Hi, I'm Monica Packer, and you're listening to about progress, where we are about progress made practical.

If you had braces like I did as a teen, then you may have also had a reward system at your

orthodontist for doing a good job brushing and wearing your bands and making sure you're wearing your net gear,

all of which I had, by the way,

and all of which I of course did with precision,

not just to preserve my teeth

to keep it from all those warning pictures that they give you when you get your braces on,

but mostly, honestly, because I wanted those prizes desperately. I laugh now when I think about two of the biggest prizes

that I had to work really hard for. One was an alarm clock that I used for like

15 years after and another was a palm pilot.

Being the aspiring perfectionist that I was at the time I could think of no two greater items to have in my possession. Now I can still draw up the pride I felt when I pulled out

that palm pot for the first time in class, carefully documenting my assignment for the day

and just as carefully checking it off later

that night. But I honestly have no idea what happened to that precious Palm

Pilot. Even though I had to work months to earn it, I don't remember using it religiously after the first month, and I also don't remember how it just disappeared for my life.

Planners in general have been like that for me. I'll use one studiously for some time until I get burnt out by it.

The longest stretch I went and maintaining a planner was during all of college.

And you may already know how that time of life

turned out for me, straight A's and straight nervous breakdowns. I only began to plan

again a year or so into my experiment of progress over perfection.

And there's been lots of experimenting with planning ever since.

Now overall I've learned a few things, mainly that having even a semblance of a plan for how I want to spend my day is hugely supportive to my mental load.

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