Another Week Down. X Weeks to Go.

Another work week in the bag. I feel like I did fairly well. I’m proud of the effort I made to keep UpBuild healthy from a financial standpoint. I’m feeling okay about how well I was able to support my team, but I felt like I could have done more; done better. I don’t know if that feeling ever really goes away.

I got to take a half-day away from my desk on Wednesday to go to the park with my wife and take photos. Portland was well-hydrated from the recent rains and the 80-degree-plus temperatures that day reminded us of landing in Brazil, stepping off the plane, and getting hit full in the face with that wet hot humid breeze that makes it feel like you’re in a steamed-up shower. It was a great afternoon.

Overall, I feel like I was able to stay focused on the things that matter in my life. That’s the real thing I’m aiming for these days. Once the weekend is through, I’ll draw another X here.

Each Monday, I record the passing of the previous week on this calendar and begin the new one.

Something about that ritual — not to mention seeing this on the back of my office door as I leave at the end of each day — has me trying harder; being more present. I’m asking myself what I really care about. What’s most important? Not so much “what do I want to get done” but “what am I working toward”?

I’m 40% of the way through the 90 rows on this thing. I’m not yet halfway through but that sure does look like a lot of time.

So many weeks marked off.

Looking at life from this high level makes me feel like maybe I could have used some of the time more efficiently, but by and large, I can feel good about what I’ve done; about how I’ve used this time. But it sure does make me want to use the weeks to come that much more effectively.

Every wide-open box that I haven’t checked off is an opportunity. Each one seems like a challenge.

My big hope at this point is that I never become jaded to the life calendar. I hope I’m still watching it and participating in this ritual when I’m long-retired. Maybe I’ll gather my family around on the day of my 90th birthday and put a neat X on the first row that’s officially “off the map”.

Maybe Tim Urban will be selling Life Calendar extensions by then.