The other day, I scored some points by getting a friend some orchids. She loved them and she especially liked how easy they are to care for.

Here’s the cool thing—and I’m using “cool” for a specific reason—the brand of orchids was Just Add Ice. Check’em out at justaddice.com, a pretty cool (there I go again) site.

The orchids came in a small planter and you simply add 3 ice cubes each week, the equivalent of a 1/4 cup of water, to keep them—well, watered.

The company name and instructions prompted a question: What are your 3 ice cubes? What are the 3 things that, as a caregiver, if you get them done each day you’re—here we go again—watered, you’re good/satisfied/ok?

One evening when I was presenting my seminar, Caregiving Can Make Life Crazy!, an attendee asked me how I made it through each day as a caregiver.

The audience cracked up when I blurted out, “Books, Barbells, and Beer!”

I backed up and began my explanation by telling them that, as I’ve often said, the key issue for being a caregiver is that I knew my loved one was safe.

If that issue was solid, there were 3 things that determined whether I’d had a good day: I was able to read a chapter in whatever book I was working my way through (always reading and usually nonfiction), I was able to move (go for a walk, ride my bike, or go to the gym), and I could have one cold beer that evening as a celebration of the day.

And yes, there were all kinds of other things going on in terms of work, relationships, and life. But, if I could get my 3 things done: Books, Barbells, and Beer, I’d had a pretty good day.

The great thing about the 3 ice cubes strategy is you can use it to guide your planning for a day and, at the end of the day, judge how well your plan worked.

So, what are your 3 ice cubes?