The Top 5 Report

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“The guides who accompany the great expeditions in Kilimanjaro, one of the highest mountains in the world, use a Swahili expression to comfort fatigued walkers: ‘Polé, polé’, which means ‘slowly, slowly, one step at a time’.” – Cristiana Branchini

When I first started my own computer consulting business, I had a project that required a software developer. Since I don’t write code, I hired a smart friend of mine to do that piece of the project. He was delightfully full of ideas and capable, but getting things done on time wasn’t his strong point, and he was also a little lax on attention to detail.

One of the reports we had to deliver to the client was a Top 5 report. It was supposed to pull the top 5 results based in descending order from a database. Some requirements can be hard to define but this wasn’t one of them – the name of the report said it all.

When the day came for me to show the client our work, my developer friend was still working on it. I left to drive to the meeting and he assured me that it would be fine by the time I got there.

I pulled up the screen to show the client and the top 5 report returned 13 results. <groan> And then the client and I burst into laughter.

I thought of this particular project fail the other day when I was trying to prioritize what needed to get done. My top 5 list was returning 13 results:

  1. Meditate
  2. Be present to play with and listen to the kids
  3. Get my billable work done
  4. Write and podcast to ensure I’m focusing on the right things in life
  5. Exercise
  6. Sleep
  7. Cook healthy meals
  8. Take care of the cat
  9. Make meaningful connections with friends and family
  10. Plan the kids’ activities so they make meaningful connections with friends and family
  11. Laundry
  12. Hygiene/Cleaning/De-cluttering
  13. House maintenance, gardening, and mowing the lawn

Okay, so not all of those things need to be done every day. But most days require at least 1-8. I know you are worried that hygiene is item 12 but I promise I’m getting that done, more or less.

When I told the developer that 13 results were showing up, he said, “Maybe some have exactly the same value so it’s showing additional entries.” No, that wasn’t it. But maybe it’s a clue to the thing I need to work out now in life. Not everything has the same value so in the juggling of priorities, I can stay focused on what truly has the highest importance. The interesting thing about putting meditation at the top of the list is that it helps me stay centered for whatever else needs to be done.

And I just need to laugh. Whoever promised that life would fit in a box? Or a report?

It’s fitting that I’m posting this on the day that the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast Episode 20: The Art of the Interview with Dr. Gerald Stein goes live. In the discussion, that Vicki and I have with the illustrious Dr. Stein, he tells an incredibly poignant story about a man who’s brush with death at an early age made him realize that life is a lagniappe.

I wasn’t familiar with that word – it’s French/Creole for something extra. If you buy 12 rolls, the baker throws in another. A lagniappe. Kind of a cute tie in to my Top 13 items. Perhaps I should just consider it all “something extra” that at least I get to try to live this delightful life with its many priorities.

It’s a great episode, please give it a listen and subscribe! Search for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or PocketCasts or click on the link above.

The quote at the top of the post from blogger Cristiana Branchini is from her post Cultivating Trust in Life

(featured photo from Pexels)

41 thoughts on “The Top 5 Report”

  1. LOL. I’m afraid I can’t get past the fact that you had a contract with a client that relied on the work of a friend, and you still didn’t have the finished (incomplete/inaccurate) report as you drove to present it. OMG! 😳😂

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    3. Ha, ha, ha, Jane. I love that you saw that. I was young and still figuring out how to manage all these factors in my own business instead of having a team to do it… 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Wynne, thank you so much for the quote from my blog and also for mentioning it! I am honored!
    You put a smile on my face with this post, Wynne!
    For the podcast, I have to admit that I rarely listen to them because I get easily distracted when I only listen. I don’t know what’s wrong with listening, my mind starts wondering around and it gets into meditation mode because of that. Maybe it’s because I use to listen to guided meditation? Anyway, your post is really nice 😊

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  3. Thanks for all the Friday morning humor here, Wynne, and for acknowledging the sweet comment from your client. Maybe there were 13 on the top 5 list because some held equal value? What a generous response, given what you “delivered”. And thanks for the chuckle about hygiene being at the bottom of the line-up. Yes, yes. We’re not worried. LOL. 🥰

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  4. I’m so looking forward to the podcast with Dr. Stein and hearing observations about his patient! My boyfriend is so different than anyone I’ve ever met, and I suspect it may have to do with his own brush with death at an young age. We recently celebrated the 16th anniversary of his “death” and, I think for him, every extra day here feels like a lagniappe. (What a great word!)

