Wednesday 6th October

DONE BY 11:45AM
Visit office and locate tax package
Meet Sara for breakfast
9am appt with Lenore the Tax Preparer
Visit SS office to locate 1995 income

DONE BY 1:36PM
Expireds into mail
Redo TTD list and schedule
Clean out briefcase
Phoned Siranoush to do bookkeeping on Sat AM

DONE BY 2:32PM
Draft letter to IRS
Call Lenore re letter

TO DO:
Bank
Crocodile cafe stopby
Certified mailing IRS letter
12nn Workout, groom, dress, return to office

Expired printout handled & off desk

Park Towers Mailing
Arrange passport
Prepare Passport application mailing
money orders
Post Office - Mailing,Passport

Fix Itech again!
Work expireds saturday thru today
Handle Actives
Call NOTS's
Call NOD's

Arrange task buddy

My very first day here. So, crappy, slow morning. But there is still the afternoon:

Fill one tractor bucket with manure

Clean under the kitchen sink

review technical bulletin

pay professional fee.

Happy Wednesday!  I took a day of vacation yesterday to baby sit the grandkids while my d-i-l studied for a major test.   It was fun but it was also a long day.  That's the first time I've ever kept both of them at the same time.   They are adorable but a handful.   It's better now that the youngest one is out of infant stage but gee whiz, I don't know how she does it every day and goes to school too.  

Anyway, working from home today, and feeling very stressed and overwhelmed.   Breathe and think of the hourglass . . .no matter how many grains of sand are piling up on the top, only one grain can go through the passage at a time.   Prioritze the grains of sand, then focus on one at a time. 

Jo

'You become what you think about most of the time.' - Brian Tracy

Feeling a bit of 'productivity hangover' from the fast paced pitch of the last few days. Physically feeling a bit off as well. I've let it derail me this morning until now, but I am determined that I can overcome discomforts and still work towards goals.

Need to implement microplanning/microworking to get myself going as well as going to chat box... These two things really do help me when I feel stuck. I'm glad I have gained the wisdom now to seek them out rather than abandoning the day completely.

-process projects and add to lists

- put personal lists and projects in tool

-evaluate notes for nas

-put dates on calendar

thank you all for being here.

Good morning,

Reading today brought up 3 quotes/thoughts:

1.  What Are Your Priorities?

Priorities are important, learning how to focus our energies. This is one of the powers we need to acquire. 

I tend to focus on "work" or "productivity" priorities. But what about the priority of loving yourself?

When I thought and read about "priorities" today - I set a couple and wanted to set some "deadlines" for myself for the day. That made me think about deadlines. 

2.  Deadlines.

I have had a love-hate relationship with deadlines. They are part of my work and they help move things along but my procrastination shows in them as I've pulled all nighters to make them.

In the past, when I thought of a deadline - it was not positive.

What if I think of deadlines (especially the early deadlines before real deadlines or deadlines for decisions and resolving problems) - as helping me establish a time frame to help myself not feel so helpless and to help bring a solution into focus?

Setting deadlines can free my energy to resolve the task, problem or issue or go where I can and let the Universe or HP move toward a solution on the issue. For me, realistic deadlines are important and that is part of taking care of myself and loving myself.  

Deadlines are primarily a tool to help myself. Deadlines need to be reasonable and appropriate to each individual situation. Deadlines can help me detach and move forward.

This morning I thought of 2 appointments and 4 priorities/deadlines - I wanted to add more but my friend pointed out "that's enough." Before I set unrealistic "to do" or "deadline" lists for the day - let me finish this one and add one task at a time.

Perhaps the way to build my confidence is to set more realistic deadline/to do lists and if I get those done - feel good about it. Yesterday's list was realistic but I didn't feel good about it. I want to be more productive but setting long daily "to do" lists that don't get done doesn't build confidence.

3.  Taking Care of Ourselves.

My assigned reading today was on this topic. One reason I got so behind in a number of areas was that I took care of so many other people and organizations that I wasn't taking care of myself. I took on 4 positions in volunteer organizations that were huge responsibilities involving hundreds of hours (when I was struggling to meet all my own deadlines). I let one board position term without signing up again - even thought it is considered "prestigious." This is progress for me but I have a way to go.

Yesterday, I resolved one large task that I had taken on as a "favor" to someone else even though it involved at least 50 hours and cost me quite a bit of money. I have now completed this and I still have anxiety about it since I cannot believe I agreed to do this. I have another matter that is also a "favor" to the person.

I have one executive board meeting this morning at 8 am and this will be the last year I am on this board.

Now the issue for me is am I engaging in "caretaking". I did these favors and even some of the board positions because "no one else would do it" and I had to come to the rescue. Perhaps there's a reason everyone else said "no." These are all causes I believe in. But does it make sense for me to say "yes" when I am putting off some important tasks in my own life and don't have time for them?

"It's healthy, wise and loving to be considerate and responsible to the needs and feelings of others. That's different from caretaking. Caretaking is a self-defeating and relationship defeating behavior. Some people invite caretaking. We can learn to refuse the invitation. We can be concerned; we can be loving, when possible; but we can place value on our own needs and feelings too.  Part of recovery means learning to pay attention to, and place importance on, what we feel, want, and need, because we begin to see that there are clear, predictable, and usually undesirable consequences when we don't."

"Be patient and gently with yourself as you learn t odo this. Be understanding with yourself when you slip back into the old behavior of emotional caretaking and self-neglect. But stop the cycle today. We do  not have to feel responsible for others. We do not hve to feel guilty about not feeling responsible for others. We can even learn to let ourselves feel good about taking responsibility for our needs and feelings."

"Today, i will evaluate whether I've slipped into my old behavior of taking responsibility for another's feelings and needs, while neglecting my own. I will own my power, right, and responsibility to place value on myself."

Today:

1.  Check in - Showing up - Done

2.  Check calendar for today and week (& rest of month) - Done  

3.  Plan to plan - Done

4.  Gratitude - (and added actual gratitude prayers that felt powerful to say out loud) - Done

Have a great day. It's rainy here in L.A. (which is great but for snarled traffic but I can drive in after a meeting).  

tracy-la