In our work, we are fortunate to see tons of Later Lists, like the models here and here. And as you know, The Together-Verse is all about organizing yourself in ways that work for YOU. So, you can imagine our delight when a recent The Together Leader course participant from a Baltimore-based nonprofit shared this Later List model with us.
I got so excited; I wrote to Tiffany immediately asking TELL US MORE. Tiffany commented,
“I chose to make my Later List as a visual because I am a visual learner. If it does not stand out, I will not remember, or I might not realize how urgent it might be.”
How is this for knowing oneself?! Paying attention to what works for you is at least half the Togetherness battle! Are you a digital person? Awesome, go rock that Asana or OneNote! Are you somewhere in between paper and digital? There’s a format perfect for you too!
Tiffany’s Later List includes:
- Personal and work-related things that are coming up
- Upcoming vacation days on there to remind myself that I need to use my time soon
- Pedicures are to make sure I have self-care. Plus I love foot massages!
Tiffany goes on to say, “Creating the art is to decompress and allows me to focus on the things that need to get done. Who is mad when they color?! Coloring is not only therapeutic, but key pictures will help me remember. It makes urgent things seem less “stressful,” but more of a gentle reminder.”
We love the emotional connection Tiffany’s talking about here. We’re finding that many of our recent course participants are focusing on how being Together makes one feel – both the process of Togethering and the outcome.
Let’s peek even deeper into Tiffany’s work. She notes, “On my current board, you see the water and bubbles for May. That represents that I will be feeling like I’m drowning in work — a stressful month — but that it’s almost over.”
Much like our recent models with Steve in Dallas, and our graphic organizer in Charlotte, Tiffany is clear about why her approach works for her. “I have a special education background. When working with my scholars over the years, coloring helped us talk it out. Even my 21-year-olds, who were the most challenging, would color with me to talk it through. When I realized it worked, I incorporated into everything. My classroom was like art. I would draw the outline and give my students an opportunity to color it in!”
As Tiffany says, “This works for me. It helps me to realize that writing in my planner is not a chore. Doing the bigger piece on my dry erase board visually is how I think through my Later List. Once I’m finished, I can go through and double check the priority level. After that, I add it to my paper planner that I carry around, and I know that this is concrete, you have to do this.”
Tiffany, thanks for the reminder that Togetherness is NOT a chore, that the process matters, and being organized (and beautiful!) can bring joy and calm to us when we need it most.
