Bukan Target, Tapi Lubang yang Dihindari: Cara Kader Muhammadiyah Menata Prioritas

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Bukan Target, Tapi Lubang yang Dihindari: Cara Kader Muhammadiyah Menata Prioritas

Pernah nggak sih kamu ngerasa sibuk banget... tapi entah kenapa, nggak ada satu pun yang bener-bener selesai? Deadline numpuk, chat grup organisasi kayak keran bocor, dan kamu—di tengah semuanya—lagi mikirin kenapa logo kegiatan belum jadi juga. Padahal udah ditugasin dari rapat tiga minggu lalu.

Saya pernah. Dan kalau kamu kader IPM yang pernah pegang amanah—entah itu jadi sie acara, sekretaris, atau bahkan ‘tim dokumentasi yang merangkap konsumsi’—kemungkinan besar kamu juga pernah ngerasain drama yang sama.

Di situasi kayak gitu, saya mulai mikir... mungkin masalahnya bukan di target kita. Tapi di cara kita ngindarin lubang. Lubang waktu. Lubang energi. Lubang pikiran yang kebanyakan mikirin hal remeh sampai yang penting malah ketinggalan.

Ini cerita tentang itu. Tentang kader yang belajar bukan dari motivasi “harus mencapai sesuatu”, tapi dari rasa takut jatuh ke lubang yang sama.

Cerita Soal Poster yang Gagal Launching

Suatu malam, saya lagi ngerjain desain pamflet buat kajian remaja masjid. Deadline-nya udah lewat dua hari, dan saya masih bingung: ini font-nya terlalu serius nggak ya? Kenapa warna birunya kayak warna pasta gigi? Kenapa saya lebih peduli ke warna, padahal ustaz-nya aja belum fix?

Akhirnya, pamflet nggak pernah jadi. Kajian tetap jalan, tapi tanpa poster. Dan saya ngerasa bersalah, bukan karena gagal bikin desain keren… tapi karena udah buang-buang waktu, energi, dan ya—harga diri sedikit.

Dari situ saya mulai bikin catatan kecil. Bukan to-do list. Tapi daftar “lubang” yang harus saya hindari. Sepele-sepele, tapi ngeselin:

• Nunda kerjaan karena nunggu mood
• Buka grup tapi scroll doang
• Ngira semua bisa dikerjain sendiri
• Janji “nanti malem aku kerjain”, padahal tau bakal ketiduran

Dan makin saya tulis lubangnya, makin saya sadar: ternyata ini cara paling jujur buat menata prioritas. Bukan mulai dari “apa yang pengen dicapai”, tapi dari “apa yang jangan sampe kejadian lagi”.

Logika Terbalik yang Menyelamatkan

Di dunia kaderan, kita sering keburu fokus ke hasil: program kerja, peserta, laporan, sertifikat. Tapi nggak jarang, kita lupa mikir soal prosesnya—dan lebih penting lagi, hal-hal yang bikin program itu gagal diam-diam.

Saya pernah ikut pelatihan yang isinya padat banget. Tapi pas ditanya, “Apa hal yang bikin pelatihan gagal?”… semua langsung mikir keras. Nggak ada yang siap jawab. Padahal jawabannya simpel: peserta bosen, pemateri telat, moderator hilang sinyal. Gitu-gitu aja.

Kenapa kita nggak mulai dari situ aja? Dari ngelist semua potensi gagal. Semua kesalahan yang pernah kejadian. Semua lubang yang pernah nyedot energi kita. Baru dari situ, kita bikin strategi. Bukan strategi buat sukses. Tapi strategi buat nggak ngulangin gagal yang sama.

Kader yang Sibuk Bukan Berarti Kader yang Efektif

Satu hal yang paling sering saya temui di rapat IPM adalah orang-orang yang terlihat sibuk banget. Pegang hape, buka laptop, jalan mondar-mandir, tapi... pas ditanya, “Sudah beres belum tugasnya?” Jawabnya klasik: “Masih nyusun konsep.”

Kamu tahu, saya juga pernah jadi orang itu. Sibuk kelihatan sibuk. Dan itu melelahkan. Sampai suatu hari, saya iseng nulis: “Kalau besok saya nggak datang rapat, apa yang bakal berantakan?” Ternyata... nggak banyak. Bahkan kadang nggak ada. Ternyata saya lebih penting di kepala saya sendiri daripada di realita organisasi.

Dari situ saya mulai belajar satu hal absurd: jangan bangga jadi orang yang paling sibuk. Tapi jadilah orang yang paling bisa bilang ‘tidak’ ke hal-hal yang kelihatan penting tapi sebenernya cuma nguras tenaga.

Tips Anti-Lubang: Checklist Terbalik ala Kader IPM

Kalau biasanya kamu bikin to-do list, kali ini saya mau ngajak kamu bikin “don’t-do list”. Serius. Ini bukan jokes.

