Is it Planning – or Procrastination?

 

“Life is too short to waste. Dreams are fulfilled only through action, not through endless planning to take action.”  ~ David J. Schwartz, Trainer and Author

“Transformation isn’t a future event, it’s a present activity.” ~ Jillian Michaels, Fitness Guru, Author of “Unlimited”

“Planning is nothing but procrastination in disguise… Failure doesn’t come from poor planning – it comes from the timidity to proceed.” ~ Scott Ginsberg, “The Nametag Guy”

 

These are just a few quotes I reread daily to get my head in check. I am THEE Queen of lists and planning to a fault, I now realize. Overplanning, procrastination, over-responsible, not finishing projects: these are all traits of ACOA’s (Adult Children of Alcoholics) yet I struggle with denial. Anyone else do this?

Once I push past the “preparation” that pulls on every. fiber. in. my. being, I actually get a lot of real work done. For me, this means writing new or revised scenes for my LAKE-RESORT Novel. This Sunday, I sat on my patio in the gorgeous fall weather and wrote long-hand 8 notebook pages of  a pretty tense scene between my teenage protag and her estranged mother. The key for me? Don’t over think it and don’t work on the computer (the internet is called the Web for a reason!)

How will you push past the planning and onto productivity today? Share your tips and tricks!

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Part 2 in the 3-part series to Stop the Chaos

Have you completed your Top 5 Priorities for Life? Heavy stuff, right? Good! It should be! Now, armed with our Top 5 Priorities list, let’s set some measurable, realistic goals that will help us achieve that dream lifestyle. Remember, these goals must align with our Priorities, otherwise we may end up with 10 ways to make more money, but forget that we also wanted to build intimacy in our relationships or learn to laugh at ourselves.

State your Priority

Let’s take an easy one from my list yesterday, which happens to be my #1 priority:

Reach and maintain a healthy size 4, while toning and defining all-over.

Find Your “Why”

Why is this priority important to me? Because losing weight, toning up and gaining energy will help me achieve the long-term goals I have and give me the added confidence I need to make some big life changes.

Your WHY is very important – it would benefit you to Write. This. Down. And refer to it often.

Make it Measurable

Well, it’s nice to have a goal weight – but I need to give it a deadline. A reasonable weight loss is about 2lbs per week. So, let’s say I want to lose 10 lbs by Aug 7 and fit a size 6. That would be my goal, it states the “what”  and the “by when.”

Now I need 9 more that align with my *Priorities.

Drop and give me 10!

Currently, these are my Top 10 Goals (NOTE: These will be reviewed and renewed every 4 weeks, so don’t stress about what to include on your list):

1. By August 7, I want to have lost 10 lbs and be a size 6. {Life Priority #1}
2. Earn $______ by Feb 28, 2012 through teaching writing workshops. {Life Priority #3}
3. Earn $_______by April 1, 2012 through teacher workshops and speaking engagements. {Life Priority #3}
4. Have Half Moon Bay Resort novel ready to query to agents by January 1, 2012. {Life Priority #3}
5. By November 1, have our bedroom de-cluttered, repainted and my office area streamlined to promote focus and creativity. {Life Priority #2}
6. Save $____ per month, so we can take a family beach vacation in December. {Life Priority #5}
7. Stay true to my weekly planning and prepping nutrition. {Life Priority #1}
8. Train to walk in the JDRF 5k on Oct 2, 2011. {Life Priority #4}
9. By July 15, have hall and front closets cleaned out and repurposed. {Life Priority #2}
10. By August 1, have the boys’ bedroom de-cluttered and organized into “zones” they can maintain to simplify their space and promote creativity and peace. {Life Priority #2}

I’m curious to see what you guys have on your Top 10 List of Goals – and your Top 5 Priorities. Please share with us!

*What happens when something on your Priority list is so far-off, you don’t know where to begin to reach it? Come back tomorrow when we’ll  talk about all the baby steps that lead up to the Big Goals. It’s the Motherlode List…

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Commit to 3

I started this weekly series a few months back, with the intention of motivating myself and others. The purpose was to have that One Big Goal in mind and chip away at all the necessary steps in reaching that Goal, while maintaining the other “necessities of life.”  Commit to 3, i.e. baby steps.

Well, I’ve been slacking in the commitment department, at least in the posting and focusing of those commitments.  I apologize if I let my readers down.  Going forward, my promise to you (and myself) is to post my Top 3 Commitments each Monday. You can help me, by posting your goals, too. And if you don’t see the “Commit to 3”  post every Monday(by dinner time), I give you permission to email me and ask “What’s up, Mary Jo? What are you committing to this week?!” mjcwriter”at”comcast”dot”com

So, from my list, I’m going to choose only 3 items that MUST be completed this week. I challenge you to do the same! Oh, and don’t forget your “Salary.”  

