This past Friday, I woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning to get ready for a quick, whirlwind trip down to Nashville. I was on New Jersey Transit by 5:30am, at the airport by 7:00am, in the air by 9:30am, and taking in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee by 10:30am (that’s Central Time, which would have been 11:30am Eastern Time). The purpose of the trip was to attend an Operations Committee meeting of the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation, of which I am a Board Trustee. In fact, the schedule was so expertly prepared that my fellow Committee members and I were walking through our office space in Nashville by 12:30pm and in our first meeting by 1:00pm.

In the 30 or so hours that I was in Nashville, my fellow Committee members and I met with the Foundation’s auditor, lawyer, bankers, staff, and a nonprofit management consultant. All of it was very informative and I’m glad that I decided to make the trip (at first, I thought that making a 30 hour trip to Nashville couldn’t possibly be worth the hassle, but I was wrong) – I would definitely make the same type of trip again. Anyone out there reading this who serves as a Board member for a nonprofit organization knows that these types of trips can be a huge disaster if they are unproductive and not properly planned. I’m glad that I serve on the Board of a nonprofit organization that has such a great Chief Operations Officer (our only full-time employee) who planned such a productive weekend schedule. Great work!

Oh, and to wrap up the time frame for the whirlwind trip to Nashville, I was back in my townhouse in Tinton Falls by 10:15pm on Saturday night. No big unpacking and cleaning after the trip either since I only had a small carry-on bag with me for the entire trip. Quick and efficient!

Now that I’m back in New Jersey, though, I’m looking at my upcoming schedule and I didn’t realize how jam packed it was for the rest of this month. Actually, over the last few days I’ve been making plans as far ahead as November 2010. Not that I mind – I think it’s good to know your schedule well in advance (yes, even months in advance).

How are your schedules coming along? Does anyone else out there plan themselves weeks and months in advance or do most of you just wing it? I always wondered about how most people plan their days, weeks, and months. Hmmm… I bet there’s a study out there somewhere that I can download to read some research about the issue. Of course, I’m not sure if I have the time for that… 😉

Before I finish up for the day, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that if anyone is looking for a great, extremely efficient nonprofit organization to donate any amount from $1 to $1,000 (or more) to, the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation is the right choice. I know many of my readers are financially savvy and know the tax planning benefits of making tax deductible donations to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, so consider the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation the next time you’re putting together your tax planning donations. And don’t worry, we have a variety of funds that you can donate to that benefit folks outside of Sigma Pi Fraternity, including a fund for disabled veterans that awards some great scholarships to even better people each year. Something to consider…