"Cross-functional" Information

I briefly told L that my family and I recently had an animated discussion
on the future education of the baby. She was mildly amused as my family
had all these ideas. She thinks we're all excited as the baby is the first
grand child in my family.

She and her husband are a bit more relaxed when it comes to bringing up Z.
I am the type to make a "career" out of things. So naturally, I am doing the
same with the baby hahaha...

I really just want what's best for our child. I think every loving parent does.
We all just have different ways of going about things. We all have different
personalities, attitudes, cultures, information, experiences, upbringing etc.
I guess all these factors will play a role in how we will be as parents. No
right or wrong here. All we can do is try our best.

I still consider myself as a student of sorts. No I do not currently study in
a school (except I do take Mandarin lessons in a language center). What I
am is a student of life. I've been like this probably since my grade school
days. People have different ways of dealing with information that come their
way. I get a kick out of discovering information that have "cross-functional"
applications in life. I'm such a nerd! hehehe...


Today, I'd like to share 3 "cross-functional" examples with you:

a. Always bring a notebook with you.

It has been said that writers always have a notebook with them. One never
knows when inspiration will strike.

I decided to adopt the practice. But my notebook is not just for ideas. I also
use it to jot down facts, information, questions, quotations, computations,
recipes, etc. Anything and everything that MIGHT be useful. I emphasized
MIGHT because it's possible something in there might not get used. But
that's okay. What's more important to me is that the information is there in
case I have a need for it.

In the beginning, I only had one notebook. Now, I have one for my day to day
activities, one for the pregnancy, one for recipes I pick up here and there, and
one for my blogs. I'm sure I'll one day have a notebook dedicated to the baby.

The multi-notebook system just helps me organize my life better. The day to
day notebook is always with me. The others are by my bedside and get brought
around on a "as needed" basis.

Just a side note. I used the pregnancy notebook for both pregnancies. As both
pregnancies have been delicate ones, the information from the first pregnancy
helped me manage this pregnancy better.

b. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Planning activities are part and parcel of corporate life. You plan for strategies,
budgets, targets, policies, events, activities, etc.

I feel it is equally important that we make plans for our life. H and I have an
annual goal setting activity of sorts. We also discuss our personal and project
budgets. On our fridge you will find our list of goals, list of expenses, menu
plans, shopping lists, etc.

This year, I also made a 2 year Calendar of Activities. I am anticipating a
busier life when the baby is around. I have planned to do some things earlier
than usual for them to be accomplished on time.

Planning has also come in handy in our community service. We have been
involved in the different activities of CFC. Sometimes we're just attendees, but
sometimes we help organize things. As such, the general principles on planning
still apply.

c. Measure to manage.

Schools have report cards. Companies have progress reports. We too can make
our own report of sorts.

There are different ways of going about this. Our personal reports vary; it
depends on what it is we're trying to measure.

The personal "business" is under Project Management. It has a budget, gantt
chart plus plus. For this, H and R check if we're on budget and on schedule.
There is a database for expenses related to this. In this area, I just take note
of the "executive summary".

For budgets, H and I generally discuss a) are we up or down, b) by what
percent, and c) the justification for variances.

For certain tasks, I make tables. The first column contains the tasks I am
tracking. The other columns contain the time periods. I then put a tick mark
when a task is accomplished. A blank spot or an "x" signifies that the task
was not done.

For other tasks, a simple to do list will suffice.


As you can see. I am not the type to just take things easy. I sometimes have to
make a conscious effort to stop and relax. I have also learned that sometimes
things will not go my way. Sometimes, God has better plans. At the end of the
day, what's important to me is that I know I did my best. Sometimes, life reminds
me that I need to practice faith; "to let God and to let go." If I did my best, then
it's easier to let things be.