I need both accountability AND deadlines to get stuff done (and relationship)

I need both accountability AND deadlines to get stuff done (and relationship)

I need both accountability AND deadlines to get stuff done (and relationship)

I get stuff done on deadline.

But only when the deadline involves other people.

Deadlines work for me because I care about other people. Sometimes to the exclusion of myself, which i’m working on, but I really hate letting people down. 

If I say I’ll send something Friday, it may be midnight, but I’ll get it sent. On the odd occasion I don’t, you’ll see me texting or emailing to apologise and promise a new deadline.

I’ve been like that since I was young. I remember in high school my mum saying “you know if you started it now, you wouldn’t be up til midnight the night before finishing it”. “Yea, yea, i know mum, i will next time….” I never did. The paper was due on Friday morning, so I’d be finishing it late Thursday or even really early on Friday morning before school. 

I used to think that was a weakness, and I’d be more successful or less stressed or more organised or whatever if I sorted it out. 

Now I know it’s my superpower. 

You want something done? Give me a deadline. 

But don’t just give me a random deadline. It doesn’t work to say “yea, send it to me tuesday if you can”. I can see right through your vagueness and I know you’ll let me off if I text you to say … whatever. I got busy, I didn’t do it, life happened. 

I have to know that someone is waiting on me, and they’re going to be put out or their life made more difficult when I don’t hit that deadline. 

A few deadlines I hit recently were: 

  • Content for a collaborative document between PF and Karbon and GoProposal. Heather asked us to make comments to the document by Wednesday 15th August. We are all crazy busy people, and all the cool stuff we’re looking at doing is dependent on the input from all, so I had to make my comments by the 15th. And I did. 
  • These Karen’s Notes. In order for them to be drafted, scheduled, and posted by Saturday morning (email, blog post, and socials), I need to have them written and sent to the PF team by Wednesday. Sometimes I stretch this a bit (I’m thinking of the time I didn’t finish it til 7.30am on Saturday! ahem!) but the fact that my delay is only adding pressure to the team does motivate me to get it done sooner rather than later.
  • Building a Story Brand”: I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages. I’ve carried it round and picked it up and set it on the table whilst on a train journey…but I finally read the first three chapters last week because I’m in a book club. Everyone in it reads an agreed selection each week, and records a video to share their thoughts. I was literally the very last person on the very last day to submit my video…but I did it. Didn’t feel like it, but didn’t want to let down my team. (I even did it live on insta so I could have it for content on my IGTV channel: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B1D-FIggZQa/?igshid=6aongvkhwa4n

Finally, the person or company I’m doing it for has to matter. 

There has to be purpose. 

If someone randomly asked me to do something and threw out a deadline, and said everyone was waiting on me, that on its own isn’t enough because there’s no relationship. (I’m imagining those salesy self focused LinkedIn messages I get, where people want to “have a coffee” or “chat to see where we can mutually support each other”.) 

I did the content for GoProposal and Karbon because I respect their companies and appreciate the good relationship we have.

I write these Notes because I appreciate every person who signs up to them (you feel very real to me because I draw a custom welcome sketchnote for each person who signs up). The replies I get are real human replies, about hard things, challenges, victories, insights. It inspires me.

I read the book because I care about the other members of the Content Marketing Academy, who are in the book club. They’re also business owners who create their own content and ask great questions and take deadlines seriously. 

What I’d love to hear from you today is…

What are a few things you really want to do (literally sitting on your to-do list) but they’re just not getting done? 

I’m always fascinated by what others’ undone to-do’s are! 

Follow me

ON THE GRAM

Popped into a fave local coffee shop in York this week and this was the mug they gave me. ❤️✨

Wasn’t feeling so superwomanny when I got it - this week was very full, plus period cramps and multiple migraines and my ankle being wonky and more travel than I’ve done in a while. I had intended to get coffee but the cramps were so bad I had to go for mint tea and just sit until they faded enough for me to walk again. 

At the same time, I also had an amazing time during this week with the @weare_pf Board meeting in person for the first time. Getting to know each other better as humans and sharing ideas and making plans and most of all appreciating that the weight of all the business decisions doesn’t rest solely on my shoulders. 

This is just one of your reminders that being a superwoman looks different at different times, and whether you’re striding along strongly or sitting weakly with mint tea, your superwoman status still applies. 

#justkeepgoing #superwoman #muglife #wegotthis #onedayatatime
Every single time I go sailing past this lighthouse on the mull-to-Oban ferry I think “this time I’ll just watch it and not take any pictures” 

And then something wild happens like A SAILBOAT GOES BY and of course I have to capture that, surely I haven’t taken that photo before (spoiler: I have), and then I have about seventeen lighthouse photos to add to my collection of seven thousand lighthouse photos from the last twenty years. 

But, I figure, what’s the harm anyway. It’s my photos and my memories and it brings me joy. I love the lighthouse as a visual of my journey from the mainland to the island (or a reminder I’ll be back soon). 

So, see you soon lighthouse. Thanks for standing there. 

#lismorelighthouse #eileanmusdile #lighthouse #lighthousesofinstagram #oban #ferry #calmac #isleofmull #sailaway #sailboat #scotland #travelscotland
I read. A lot. My list of “books to read” has over 100 titles listed, and every time I mention a book I’ve appreciated, I get another recommendation of a new one and the list gets longer. 

One of the books recommended to me years ago was “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”. She mentioned it had some helpful principles about how we navigate life - and whether you’re a buddhist or not, there are principles you can learn from and apply in life.

I wrote it down, forgot about it, and moved on with life. Read lots of other books.

And then when I broke my ankle, and was sitting and resting a LOT, with loads of time for reading, I went back to my list and started reconsidering some of the titles on it.

When I looked up “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”, the subtitle was “A Handbook for Happiness”, and that struck me.

Dealing with an injury is difficult. Sad. Wearying. It can be hard to find happiness and every day feels about the same. (Very Groundhog Day.)

So I bought the book, and put it by my bed. I started getting into a pattern of reading a chapter every morning with my coffee.

I thought I’d share some of the principles I appreciated and which are already helping me as I continue to navigate my life right now: 

[the full post on these is too long for an Insta post so click the link in bio or story if u want to read more!]

Thank the spoon - a spoon stirs up the mud in what had appeared to be clear water. Same with life: hard things stir up what you haven’t dealt with yet. So you thank them. “Thank you, spoon”

The Fundamental darkness (FD) - the “Survival Obsessed Self” who responds in a way based on survival but not growth

There’s a gift in the struggle - He describes it visually as “the lotus flower in the muddy pond”. You can focus on the mud, or on the flower, but they’re both there.

Nam - myo - ho - renge - kyo : The happiness soundtrack - I pulled out the core concepts of each of these words as they applied to me, and they are: 

Purpose
Mystery
Potential 
Bloom in the struggle
Flow of life

#karensnotes #buddhainmebuddhainyou #books #reading #happysaturday 

[full note link in bio!]
The snow is swirling the wind is howling IT’S FROZEN OUT THERE 
#snowing #happyspringeveryone #inlikealion