*BONUS CHALLENGE: Make 2 of the 3  goals for YOU only(not your kids, spouse, friends, etc.)

This week I commit to 3:

1. Bake cookies for teachers of KidsClub (deliver Wednesday)
2. Complete Exercises from Ch 1 of Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress (use as Reader Wednesdays post in the future.)
3. Phone call with (possible) new personal trainer – learn about her plan and rates – make decision (excited, scared!)

Salary:  2 hrs of uninterrupted reading time on Sunday (to catch up on FREE ebooks & workbooks  by Jonathon Mead)

As you’re creating your Commit to 3 list, keep this in mind:

“One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.”

Earl Nightingale
1921-1989, Author and Speaker

So, how are you pushing yourself towards your goals? Make your list, commit to it, post it in the comments so we can keep each other accountable! Go!

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Commit to 3: Do-Over!

Setting Goals is step one. Completing those goals is step two. But what happens if you never make it to step two? Chuck your plans out the window? Weep into a bowl of cookie dough ice cream? Pull your blinds down, unplug your phone/internet and become a mole?

No, you get back up, set new goals or trace back your steps –  how did you veer off course? Was it someone or some event that sideswiped your plans? Perhaps that someone was you.

Well, last week, that someone was me. I had a crazy-busy week of overtime at the office, shopping, cooking, blogging, emailing and yes, Tweeting on Twitter. But I’m not going postal and I’m not burying myself in a bowl of ice cream or darkness. I know I was in a sour mood most of last week, too overwhelmed and distracted, then full of excuses on why I couldn’t or didn’t get any of my 3 goals completed.

It’s OK. The world didn’t spin off its orbit (surprisingly!) and no kids or animals were hurt in the wake of my foul attitude.

I declare a Do-Over!

This week:

1. Follow up on guest blog opportunity for my local news paper : )
2. Email my students asking for fiction/poetry/essay submissions
3. Revise Ch 1 and send to my crit partners
4. Get up and do Ripped in 30 DVD every morning: Mon-Fri

Salary:  buy a pretty hanging plant for my patio

Got goals? Share them with us. If you write them down, you’re that much closer to accompishing them!

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Go ahead and Jump!

“To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can.”

Og Mandino, 1923-1996, Author and Speaker

 

{photo coutesy of SparrowsFlame}

We all face fear, especially as artists. There is the doubt whether we are really “that good.” There is the evil little whisper of our inner critic that makes us pause long enough to forgo a unique idea. Or that good ‘ol “common sense” who has a list of excuses at the ready.

Today, my goal of moving out of the cubicle world and into a world of full time writing and teaching young writers is being stumped. How can I commit to teaching an on-going after-school young writers’ workshop in my community if I realistically don’t get home from work until almost dinner time? Are parents and students going to want to come back to school in the evening for this program, rather than a short walk to another class when the last bell rings at 3pm? Can I adjust my day job hours, again? Is that completely irrational, given today’s job market, to possibly jeopardize my steady income?

When faced with the unknown, we paralyze ourselves.  I know I do. I over think, over analyze. Then, you know what happens? Somebody else who has the same idea takes that jump – and makes it.  And I can kick myself.

So, I will muster up the courage and take the next step. Maybe not a full “leaping in with both feet,” but I will make the call, set the appointment and map out my plan with the school. Who knows? It may all work out.

What is stopping you from taking the jump?

A Mom Moment

(photo courtesy of http://www.gettyimages.com/.../Digital-Vision)

David missed school most of this week due to  sore throat, body aches and a low grade fever. With the swine flu scare, we kept him home and visited the doctor. All is well, I’m happy to say and we are not one of those pandemic statistics.

Isn’t that part of a mom’s repertoire? Playing nurse/doctor, among other things. When a child is sick, the whole family slows down, the schedule is interrupted and your writing is… yeah right!

Feeling relieved that everyone is happy and healthy again, I was also overwhelmed with everything I didn’t get done this week.

I was emptying the ream of papers David brought home after being out for days and found with his poetry instruction packet (from April’s Poetry Month) a little handmade booklet.  Crayon drawn images, stapled with David’s own poetry written inside and on the front flap was  “This book is dedicated to: my mom because she inspires me to write.”

He’s 10.  Enough said.

Happy Mother’s Day to all! Enjoy your children, the smiles they bring you, the memories which fill you and the inner glow and warmth from being called “Mom”

“There ain’t no free lunches in this country…”

“…And don’t go spending your whole life commiserating that you got the raw deals. You’ve got to say, ‘I think that if I keep working at this and want it bad enough I can have it.’ It’s called perseverance.”

