Do it, or schedule it.

I have a friend who gave me a new perspective on something.

Once I asked them to pray about something, and instead of the normal, “Oh yeah, I will pray for them”, this person said, “How about if we pray right now?”

And they did.

What a freak.

What a wonderful, thoughtful, freak.

How many times have you promised somebody you’d pray for something, and then you forget about it?

I can’t be the only one.

Or, another favorite: “We should get together soon.”

Most people reply, “Yes, we should!” with completely good intentions, but guess what? You don’t get together soon.

When somebody says that to me, I now try to respond with, “How are you for lunch next Thursday?”

If I’m not in a position to schedule something right away, I put a reminder on my calendar to do it later.

I just did that last night. A friend and I texted about getting together after the holidays, so I put a note on my calendar for January 4th to text him with some options.

A rule of thumb: If it takes only a minute or two, do it immediately. If it takes longer than you have available, schedule the next action on your calendar.

This is a game changer for your business, and for your personal life.

I even use it when somebody pops into my mind that I haven’t seen for a while, or that I want to check in on.

Last month, I randomly thought of a guy I used to do business with 40 years ago that I really liked and I wondered what he was up to. I got out my phone, and put his name down on my calendar for the next morning when I knew I’d be in front of my computer. A Google search found him living in Egg Harbor Township New Jersey, and we reconnected. It meant a lot to him, and to me.

My memory isn’t good enough to remember to follow up with friends to schedule lunch, or pray for their needs, or to just check in and see how they’re doing. So I often write it down and schedule it.

Good intentions don’t have calendars. Real intentions do.