Time to grow: doing the right things, at the right time

While in the process of doing “all the things,” I discovered: I can’t do all the things. After a year of searching for the perfect time management and goal planning strategies, I’ve taken a step back. In fact, I’m starting over. Why? Because I wasn’t making headway. The overabundance of resources at my disposal paralyzed me—until I discovered a practice that meshes with the way I’m wired and can be tweaked as needed (aka because life). In January, it began with a big picture mental image birthed from a vision board workshop, which advised a series of goal mapping. From there, I developed quarterly and monthly goals, followed by measurable action steps and a weekly task list (in progress). And with my big picture vision at the forefront, I plan to regularly assess what’s working and what’s not working to plot consecutive quarters and so on. Now I can do all the things. The right things. At the right time.

How do you manage all the things?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The home stretch: bidding farewell to 2019

How’s the year wrapping up in your world? Mine resembles a project still in the works: missing pieces to the puzzle; loose ends, tangled and frayed. Unfinished business: words left unspoken; goals unrealized. As well as one certainty: I don’t want to arrive at the end of my life or the end of next year—or the end of next month—without seeing progress. Although baby steps still mean we’re moving forward, we might fall on our hindquarters, take two steps back for each one we advance or veer off the original course. But we shouldn’t drop to our knees where we are and stop—unless it’s to pray. So as we bid farewell to 2019, I pray for: a clear vision for the New Year, favor to succeed, strength to overcome, confidence in our convictions and the peace that passes all understanding. And that any loose ends or unfinished business or missing pieces to the puzzle serve as stepping stones from one chapter to the next.

Cheers!

Image courtesy of Krishna arts at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

How a life-changing adventure works

Twenty-two days after I started a three-week factory reboot, I boarded a plane for a life-changing adventure—an opportunity to practice many of the concepts I’ve been studying and writing about: setting intentions, working smarter, finding your support system and establishing a vision. It began with a three-hour flight to SeaTac, my premier ferry ride and 100 miles behind the wheel of a rental car that transported me to Washington’s Port Townsend off the Puget Sound. For four days, along with a fellow tribe of writers, I immersed myself into all-things literary—from tips and tools to hone the craft, to one-on-ones with our host, to free-writing sessions—while making time to explore the idyllic town, savor tea at Pippa’s and sample my first authentic Thai cuisine. Although still processing where to go from here, I’m determined to hold onto the space I created there—a low-key, stress-free rhythm—because it’s only life changing if I allow it to be.

What kind of life-changing adventure do you crave?

Work smarter, not harder: but do *something*

Twenty-one days ago, I pressed the reset button to rewire a few errant thought patterns and get back on track toward the vision I created for myself in February (see “Take your dreams to the next level…”). This included five action items to accomplish each day for three weeks. One reset task comprised writing for at least 21 minutes daily. Some days the time flew by; others it crawled, the latter of which forced me to discover new ways to stimulate my enthusiasm. A daily writing prompt often became the catalyst to unblock my creativity; another day I drafted a blog post. And another I played around with story ideas. More and more I’m finding that there isn’t one “right” way to live the good life. But [doing] something is better than nothing. And because it’s common for life and its myriad demands to pull us away from our goals, we should work smarter—not harder—to be good stewards of our time.

How do you work smarter?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Are you ready to do the thing?

Now that I’ve been reading and writing again (see “A new way of thinking…”)—essentially, practicing that which I want to become greater at—I can’t deny a rekindled motivation. And the vision I have for the future is now more than a pipe dream: it’s a plan. Complete with deadlines and manageable goals mapped out. During a recent workshop exercise, the leader had us close our eyes and imagine ourselves a year from now. That we’ve done “the thing” we’ve always dreamed of—written that book, earned the degree, gotten that job, took the trip, retired early. What does it feel like? How about three years… five years… 10? How does it look? Then, we repeated the exercise, only we never did the thing. It’s a year from now: how do we feel? How about three, five and 10 years later? What do the people closest to us say about it? The truth is: time goes by whether we do the thing or not.

What’s your thing?

Road rage and running on empty

In my last post, I talk about slowing down, listening more… and bringing muffins. After that, I merged into the fast lane, full speed ahead. The problem? Road rage. I’ve cut people off (usually those closest to me) and my tank is running on empty. I also question the direction I’m headed and can’t seem to see the forest for the trees. Or, rather, the cacti. Only, I hope once I make it to the top of my mountain, I may glean a better vision for where to refocus my attention and fine tune my course. Because lately my dreams appear fuzzy, unattainable. Maybe even unrealistic. I might just take a break from chasing Someday and allow my passions to take a backseat. This way I can move into the regular flow of traffic and allow the natural rhythm to carry me along without a struggle. Yet what I could really use more than anything? A hug.

When is it time to change the course of your dreams?

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Drawing a blank

Every writer I know has trouble writing. ~ Joseph Heller

Last night I went to bed with a migraine headache.  Although I woke up pain-free this morning, I also possessed zero ideas to ramble about.  It could be my brain just hasn’t fully woken up, yet.  Or perhaps it is not so much a dried-up well of creative juices, as it is a blockage — so many thoughts that have become stopped up.  Maybe it has to do with my lack of time at the gym while my ankle continues healing.  All I know is, I am not alone.  Maybe you’re a runner and have simply lost your inspiration for the sport. Or once-upon-a-time you planned to sing or dance, travel or fill in the blank but you lost your vision.  If I could write out a prescription for my complaint, I would order some non-weight-bearing cardio to work up a good sweat in order to dislodge the damn of ideas.  And then I’d throw in a trip to the library to further exercise my mind until the words flowed unimpeded.  As a matter of fact, after my mandatory cup of sweetened green tea, I’m heading out to the pool.

What’s your prescription for staying on top of your game?

[Image credit: smokedsalmon]