    Also, I can totally relate to the overloaded to-do list, along with hygiene not necessarily falling in the top 5. 😂😂😂

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    1. I’m so glad you can relate about the hygiene! 🙂 We get it done, right, Erin?

      What an interesting tie you’ve made between your boyfriend’s brush with death and Dr. Stein’s lagniappe. Can’t wait to hear what you think after you listen! 🙂

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  7. When you get older, Wynne, you will discover that getting one or two things done in a day is a major accomplishment.

    Once upon a time, the day was forgiving. It stretched almost as much as I required. What happened to time remains a mystery. But I learned something very important. If I have a number of things in need of urgent completion, contact Wynne Leon!

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    1. Ha, ha, ha. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dr. Stein. I’m afraid you’ve overestimated my effectiveness but I’ll take it! 🙂

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  9. I’m really looking forward to hearing the podcast. Dr stein seems really interesting from his comments read on posts, so I’m looking forward to learning more about him.

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  10. I confess, lagniappe is a new one on me, and I needed to do a wee bit of research to figure out how to pronounce it. Lan-yap! Well, I learn new things every day. Thanks, Wynne! I always learn something new from you! Another new one on me was charcuterie. How have never hear that word in all of my many years until just last week?? Now if I could just get my priorities straight . . . 🤔

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    1. Ha, ha, ha. Julia. I think your priorities are exactly right! And thanks for adding in the pronunciation – I should have thought of that!

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  12. Oh Wynne, I’m looking at sleep, so close to the Top 5 yet so far! I’m glad your client had a good laugh and humour about it and your coder friend had a smooth response to it. I’d be like, nice try buddy. 😆 You are right that unfortunately and fortunately life does not fit neatly into a box or a top 5 list but that we also need to sometimes pause and prioritize and reprioritize. Making lists are fun by the way and such a rush to cross things off. I put small wins like… eat a banana and drink milk, so it feels like I’m getting stuff done with my day. 🤣

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    1. I love your practice of putting small wins on the list. Because not only are you getting stuff done – but it’s really important stuff too! And I’m laughing about your observation about sleep – that’s so astute. I love your comments, Ab – they make me think and laugh and always make a post better! 🙂 ❤

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  13. Isn’t that a lovely word. La ñapa or La llapa is also a common concept in Spanish culture (South America) meaning the same thing. Like a little something extra in your grocery bag. (Algo gratis) And the idea is that the customer will return because of it. I’m thinking, you gave a lot extra, so your client must have come back. 😄
    One thing’s for sure, you have your priorities right. Now, about hygiene…😆

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    1. Oh, you have me smiling with this comment, Alegria. Thank you, my friend. I love knowing the spanish term for it too. Beautiful! Thank you for something extra in this comment!

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  14. They do the same with bagels at our local shop, and I often drive over there without a thought as to my hygiene! I really love this post Wynne. I agree, some of my priorities get more attention than others and I never stop to ask why. Healthy meals often give way to busy schedules and an easy fix. I can’t relax when I have twenty things I need to do. I seem to always find time to write, play with the grandkids, and enjoy long slow mornings. Hugs, C

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    1. Write, play with the grandkids and enjoy long slow mornings – that sounds like exactly the right priority list, Cheryl! And I’m so glad that I am in good company if sometimes you skip on the hygiene as well… 🙂 ❤

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  15. I love the eclectic list and had a big grin plastered on my face when I got to #8: the list is a miniature of life itself, with big, lofty items like the maintaining meaningful connections, and the necessary mundane ones like laundry. You captured it beautifully!

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    1. Ha, ha, ha! I love that you were smiling. The poor cat… 🙂 It reminds me of your post about how many #1 priorities can we have? We might only have one #1 but what about all the others? 🙂

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  16. I relate to everything you write in this post. My top five probably include about 26 things. I love that you have meditate as number one. I should but it’s probably number five in my list.

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      2. Pam – sorry that I got your name wrong. I was moving too quickly. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. And now I’m glad that I meditated this morning so I can more readily accept my mistakes… Have a great day!

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