Coba deh bikin satu kertas kecil. Kasih judul: “Hal-hal yang Bikin Saya Gagal Jadi Kader Waras”. Isinya? Bebas. Misalnya:

• Ikutan semua kegiatan karena takut dibilang kurang aktif
• Ngerjain semua hal sendiri karena nggak percaya sama tim
• Chat jam 2 pagi karena baru kepikiran ide dadakan
• Bikin agenda dadakan cuma karena panik forum sepi
• Overthinking pas pembagian tugas sampai akhirnya nggak gerak sama sekali

Kalau kita jujur sama lubang-lubang ini, kita jadi bisa bikin keputusan yang lebih waras. Nggak semua harus dikerjain. Kadang, yang paling perlu adalah berhenti bikin keribetan baru.

Refleksi Malam di Tengah Rapat yang Nggak Selesai

Saya masih inget, ada satu rapat yang bikin saya nyaris resign. Udah jam 11 malam, belum ada keputusan. Semua muter di situ-situ aja. Ketua diam, sekretaris lelah, bendahara sibuk mikirin snack. Saya sendiri mikirin kenapa saya masih di situ.

Tiba-tiba saya nulis di notes: “Rapat bukan tentang siapa yang ngomong paling lama. Tapi siapa yang pulang dengan keputusan paling jelas.”

Setelah itu, saya jadi lebih sering ngajak teman-teman buat nyusun agenda sebelum rapat. Tapi bukan cuma “acara ini” atau “acara itu”. Tapi: “Apa yang jangan sampai kejadian kayak rapat kemarin?” Dan itu bantu banget. Karena kita belajar bukan dari teori, tapi dari kekacauan yang udah kita lewatin bareng-bareng.

Antara Ideal & Realita: Memilih yang Tidak Hancurkan Diri

IPM ngajarin saya banyak hal, tapi salah satu pelajaran paling absurd adalah... kadang kamu harus rela kecewa sedikit demi tidak hancur total. Kadang kamu harus rela bilang, “Maaf, saya nggak bisa ambil amanah itu sekarang,” demi bisa bantu di hal yang lebih cocok untuk kamu.

Dan itu bukan egois. Itu jujur. Kita ini kader, bukan superhuman. Kita punya batas. Dan justru karena kita sadar batas, kita bisa bantu organisasi bertahan lebih lama.

Banyak kader IPM yang tumbang bukan karena nggak niat. Tapi karena terlalu niat, sampai lupa istirahat, lupa makan, lupa ngobrol sama teman sendiri di luar forum. Akhirnya jadi kayak robot: aktif tapi hampa.

Bukan Target, Tapi Lubang yang Dihindari

Kalau kamu tanya saya sekarang: “Apa prioritas utama seorang kader?” Saya nggak akan jawab program, atau jabatan, atau prestasi. Saya akan jawab: hindari lubang yang bikin kamu kehilangan semangat, kehilangan tim, kehilangan arah.

Prioritas bukan soal urutan aktivitas. Tapi soal keputusan sadar untuk bilang: “Yang ini jangan dulu.” atau “Yang ini cukup segini.” atau “Yang ini saya kerjain bareng, bukan sendiri.”

Dan di antara semua pelajaran yang saya dapat dari rapat, forum, konflik internal, dan drama tidak terduga... saya belajar satu hal yang paling susah: menerima kalau nggak semua harus kita selesaikan. Tapi semua bisa kita rawat, kalau kita tahu di mana lubang-lubangnya.

Penutup yang Gagal Dramatis

Saya sempat mau tutup artikel ini dengan kutipan keren, tapi saya lupa catat sumbernya. Jadi saya akhiri saja dengan kalimat ini:

Kalau hidup organisasi itu seperti jalan malam tanpa lampu jalan, maka mengenali lubang lebih penting daripada tahu ke mana tujuanmu.

Dan kalau kamu sudah tahu itu, kamu sudah lebih siap jadi kader yang waras, bukan kader yang meledak di tengah jalan.

Welcome to IPM Ranting Dahu

Not the Goal, but the Pitfalls: How Muhammadiyah Cadres Set Priorities

Have you ever felt extremely busy... but somehow, nothing really got done? Deadlines piling up, organization group chats exploding like a leaky faucet, and you—right in the middle of it—are wondering why the event poster is still not finished. Even though it was assigned three weeks ago.

I’ve been there. And if you’re a cadre in IPM who’s ever held a responsibility—be it event team, secretary, or that “documentation crew who also handles food”—you’ve probably lived this chaotic sitcom too.

In moments like that, I started to think… maybe the problem isn’t our goals. But how we avoid the holes. Holes in time. Holes in energy. Holes in our scattered minds that spend too much focus on the tiny stuff while the essential things get left behind.

This is a story about that. About a cadre who learns not from motivation to “achieve something great,” but from the fear of falling into the same exhausting traps again.

