Set Yourself up for Success

About 16 years ago, I heard the phrase, “set yourself up for success”, from one of my best friend’s named Kristi. At the time, she was using her media studies degree to work in radio, working the night shift at a radio station. I was in my first full-time teaching position, living with another one of our friends, and spending our weekends having fun.

I would spend some of my nights helping Kristi tick away the time and make it through the wee hours while she worked. I remember once when she talked about how working the night shift had it pluses and minuses, like how she had to prepare everything before going into work, to therefore set herself up for success.

To help keep herself awake, she drank a ton of water (the actual drinking of and relieving of kept her alert). Like, way more than the average person, and probably way more than we actually need. But she entered that radio station, ready to rock the job, armed with multiple water bottles full of water. These water bottles full of water had been prepared the afternoon before, filled and ready to go in her fridge so she didn’t waste time right before departing or forget them altogether.

The Concept Begins

This is where I learned the concept of setting yourself up for success, or really the idea of being prepared ahead of time. And we’re not talking about success in cultural terms, like with wealth, status, or position. The success I’m referring to are the simple wins in your everyday life, like little pats on your back for a job well done or even a job well tried.

I am not a “ducks in a row” type person. When reading the Strength Finder book, I realized I have an “unstructured” personality, which was incredibly helpful because it gave me permission to release the guilt of not “having it all together” all the time. I also took it as explanation that my lack of desire to plan, list, prepare, or structure my day in an overly organized fashion, simply didn’t come from God as one of my strengths. This does not mean I, or anyone else who falls into this category, is incapable of being more structured, I believe it simply takes more awareness, practice, and intentionality. Accepting that I am not quick to set myself up for success has also helped me absolve myself from constant frustration, allowing me to create space for growth in those areas. It wasn’t serving me to consistently feel like a failure, something I think we all feel from time to time.

Kristi is a person who naturally thrives in organization, order, and structure. Opposites attract? Yep, that’s us. Although we share loves of good comedy, laughter, Jesus, dancing, a good time, a cold beer, and life similarities like being married, having three kids each, and being from Ohio, our personalities are fairly different. We bring out the best (and worst) in each other, and hold each others’ secrets. She’s the Thelma to my Louise type person, my ride or die.

But when it comes to how we maneuver about in our daily routines? The contrast couldn’t be more stark. And obvious! So much so, that majority of the photos in this blog are of her lovely, tidy, organized, successful spaces. I tell you that so you don’t assume it’s mine, and therefore I’ve mastered the idea of setting myself up for success. I am sharing this topic with you because I am still a novice, working on this skill daily. And although my spaces are somewhat neat, and I do believe they are photo-worthy, I simply didn’t have the right angles to get the look I am going for.

My Style of Organization

I am a Cadette Girl Scout, so you would think the concept of always being prepared would resonate within my soul. Which, it does to an extent, and when it comes to having paper towels and plastic bags in my car for an accidental mess, or packing a vacation bag with every weather predicament in mind. You could say that when it comes to the unexpected, I am wholly prepared, kind of like a Mary Poppins. I’ve got bags of who-knows-what to help with anything and everything.

But when it comes to beforehand preparation that will make my everyday life easier, I need to have the concept of setting myself up for success tattooed on my arm! Or written on post-its all over the house. Or written on my bathroom mirror. Until it’s an automatic routine for me, I’ll keep working on it, and share with you in the process.

I’ve broken down the areas I’ve improved into three areas of setting yourself up for success: the morning exit, food and drink, and children. The category names aren’t fancy, and I’m certain anyone could come up with better titles, but here we are, and I’m ok with that. The morning exit refers to getting out the door with or without kids, for work, for school, for an activity, etc. We could all write books on how stressful trying to get out the door on time can be. Being prepared and doing a little “success set up” the night before can be a game changer!

There are times, however, no amount of preparation can avoid pop-up situations and disasters. Sick kids, electrical outages, natural disasters, and family emergencies are all events that have placed us in that category in the last four months. Food and drink refers to your daily food and hydration that needs planned, like snacks, lunches, dinners, etc. And lastly, I’ve devoted an entire section to the children! This section will not be exhaustive, but a good place to start helping children set themselves up for success.

Where to Start

Wondering where or how to start? In general, having everything in its place according to its use will serve you tremendously! Don’t have a place for everything? Get one! Have your spouse, children, or good friend who excels in organizing (like a Kristi), help you either with ideas or literally and physically help you arrange things in your house.

Take a peek at the photos below for Kristi’s simple, yet effective organization her mudroom/entrance areas and refrigerator. Starting off with things in the correct place will put you in the right direction for the success set up. And if you’re like me, you’ll be able to focus more, and take the tangible steps towards the set up because you’re brain isn’t overloaded at the sight of clutter. At times, I’m unable to take the first step because I’m paralyzed by the visual chaos!

The Morning Exit

The Morning Exit: the idea of setting yourself up for success the night before so you can exit in the morning on time with as little chaos as possible

• layout your clothes for work/school/exercising/etc., or even two-three outfit options, if you’re the type who changes their mind on what to wear. It’s much easier to get dressed when looking at one or two outfits, versus an entire closet of clothes. A confused mind works slower! Have a designated spot for your outfit(s) so your clothes are ready for you.
• if you’re not a morning person, shower the night before, giving yourself more time in the morning, or allowing you to get ready in less time
• have your work/gym/school bag and/or purse stocked and placed by the door, or in the area you use for hanging up/keeping that kind of stuff. Have your shower stuff in place (mini, travel size stuff you never have to take out of your gym bag are wonderful), work items, such as laptops and devices, stored in your bag/case complete with their power cords.
• have your morning coffee/tea/beverage/breakfast as ready as possible. Have the coffeepot set (if that’s an option), and your mug ready to go. I fill my tea kettle, get out the tea bag and mug, and place them beside the tea kettle. If you’re a small breakfast eater, like a protein bar, have it sitting by your mug or beverage, or even in your purse or bag. We’ll cover lunch, snacks and beverages in the next section!

