Lots of activities can be considered hobbies!
Do you have a big project you’ve been putting off?
Is it because you are waiting for the perfect time to devote your entire self to getting it done?
If you try to do too much at once, you risk getting overwhelmed and exhausted. Chances are you’ll get discouraged, go away, and never come back to it.
2021 UPDATE: Getting “derailed” is one thing. Here it implies a potential for getting back on track with a little focus, some encouragement, and a few tips from me. However, falling off the trestle bridge into the canyon below, before crashing and burning, is quite another thing! This article is about getting back on track organization- and productivity-wise after common life-changes (home, work, health, events, trips, relationships). It was not meant for a worldwide pandemic with severe health, social, and financial implications, accompanied by political and civic upheaval and global warming! In severe cases “back to basics” may mean focusing on eating, sleeping, and exercising enough to recover or maintain one’s health. And, in other cases, a consultation with a medical professional, financial advisor, realtor, or government agency is called for. Even so….eventually you will find yourself either stuck in the past, languishing in the present, or ready to get back on track to meet your future.
FOCUS on 20/20, er, I mean 2020.
As I shift my focus from 2019 to 2020, I have chosen a focus word for the new year. It is….wait for it….FOCUS.
Either that, or VISION.
Whatever. They go hand in hand, don’t they?
I can’t be the only one who picks FOCUS or VISION for 2020, but that’s OK. It’s not a competition.
Calendar bird photo by Ann Strober.
I hate to be a party pooper, but I just don’t believe it takes 21 days to create a habit. Or 30 days. Or however long people are saying. It’s true that you can’t simply do something for only 3 days, or 10, and expect it to “stick”. And the effort required to create a new habit is well worth it! But I think there are too many factors to pin it down to a specific number of days for all habits and all people.
Do you have unfinishe
d household projects lying around? I can tell what my clients’ projects are at a glance – there are light bulbs that need changing; clothing that needs repairing; pictures that need to be framed and hung; and gifts that need to be wrapped. They are sitting out on the counters, tables, and floors, all waiting to be done. But they aren’t getting done. Why not?
Do you hate making resolutions?
Do they seem like a colossal waste of time because you figure you will probably just give up on them after a few days or weeks? Well, you’re not alone, and you’re probably right…that is, if you only make them impulsively after a few drinks on New Year’s Eve!
I don’t normally make New Year’s resolutions, per se, much less advertise them. This one came from being hard on myself right out of the 2018 gate for goals I already felt behind on in the new year.
One of the several things I had not done yet, that I had planned to do, was to send New Year’s cards. It’s not too late to do it, but meanwhile I’ve realized a few things:
Once upon a time I was taught the Transcendental Meditation technique. It’s a mantra-based meditation that is done for 20 minutes twice a day, but that is not my point. The thing about the training that keeps coming back to me is this frequent admonishment:
If you are too busy to meditate, then you are too busy.
As a time management consultant I now believe this concept can be applied to ANY activity in life that is important to you:
If you are too busy to _________, then you are too busy.
I love helping my clients spend more of their time doing what they want to, and less of it doing what they have to!
I give them lots of time tips (well, I actually coach them through a whole customized program), such as:
Have you ever procrastinated doing something because you were afraid it might take a long time, or lead to even more work, or make your brain hurt? And then, when you finally did it, it was easier and faster than you thought it would be, and you wondered, “Why didn’t I do that sooner?”
I just read Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (affectionately known as GTD by legions of followers), by David Allen. No, I hadn’t read it before, although I had certainly heard about it and seen his flow chart. When clients ask me what I think of it I say, “Um… it’s very popular…and it’s compatible with what I am going to teach you.” And then I hope I’m right. (more…)
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