The Poster That Never Got Published

One night, I was working on a poster design for a youth religious study session. The deadline was already two days late, and I was still stuck: Is this font too serious? Why does this shade of blue look like toothpaste? Why do I care so much about colors when the speaker hasn’t even been confirmed?

In the end, the poster never got done. The event still happened—without any promo image. And I felt guilty. Not because I failed to make something great, but because I wasted time, energy, and a little bit of self-respect.

From that moment on, I started writing a small list. Not a to-do list. But a list of “holes” I should avoid. Silly but deadly, like:

• Delaying tasks while waiting for the perfect mood
• Reading group chats but never responding
• Thinking I could do everything alone
• Promising “I’ll do it tonight” even though I knew I’d fall asleep

And the more I listed those holes, the clearer things became: maybe this is the most honest way to set priorities—not by asking “what do I want to achieve?” but “what should I never repeat again?”

A Reversed Logic That Might Just Save You

In this whole IPM world, we often focus too much on the outcome: the work program, the number of participants, the reports, the certificates. But often, we forget to think about the real reasons why a program fails silently.

I once joined a training session filled with slides and busy schedules. But when the facilitator asked, “What makes a training session fail?”… everyone froze. No answer. Even though it was obvious: boring speakers, late arrivals, a moderator who disappears mid-session. The usual chaos.

So why don’t we start from there? From listing every possible failure. All the mistakes we’ve made. Every energy-sucking trap we’ve fallen into. Then plan things—not to succeed perfectly—but to avoid tripping into the same holes.

Busy Doesn’t Always Mean Effective

One thing I often see in IPM meetings: people who look extremely busy. Typing, checking phones, walking around. But when asked, “Is your task done?” The usual answer: “Still drafting the concept.”

I used to be that person. Busy being busy. And it was exhausting. Until one day I scribbled in my notebook: “If I don’t show up tomorrow, what will collapse?” The answer… not much. Sometimes nothing. Apparently, I mattered more in my own head than I did in the real machinery of the organization.

Since then, I’ve tried to learn something absurd but useful: don’t take pride in being the busiest person. Instead, be the one who dares to say “no” to things that look urgent but are secretly draining.

Anti-Hole Tips: A Reverse Checklist for IPM Cadres

Instead of a to-do list, I dare you to make a “don’t-do list”. I’m serious. This isn’t a meme.

Take a scrap of paper. Title it: “Things That Ruin My Sanity as a Cadre.” Fill it with anything. For example:

• Joining every activity just to avoid being labeled ‘inactive’
• Doing everything alone because I don’t trust my team
• Sending messages at 2am because ideas hit me late
• Organizing sudden events just because we panicked at a quiet forum
• Overthinking tasks until I freeze and do nothing

If we’re honest about these holes, we’ll start making saner decisions. Not everything must be done. Sometimes, what we really need is to stop digging ourselves deeper.

Late-Night Reflections in a Never-Ending Meeting

I still remember one meeting that almost made me quit. It was already 11 p.m. and we hadn’t decided anything. Everyone kept going in circles. The chair was silent, the secretary tired, the treasurer worried about snacks. I was thinking, why am I still here?

I typed in my phone: “A meeting isn’t about who speaks the longest. It’s about who walks away with the clearest decision.”

After that, I started encouraging pre-meeting agendas. But not just listing events. I asked, “What should we never repeat from the last meeting?” That helped a lot. Because we weren’t learning from theory, but from the mess we already survived together.

Between Idealism & Survival: Choose What Doesn’t Break You

IPM has taught me many things, but one of the most bizarre lessons is this: sometimes you must be willing to disappoint a little, just so you don’t totally break down. Sometimes you must say, “Sorry, I can’t take that task now,” so you can still help with something more suited to you.

And that’s not selfish. That’s honest. We’re cadres, not superhumans. We have limits. And because we recognize those limits, we can help the organization last longer.

Many IPM members don’t burn out because they lack spirit. They burn out because they have too much of it. Until they forget to rest, eat, talk to their friends outside of formalities. Eventually, they become like machines: active, but empty inside.

Not the Goal, but the Pitfall

If you ask me now: “What’s a cadre’s top priority?” I won’t say program, or position, or achievement. I’ll say: avoid the holes that drain your energy, your team, your sense of direction.

Priorities aren’t about lining up activities. They’re about making conscious decisions like: “Let’s skip this one.” or “This is enough.” or “Let’s do this together, not alone.”

And among all the lessons I got from meetings, forums, internal conflicts, and unexpected drama… I learned the hardest truth: not everything must be finished by you. But everything can be cared for—if we know where the cracks are.

An Ending That Refuses to Be Too Grand

I was going to end this with an epic quote, but I forgot to write down the source. So I’ll close with this:

If your organizational life is like walking a dark road without streetlights, then recognizing the holes matters more than knowing the destination.

And if you already know that, you’re more prepared to be a sane cadre—not the one who explodes halfway through.