Would it surprise you to read that I don’t identify as a planner? When we were traveling to Iowa this summer with Tiff and her family I told them I’m not a planner and Tiff was like “Yeah, but you have a spreadsheet of ideas for things to do/places to go, and places to eat”* for every trip we take.

Okay. That is true.

But hear me out! I despise planning so much that I don’t consider myself a planner.

It’s the responsibility of it. That it puts you in charge. The weight of trying to find things to do and eat (and where to stay?!) that one or more people will like. I don’t want to be the cruise director.

Sigh. But I do it.

And what have I learned?

That it almost always has a great outcome.

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

So why am I talking about this today?

I have a really big all day partnering meeting I am hosting with customers next week in person in Chicago. I have been dreading it so spectacularly hard. I’ve had to give myself so many pep talks and do so much freaking work to get ready for it. I think by the time it happens I will have put 40+ hours of prep AKA planning into it.

And what did I say to Steven yesterday (in google chat)?

I am hosting this all day partnering meeting in Chicago with customer on 10/17 and I am putting so much f*cking work into it (and I have a ton of help; not complaining about only me doing the work) is this… what it feels like to plan and be prepared?! This is what I meant when I told Tiff’s husband I am NOT a planner. I usually fly by the seat of my pants.

Shocker among ALL shockers, doing all this planning is actually making me feel less anxious and more… prepared?! WHO KNEW! I am actually kind of looking forward to it now? WHOA WHO AM I.

Will I remember this moving forward? Gawd, hopefully.

*My regular days are so structured and on the minute that I want my time off NOT to be, so this list of ideas is always a starting place, and not a whole day of scheduled events. Ideally no more than one scheduled event a day on a day off. That is just where I’m at right now.