, no landscaping refresh. There is nothing to do, so I invent things. A friend texted and asked how I was doing. “I’m good, getting ready to mop the garage floor.” As soon as I saw the words, I realized that task was not going to make a difference to the sellers. I’ve heard “how you do one thing is how you do everything.” I never thought much about it until now.
Getting my house ready to sell is much like me getting ready for a date and is not too unlike me preparing to give a talk to an audience of 500 or host a brunch for 30 people. I have everything done, well in advance and I start making stuff up to do. Before one speaking event, I went thru my slides to ensure my outfit was color coordinated. I drew a mind map before one brunch to show people how they were connected. My peers can attest I once sorted push pins according to color prior to leading a strategy planning session. Once, I applied protectant and shine (Amor All) on the tires of my car before a date. I do tasks that should have no impact on the outcome. I mean really, has anyone ever said, “the date was a disaster, when she arrived, I noticed her tires were not shiny.”
So, how do you do anything/everything?
- How do you prepare? This can be preparing for party, a meeting, or even competing in an athletic event.
- What are the situations you avoid? It can be as benign as you avoiding being late or never sitting in the front row.
- Is there way a you “wish” you could be? Why? This may also be an indicator of your pattern.
No judgements and no tips about do this and try that. You’re just trying to recognize your pattern.
When you can recognize your modus operandi, you can make choices. A friend I was meeting for dinner one evening, texted me early in the day, “I know I will need more time, let’s make it 8:30 instead of 8:00; I pride myself on self-awareness.” This was a perfect example of acknowledging a pattern and making choices. Since I know I make up crap to do, rather than finding more uses for Amor All (it makes the leaves on artificial plants look great), I’ll write my blog post for the week. Crazy has left the building…for now.
The aforementioned garage.
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces 