Ten Minutes a Week
They agreed that a page like that is a photograph, and a photograph gets old with time.
Picture a couple named Gil, 68, and Rosalie, 66. They made the one page described in One Page for the Day You Cannot Speak. It took an evening. They put copies in the kitchen folder and with a neighbor, and they felt good.
A year later Rosalie opened the folder. The doctor on the page had retired. The bank had changed its phone number. Gil had a new phone with a new code.
"The page is old," Rosalie said.
"It was good a year ago," Gil said.
They agreed that a page like that is a photograph, and a photograph gets old with time. They wanted something small that would keep the page current. They chose ten minutes, on Sunday, with coffee.
| What we ask each other | What on the page it might change |
|---|---|
| Did a doctor, a medicine or a dose change this week? | Doctors and medicines |
| Did we open, close or move an account? | Banks and who can sign |
| Did a phone, a password or a code change? | Access to the phone and computer |
| Is anyone on our contact list away, ill or moved? | Who to call first |
| Is the paper copy where we said it is? | Where the papers are kept |
| Is there something we would like to say, that we have not? | The note in our own words |
Most weeks the answer to every line was no. They closed the folder and finished the coffee. When one line said yes, they changed one line on the page.
They added a second habit. Every Sunday Gil sent their daughter a short message, a photo of the view from the balcony or a line saying all was well. If a Sunday passed with no message, the daughter had agreed to call a neighbor. It was a gentle arrangement. Their daughter said she liked it, because she had always wondered how often she was supposed to call.
Gil admitted that for the first few weeks he had forgotten. Rosalie put it in the calendar on her phone. After a while neither of them needed the reminder.
"It is the only meeting of the week I look forward to," Rosalie said.
"The agenda is short," Gil said.
You could…
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Pick a day and a cup of something, and put the first ten minutes in your calendar.
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Agree on a weekly message to someone far away, and what they would do if it did not arrive.
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Print the six questions and tape them inside the folder.
What habit keeps your page alive? Share it here. Someone reading may borrow it.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data.
Tell us in the comments