Small Deeds To Do: Why I Love My New Planner
You know this already, but I’m a complete nerd.
As more evidence of that obvious fact: one of my very favorite Christmas presents is a planner.
It’s glorious. Innovative, even. I’ve never seen a planner like it. (You can see it here.) It’s like it was designed for my wacky brain, which wants to see everything, right now, all at once. I can see my month, my week, and – with a nifty pop-in dry-erase module – my day.
And I even have a panel to create and see checklists. Oooh. Aaah.
I love checklists and to-do lists, because they give me a sense of real-time accomplishment. I will put silly things in my to-do list, just so I can have the primal satisfaction of crossing them off.
Brush teeth? Check. Make bed? Check. Eat? Check! (You’d be surprised how often I’d forget to eat if I didn’t have a reminder.)
I’ve tried digital to-do lists, some of which automatically move tasks from “to-do” to “done” when you’re finished. They’re nifty. I just don’t find them as gratifying.
I feel actual delight when I physically cross items off of my list. It’s a moment of power: I took control of my time and my squirrel brain! I conquered procrastination! Look at me, adulting!
I remember walking through the halls of law school, task list in hand, swigging coffee from an oversized travel mug and happily marking my final items off. When I first reflected on it this morning, I thought it odd that I so vividly remember such a mundane moment in time (which happened over 20 years ago).
But then I realized:
Such is the power of a woman who feels in control of her existence.
I remember that moment because I remember how I felt: happily in control, confident, calm, accomplished, and self-assured. And maybe that is why, especially right now, I take such delight and comfort in checklists.
Right now, friend, it is easy to feel at sea.
Our country is in turmoil. Democracy has an asterisk. The climate is changing, with uncertainty being the only certainty. We’ve lost the constitutional right to control decisions about our physical bodies – and therefore our lives. I could go on. And on. But you already know what we’re facing.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by it all.
That’s why small deeds – taking them, and tracking them – matters.
Due to space, in the past my checklists have been daily affairs – usually a sheet of paper pulled from a notebook or a stickypad, used for a day, and tossed. Which has always felt like a shame, because checklists are proof of habit – a visual history of my success (or failure) at keeping my promises to myself.
They’re a physical reminder of the small deeds done in my day, and the progress I’ve made by taking them.
Now, because I’ve created a “habit tracker” panel in my new planner, I can see just what I’ve accomplished over the last few weeks.
I can see how far I’ve walked, how much I’ve played the guitar, eaten, cleaned, called, worked – all laid out in front of me in a neat grid that’s dotted with wee congratulatory Xs that – in this exceptionally uncontrollable world – help me feel more in control.
Honestly, that’s an accomplishment all on its own.
But even better, as the days, weeks, and months click by, I’ll have a really valuable reminder of my progress.
I’m hoping that, on those days when I feel like nothing is getting done, I can look back over these momentary accomplishments as proof of my own Small Deeds Done.
I have a feeling this will be our most productive, and impactful, year yet.
Okay, friend. On that note… Let’s get to work.
P.S. If you’d like to start your day with a giggle, go check out Hyperbole and a Half’s This is Why I’ll Never Be an Adult. It’s completely relatable, and even though it’s more than 10 years old, it makes me laugh every time. Clean all the things?
Actions For the Week of January 9, 2024
Tuesday: Running in a Red District (Training w/ National Democratic Training Committee)
Join the National Democratic Training Committee TODAY from 1-2 pm ET for a free virtual live training on Running in a Red District. As you prepare, NDTC will equip you to get closer to that victory on Election Day. In case you’ve not seen their work before, NDTC provides excellent and free virtual trainings. In this one they’ll help candidates:
Understand the importance of the phases of a campaign, a campaign plan, and candidate viability
Recognize the utility of your personal story as a tool for sharing your campaign’s message
Consider and learn from examples of candidates who ran in Red Districts
They’ll also explain how NDTC’s community of learners, campaign staff, and candidates can help you win. Check it out and join here: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/594381/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual
Can’t make it? Go to National Democratic Training Committee’s website to learn more about their work and to sign up for one of their modules. They’ve got everything you need for training – from launching your campaign, to comms 101, to fundraising, to managing a crisis. If you’ve not looked through their courses before (or it’s been a while) you should check them out: https://traindemocrats.org/course-catalog/
How’d He Do? Feedback to the Biden Campaign:
Over the past week, Biden launched a campaign ad, and gave a speech on Jaunuary 6 that has been covered pretty extensively in the press. What did you think?
