Blue Cat Doesn’t Go to the Zoo (again)

Blue Cat likes to go to the zoo – it’s a great place to watch local people and exotic animals (or is that exotic people and local animals?) and there’s always something new to see. But Blue Cat has been missing his family’s weekly trips to the zoo (they are members, you know) and he needs to do something about that.

The problem is that it’s a challenge to start doing something new – Blue Cat tends to procrastinate setting up the trip until after the car has left. And so Blue Cat (like a good strategist) has come up with a plan to get started:

1. Get it on the schedule: Blue Cat needs to find out when the next zoo trip is, and then schedule his next steps so he goes on the trip. Just having a list of things to do isn’t going to help – he needs to know when he needs to do them. Setting specific times will help him a lot.
2. Get it on people’s minds: Next, Blue Cat needs to tell his family that he wants to go with them to the zoo. Not only does it get them to help him, but the commitment to go becomes public and something outside of himself. It’ll be harder for him to procrastinate if he knows others know his plan.
3. Make it easy: The hardest part of going to the zoo for Blue Cat is making sure his family brings him along. That’s difficult when they have to track him down and make sure they have a big enough bag for him to travel in. He can make it easy by getting into someone’s purse the night before. Making your next step easier makes it more likely that you’ll actually do it.
4. Make it fun: While people will do things on their own, it’s even more likely they’ll do things if they’re fun. Blue Cat is thinking of pinning a dollar bill to his tie so taking him will be more fun than not. Wouldn’t you bring someone who offers a prize? Of course, it would be better if he also brought ice cream.

Blue Cat is sure that his plan will work and that he’ll get to the zoo next week. So look for him at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado – and make sure you say “hello!”

© William P Doyle, Jr  2014  All Rights Reserved