Food and Drink

Food and Drink: having your meals and means of hydration packed in appropriate containers and ready to go so you’re not without

• lunch: if you have kids, you most likely pack a lunch or two. If you’re already doing that, I encourage you to pack one for yourself as well! I’m a believer in the packed lunch for most of your lunches. Why? Because you’re more likely to eat better and spend less money when you pack your own lunch. To start, you lunch receptacles need to be in their place.
• Stacked neatly and readily accessible, you will be more likely to pack lunches if you have the right items to do so. I’m not saying you can’t use baggies or the old-fashioned brown paper bags, but I do believe you’ll be more inclined to utilize nice containers if you have them, cutting down on the cost of continually purchasing baggies too. I pack lunches the night before because let’s be honest, no one has the time or mental capacity to be putting together food most mornings. There are even times I pack the lunches during dinner meal prep because I have the food and things out already, so why not kill two birds with one stone, ya know?
• be a Kristi, and have your water stocked for the next day! She literally has water bottles filled and ready in her refrigerator, one of the things I’ve learned and adopted from her. My kids even know to have their water bottles filled before leaving the house, but I’ll share more on that in the next section.
• At times, I’ll keep a six-pack of Smart Waters in my car in the event we all run out of water. And trust me, it happens more often than not. I typically don’t buy bottled water, but I love how big the bottle of Smart Waters are, and I can easily tuck them into places in my SUV. With usually four people in the car on our 30 minute drive home (we live outside the city), we get thirsty, even if we’ve filled the water bottles before leaving.
• in terms of dinner, start with either a meal plan or spend a few minutes doing a pantry inventory. Having your pantry in order will help you to see and find items to help you figure out what’s for dinner, or what you need to get in order to make dinner. Find a way that is visually pleasing to you, such as using clear containers or arranging items by size. When you see what you have, you’ll be more likely to know what your dinner plan is (if you’re not using a meal plan in the first place). If you’re not going to be at home for dinner, get your set up on! Either make a plan to pick up or take out food, or have the food with you. No joke, I have packed dinner in cooler bags and coolers to eat during kids’ sports’ practices.
• Yes, it’s a little more prep on the front end, but I’ve taken the guess work out of the 4:00 pm “what’s for dinner” panic. I’ve stored items in the fridge at work, and reheated at my husband’s work, helping us to eat as a family even when we’re not at home.
• These ideas may not be an option for you, and that’s totally ok. Every family is different, and has unique needs and ways of being. I have found that if I’m not set up for success with dinner, we end up eating a poor choice of food, spending way more money than we wanted, and getting home way later than planned, resulting in meltdowns from tired children. I encourage you to try packing dinner ahead of time at least once. You may be surprised at how creative you can be and fulfilling it can feel to have that aspect of your day taken care of ahead of time.

Children

Children: the ways and ideas children can begin to set themselves up for success, creating healthy, positive habits of independence.

• their day to day stuff: jackets, bags, shoes and outerwear demand a place to be! Especially if you have multiple children, having designated areas for these items is key. You may even need to have more than one area, like a general area for everyone, and then a separate area in their rooms for their own items. I am certain most of us do this, but we also need to encourage children to independently use these areas. If the area is cluttered or not in a highly trafficked area, children may not be as quick or able to get their stuff from and put it back without struggle.
• Keeping it cleaned and in order can be one of their chores, if they’re old enough. Having the children in the routine of putting their stuff back in crucial for their memories and ability to take care of themselves. They can’t put on a jacket to keep themselves warm if they a. don’t know where it is, b. have never done it for themselves, and c. aren’t expected to do it in the first place.
• Like I frequently say, if they’re able, let them. Of course, I am not speaking of babies, but I do hold tight to the belief that children are capable of being independent in small ways as early as one or two. Have that child who is more forgetful than the others? Me too. Use photos of objects or pictures of them to act as a “label” to help them visually see where there stuff is located, and to help remind them of what goes where.
• helping them help themselves with charts, lists, and trackers. Being a former educator, I know firsthand how helpful and applicable lists and charts can be. Having things written down, listed out, or even in photos can help children remember and visualize what they need to do. Children need to be independence to help them feel successful.
• Their success starts with our set up, and as they transition to pre-teens, young adults and beyond, they’ll be champions of setting themselves up for success because it’s a habit! Use magnet boars, fun printables, or just go the simple route with paper lists to create to-dos and chores for them. The key is to do something manageable and duplicatable, because the habit will never form if it’s something new every week. I am totally guilty of trying new things often because I have too many ideas. Give your children age-appropriate things to accomplish, and hold them accountable with encouragement and at times, meaningful rewards.
• Remember, little minds are still developing and growing, and every child grows and develops and his or her pace. Expecting a child to get something right the first time, or to remember to do it every time is setting yourself up for feelings of frustration, and the child will feel as if they’ve failed you. Be patient, kind, and helpful, yet also firm in expectation, being willing to be repetitive. They’re not adults yet, don’t expect them to act as if!

I hope you find this concept helpful. For some ideas on charts and trackers, pop over to my store! There are six items you may want and need to help with the success in your life. Even though I don’t think Kristi coined the phrase, “set yourself up for success,” I first heard it from her. The idea took flight and implanted itself into my brain during one of those 2 am conversations years ago.

I may not always be adequately prepared, but there are now many areas of my life that greatly benefit from the success set up! Find and apply ways to set yourself up for success, because at the end of the day, any amount of step towards helping yourself makes you successful. That feeling will always create a ripple of positivity and and more success!