Wednesday 3 November 2010

I had what I often hear described as an "abundant" day yesterday:

• finally finished the last of five large deliverables for new client (#2);
• as feedback, client #2 has extended opportunity for 3 months contract work that will go a good way toward righting my family's finances;
• followed my program as well as I ever have on a given day, and thus I did the right things, made good choices, and was rewarded more than once with unexpected information and solutions.

Today, however, I've pretty much dithered away for 6 hours. Nap; lots of twitter/facebook; lots of sulking over election results; no work and no exercise.

When I finish a big project as I did yesterday, I almost never transition to the next thing without falling into this hole. I need to apply Step 1 here: This is something I cannot do in isolation.

I also have two fears on my mind, and my favorite way to deal with fear is to duck — to avoid pressing realities.

First is, my wife and I were IM'ing last night (she's away at a conference), and when we got around (as we inevitably do) to her interrogating me about work and wondering what I've been doing with my time, I admitted to her that I'd lied to her about finishing the Big Project on 10.30 and that in truth I finished it yesterday, 11.2. She did not reply, and signed off. She comes home this evening and I'm scared she will ask me to leave, to move out.

Second is, client #2 hasn't responded to the specific terms I proposed yesterday evening, and I'm scared I've offended him and he's reconsidering the 3-month deal. (And, I booked expensive flight/hotel to New York last night — scared invitation will be revoked and I'll be poor again and stuck with cancellation fees.)

In both cases I'm just projecting wildly. Big Book has the answer: "God, please direct my thinking as I consider the day ahead and discover the next right actions. I ask especially that you clear my mind of self-pity and self-seeking, dishonest, or fear-driven motives. What is your will for me? How am I to be useful?" (paraphrase of p. 86)

Today's list:

WORK
- client #1: daily reports 10/28-11/2 (catch-up)
- client #1: prototype of by-topic analytics
- client #1: invoice

PERSONAL
- kids, errands, dinner
- talk to my wife (told her about my lie, but we haven't discussed it past my coming clean)

RECOVERY
- Keep coming back to the Now to ask, How can I be of service
- stay in chatbox while working
- post daily to-dos
- morning prayer
- meditation
- call 1
- call 2
- call 3
- exercise
- 12step phone meeting?
- half hour stepwork
- readings

A bit late checking in eh?   I had a dr. appt this morning - a bone density scan.   I've been home since eleven but I made myself some brunch and goofed off a little bit before getting to work.   It is a another dreary day here which makes me feel depressed.   I'll work in the chat box today since I'm working from home.   Have a productive and enjoyable day today!  

Jo 

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

Good morning,

 Super busy day - 5 meetings plus all the tasks to get done. Am working on a more physical to do list where I can pick up time and feel it. Seeing my meetings on post-it notes on my daily list is more real that a printout on outlook for some reason.  I am only keeping 3 things in my NOW list and only 3 things in my VERY SOON list. Lots of things in parking. 

My basics:

1. check in - show up - Done

2. Reading - Done

3. Check calendar - Done / Plan to Plan - Done

(I call it plan to plan since things change and taking the 5 to 15 min to look at my day and plan helps me a lot)

4. Gratitudes / Affirmation - Done

5. Daily billing goal / Inbox -

6. Exercise -

Have a great day,   

tracy-la

Excerpt from article from today's Wall Street Journal:

Another recent study (for many procrastination is rooted in impatience) by professors at Columbia, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, shows that procrastinators may in fact be more driven than those who don't put off tasks.

Link to study is: http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/ideasatwork/feature/729391/Can%26%238217%3Bt+Wait+to+Procrastinate# 

"The truth is that both me and my co-authors are terrible procrastinators," said Ernesto Reuben, the Columbia professor who led the research.

In the study, which was published in April, 550 participants were given the choice between receiving a sum of money immediately or a slightly larger sum in two weeks. Those who chose the money up front took much longer to actually cash the check.

In other words, those most anxious to succeed, were more likely to be lackadaisical.

The average participant waited 3.7 weeks to cash the check, while 6% never even made it to the bank at all.

"It shows that if you are impatient and you want things now, you're also more likely to procrastinate," Reuben said.

Theresearchers found that procrastinators come in two varieties: 'sophisticated' – those who know that they have a problem – and 'naïve' –those who don't (and those who deceive themselves into believing that they don't).

The naïve procrastinators waited for the bigger check and waited to cash it.

Reubensaid that managers need to realize that procrastination is a problem across the board, not just in the lazy or unconfident; in fact, some of the most productive workers likely struggle with it. He recommends that executives break projects into a series of small deadlines.

Reuben and his colleagues hope to do a study on whether procrastinators are, infact, better employees. Of course, they are going to put it off for a few years, while the participants make their way in the working world. 

The Takeaway
Don't feel bad if you have a tendency to put off work; it happens to the best of us. Just remember to set up a series of small deadlines -- it should make things more manageable.

Went to bed very early to 'recharge' my emotional batteries last night. Still feeling a little groggy, though.  Will stay focused today by doing microplanning/microburst/assess technique with 30 min cycles.

Here's list of tasks for today:

- call about ins. (first must draft questions/concerns)
- bookkeeping tasks
- draft tm stuff and email
- draft 3 cards for review

I think that this will be enough for this morning.

“I believe that any man's life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement, if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day, and as nearly as possible reaching the high water mark of pure and useful living.”  Booker T. Washington quotes (American educator and reformer, first developer of Tuskegee Normal 1856-1915)

TO DO
~~~~~~~~~~~~ //=Done ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
make french toast 5:26AM //
eat //
chore V //
finish chores //
clear & organize shelf
sleep
Zzzzzzzzzz
coffee
shower
MIT's

Show up (done)

Ask God to direct my  thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity , dishonest or self-seeking motives.

Read an interesting article: Do We Really Want Perfect Law Enforcement? by Daniel Solove

“Consider what happened in 2000, when the Hawaii transportation department began using cameras mounted on vans to catch speeders. Tickets were issued for all drivers exceeding the speed limit by six miles per hour. The program resulted in an enormous public outcry. As one journalist observed, “it became possibly the most hated public policy initiative in Hawaii history, almost uniformly disliked, even by those who thought it actually worked.”

In 2002, the program was cancelled. Where the cameras were used, traffic accidents and fatalities were down significantly. So why was there such a public outcry against the program?

My hypothesis is that the outrage stemmed from the impersonality of the system as well as its profound efficiency. The system was exercised to enforce rules that many people frequently violated. The automated and perfected enforcement of the law, even a law generally viewed as justified and important, was experienced as overly oppressive. People were too tightly controlled, which created a sense of excessive state paternalism that led to rebellion and resentment.

I concur with this hypothesis, it was something that really blocked my recovery because I came in as a compulsive perfectionist, I always feel like a failure when I think of perfection as anything more than something to strive for on a daily basis, and it was the progress that made me successful. Thanks for being here.