Now’s the time to share your feedback. Indivisible has a line to the Biden campaign, and they’re compiling comments and general feedback from Democrats to feed directly to that team. Go here to provide your feedback on their campaign ad, and on the January 6 speech: https://act.indivisible.org/survey/january6th_speech_survey
Here’s a link to the campaign ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opICiMkVhc4
Here’s a link to the Jan 6 speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ictnsmrAntc
And – if you can stomach it – here’s a great video from Morning Joe, juxtaposing Joe Biden’s remarks with Donald Trump’s. It’s an excellent reminder of how important this election is!
Postcards for NY (And More!)
There’s something about writing postcards that scratches that craft-ivism itch, doesn’t it? If you think so too, get out those sharpies and let’s get some voting reminders to Democrats – in NY and other states.
Tom Suozzi is running for the seat vacated by George Santos – so a great potential flip in NY. Both Postcards to Voters and Activate America are writing for Tom’s campaign. If you are already an approved writer with PTV, email HELLO to request@abbyaddresses.org to request addresses. If you’re not an approved PTV writer, what are you waiting for? Postcards truly are fun to write – you’re writing something that will land in someone’s mailbox, remind them to vote, and maybe make them smile. Join in the fun!
Or, you can write with Activate America, which is writing for the Suozzi campaign, but also for two others. From their website:
Arizona: Support Ruben Gallego for Senate and share Democratic accomplishments on cutting prescription drug costs! Democrats passed a cap on insulin costs for seniors covered by Medicare and lowered costs of other prescription drugs. While 83% of Americans support this policy, only 29% know it happened! Write to infrequent Democratic voters to make sure they know Ruben Gallego helped lower the costs of prescriptions and will continue to fight for better health care in the US Senate. Please mail these postcards within 3 weeks of receiving the materials.
Nevada: Re Elect Senator Rosen! We are writing to Democratic leaning independent voters under 50 years old to make sure they know that Senator Rosen has brought well paying jobs and clean tech industry to Nevada. Reaching out early to these voters, who often are not contacted by other campaigns, not only will help us hold the Senate but can also get them to the polls to support Democrats up and down the ticket. Please mail postcards as you complete them, and within 3 weeks of receiving the materials.
So, to recap: You can write for the Suozzi campaign with either PTV or Activate America. Activate America also has two other campaigns going, one for AZ and one for NV. To request addresses from PTV, email HELLO to abby the address bot at request@abbyaddresses.org.
To request addresses for Activate America’s campaigns, just go to this website (https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) and fill out the form with your information and what campaign you’d like to write for.
Job done!
Fan Favorite? January 24
Arena and Fandom Forward are hosting an event called Organizing Fan Communities. If you’ve been wondering how to harness some of the fan communities (think Swifties, Star Trek, etc) for organizing, this is an *excellent* event.
From their event description on Mobilize: Across the country, fan communities are using their extensive knowledge of their fan universes to organize for social change. During this 90-minute panel, we will take a deep dive into the nitty-gritty of how fan communities are actively organizing for social change and political participation. This panel is also an opportunity for participants to connect with and ask questions from panelists who have successfully organized within their fan communities and to learn how to do the same. If you’re eager to take your activism from the quidditch pitch to the polls or to get the Bey Hive in formation to vote, this panel is for you!
The panel discussion is January 24 from 7-8:30, so whip out that fancy new planner and pencil it in. Don’t forget to register here.
WHEW! GO TEAM!
P.S.: Why don’t you make someone’s day and send this pep talk to a friend or two? I bet they need it.
If you’d like to sign up to get this pep talk and action list in your in-box each week, you can do that here. Welcome, friend!
P.P.S.: If you want to help support this work you can do so via Patreon at
https://www.patreon.com/smalldeedsdone or via paypal at https://www.paypal.me/smalldeeds
My deepest gratitude in advance.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. I read and respond to every email! We’re in this together. Don’t you forget it.