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TIME to wrap it up

It is ironic that this final post on SMART Goals should be the "Time-bound" component.  I make no excuses, except to quote American Author Jean M. Auel, "Life sometimes gets in the way of writing."

So, here I sit, time-bound by an upcoming appointment, attempting to devote all my attention to the task at hand, to wrap up this drawn-out and much-dramatized goal-setting instructive narration (I'm being too generous with either or both of those descriptive terms, certainly...)

How do we illustrate "Time-bound" most effectively?  **Extra points if you recognize this altered quote: "It is a fact universally acknowledged that a container of ice cream must be in want of a spoon."

Time is the object of so many colloquialisms, we can't help but use them to make our point:

Colloquialism #1: Time waits for no man.
Or woman...If you don't eat that last bit of ice cream that's left in the bottom of the carton, the next time you open it, it will be hopelessly freezer-burned. If you get side-tracked looking for your long lost other favorite shoe while the brownies are still in the oven, they will turn into inedible chocolate bricks. (two words I thought I would never use together---inedible and chocolate!)
Ready or not, time will  march on, and the opportunities you have to turn into successes will fly by and escape. Don't get distracted or put things off--when it comes to opportunities, timing can be your friend or your enemy.

Colloquialism #2: A stitch in time saves nine.
In an age when almost everything in the Junior's department is practically disposable, so no one wastes time repairing them, this expression has reached its own point in time when its meaning may have been lost. When I was child, clothing was still sturdy enough to be handed down to little siblings, cousins and neighbors several times over. Sometimes a seam would come undone or a knee would be torn, and a few minutes with a needle and thread would be enough to ensure the sweater or jeans would be good for a few more rounds. However, if you waited and ignored the rip, through a few more wears and washings, it would require a lot more thread--or else, find its way to the curb, finally.
Ignoring a problem won't make it go away--in fact, it becomes worse, sometimes irreparable, when just a little attention would have made things right. This goes for relationships as well as projects.

Colloquialism #3: Strike while the iron is hot.
Although this was originally a term descriptive of blacksmithing, a nearly literal, modern translation will suffice. Have you ever turned on the iron to press a blouse or jacket, only to be waylaid or sidetracked long enough for it to time out and grow cold again? You return, ready to roll, with efforts fierce but futile, the wrinkles steadfastly resistant to cooled iron. Take two: tip and restart the thing, and your hectic morning will require you to actually stand there until it gets hot, refusing all the tempting distractions to multitask, in order to get that little bit of ironing done.
Your window of opportunity is usually very specific, and reboots don't always ensure they will re-open. Often, multi-tasking can undermine success--drawing you away from your post at a window of opportunity.

So, today, take a deep breath and grab a basket to go after all that low-hanging fruit. Avoid productive procrastination, multi-tasking traps, and unnecessary complications. Put a period on something today, and enjoy the satisfaction of crossing it off your list...finally!!

"And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!" -- Psalm 90:16

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