Getting things done ahead of time takes planning, but is so worth it
We all love the rush of doing things at the last minute. You can whiz around and really test yourself as you speed around the interwebs, looking up things on Wikipedia and testing your memory. But isn’t it even better to get things done ahead of time? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way!) You might like this article: Simple systems for social media marketing.
So far today
On Monday, an atmospheric river hit our area. We got over 10 (11? 12? who knows what insane amount?) inches of rain within 24 hours. The river right behind the house threatened to overflow its banks. Lawn furniture, huge trees, and debris from the burn scar appeared, along with the roaring water. Then a couple of trees came down and blocked the road. Then some power lines came down. So that was an adventure. But you know what? It’s really great to have some things done ahead of time so I don’t have to worry about them. Plus, I got to find out about my neighbors and their his-and-hers chainsaws! Yes, really.
There was still a lot of panic
What would I do with the cats? The last time we had to evacuate, one of our cats, Stevie Wonder Paws, was really sick. He threw up, had diarrhea, and started to foam at the mouth. We had to stop at the vet to get him sedated, which still didn’t work. Plus, there was Covid. What would we do if we had to evacuate with Stevie again? That poor widdle guy was so upset! And what would I need to pack? I examined all the cat carriers–dusty from having not been used during the pandemic except for the last time we evacuated because of fire last year.
Social Media Managers need to be prepared
It’s important to know ahead of time what you’ll do if there’s an emergency. Of course, it’s not always possible to prepare for the unthinkable. Emergencies can find you no matter what you do. But being as well prepared as possible is always a good thing for your peace of mind. In this case, I was really happy that I had prepared and scheduled a lot of content ahead of time since our power could go out at any time. By the way, you might like: Made Up Holidays Social Media Managers Will Absolutely Love.
Image by Helena Jankovičová Kováčová from Pixabay
Baking takes prep, too
Many of us have been baking this season, or at least preparing to bake. For me, the prep work involved making dough for 18 dozen cookies. This weekend all the baking will take place. Like baking, content creation takes prep work, too. Not just writing, but deciding where to post, when to post, and which images to use. All of these can be done ahead of time. If there’s an emergency, your writing and/or content creation will already be done.
Great post Carol! Personally, I’m not a fan of the last minute rushing around….actually the reason I switched up my current part time position that I hold along with Creative Woodworking.
Hi Sandy!
How did you switch up your part-time position? Do tell!
Some people seem to thrive on all the running around, don’t they? But things are going to go haywire, especially around the holidays, so it’s so much nicer to get to relax.
Thanks for stopping by and happy and relaxed holidays to you!
Carol
Wow, 10 inches of rain in 24 hours! I can only remember one storm like that; not sure how much it actually rained but the entire city flooded. It was on a Friday, June 14th; I won’t regale why I remember that right now.
As for finishing things ahead of time, when I was still an employee once a year the chief financial officer would give every department director forms that needed to be filled out regarding our budgets. Everyone got 5 weeks to get them completed; I always had mine done in 2 or 3 days. He asked me the first time why I did it so soon, and I told him that I liked getting it out of the way so I could concentrate on other work, and if he found anything he didn’t like he could bring it up early, we could discuss it and make changes if needed… which never happened. Everyone else waited until the last minute, and he’d get stressed having to put all that information together. :-)
Hi Mitch,
Sorry for the delay–have been out of town for Christmas!
Yes, it was crazy, and the rain hasn’t stopped much since then, either! The river rose up very high, and there were evacuation warnings.
I don’t understand those people who wait until the last minute. Like you said, getting your forms filled out early gave everyone time to review and make changes. The same thing happened in school, with everyone waiting until the last minute and then a mad dash to write their papers.
Thanks for stopping by!
Carol