AMID LIFE with Catherine Palmer

AMID LIFE with Catherine Palmer

Business and personal (planning) don't mix

Where I let go of to-do lists and action items

Oct 24, 2023
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“It’s like you have this box full of lists!” Diane, my life coach.

The minute hand on my little brass desk clock whirled on its axis as I ticked through my action plan during our first scheduled coaching session. My resume was item one. In eleven months, I planned to cross off the last item—quit my job.  

“I’m a planner,” I said, forgetting what she’d told me on our introductory call—

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“Let go of your need for clarity,” she’d said.

After decades in business, planning was ingrained deep in my psyche. I created advertising strategies, marketing campaigns, and branding guidelines, to name but a few. I based each list on an ambitious goal and measurable objectives. Planning went beyond clarity—it meant certainty, accountability, and even safety.

I brought this skill to my personal life.

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