Lee Iacocca, Businessman and Former CEO of Chrysler

Love this quote. I think we all have our moments of the “life’s unfair” attitude. But seriously, how would we know our true passions if we didn’t hit a bump or two (or ten) on our way to success?

Perseverance is the path that we must take to develop and live our true passion.

What struggles or speed bumps are hindering your writing goals today (this week, this month)?

I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed in my day job as an Executive Assistant to the Regional V.P. This drags me down, body and mind, for any creative work I had planned for the evening.

I’ve also been procrastinating tedious technical work I need to get done to move forward with my young writers’ summer studio plans for June. And I’ve been putting off a rewrite of an article that should have been finished by now.

Distractions in the form of Facebook, Twitter, Blog surfing & commenting keep me from moving towards my goals, as well. These social medias are excellent tools, when used correctly and in moderation, so as not to take up all of your “working” time.

Perseverance rounds her head again when I sit in my day job cubicle, or in traffic going to or from said job. I know I can’t get different results from doing the same thing. Perseverance is what will blast through those bumps of distraction, overwhelming feelings and procrastination. The innate desire to write and teach full time as a way of replacing my current income  – that big carrot dangling in front of my nose is what will get me through one more day, week or month. To success. To my goal.

But dreaming and wishing and musing is all a bunch of fluff if there is no action behind it.

I learned the other night that just by speaking about my goals of teaching and the local organizations and schools I plan to contact lit a fire under my ass. Talk about it!

I have decided to open my MS Word doc’s ONLY when rewriting or crafting a rough draft of an article. Email and the internet as a whole is too tempting for me if opened in a tab at my bottom toolbar. Set up blinders to focus and blast away distractions!

The technical issue I’m having that is holding back my next steps for my young writers studio is the time to figure out adding a Paypal button to my writelikeCRAZY blog for easier payment of tuitions.My husband, with his knowledge of all things techy, said to ask if I needed help. Well, I asked, I delegated. Get more info to get past the procrastination (or delegate a task you don’t want to do!)

Please share your bumps and how you’ll use perseverance to get over or around them!

Guilty Little Pleasures

I just submitted an essay on this topic because, let’s face it, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Or Jane. Whatever, you get the idea.

If we didn’t have our sweet little indulgences, we’d become dull and so would our writing.

My indulgences, or guilty little pleasures? Usually have nothing to do with writing, but have everything to do with resting. Yes, resting, remember how to do that?

I indulge by (no snickering!):

Riding past my house and around the block if a good song is on my car stereo

Facebook and Twitter – of course!

Reading Cosmo

Watching What Not to Wear and when it’s their season: Sunset Tan (completely mindless and silly)

Browsing shoes on-line (can I get a whoo-yeah?!)

Going back to bed after giving the kids their breakfast on Saturday morning ; )

Buying dark and funky colors of nail polish

Reading book reviews on Amazon, then trying to find or order them through my library

Gourmet coffee

Joke emails

Finding new ways to embarrass my 10-year-old

How do you Indulge?

“Perhaps the most valuable result…”

“…of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.”

Thomas Huxley ,  1825-1895, Biologist and Educator

Raise your hand if there’s something (or many things!) on your to-do list that you’ve been procrastinating. *lowered eyes, sheepish smile*

I’ve had many things I’ve been putting off for varying reasons (returning a phone call or email; making a Dr’s appointment; planning another birthday party – this time for my oldest son.)

The trouble grows when our writer’s to-do list melts with our daily to-do list (as a parent, spouse, employee, friend, volunteer, etc.) The lack of time, money, energy and focus is much more apparent making those things that once seemed important now just  a dull nagging ache in the back of our minds. The remedy? Get them done and crossed off of our list altogether.

Last week, I settled myself into a booth at Panera Bread with a half order of their Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and a notepad.

1. I wrote out long-hand every writing project and deadline I could think of that I had been putting off. I had two full sheets (legal pad size) filled with reminders, projects and ideas to complete.
2. Then I took out my red pen and starred the ones that needed to be done that week, because I had already committed to their deadlines.
3. I then prioritized the starred items by day and wrote 3-4 tasks on each day of the week in my Lotus Notes calendar. Having smaller manageable lists gives me hope and energy. I can also see if I’ve allotted enough time for each task.
4. As I whittle my daily tasks away, my mind is clear from overload, because I know my never ending list is written down, each task waiting for their assigned day or week, so I can Let It Go.

So, what can you write down and cross off of your list of procrastinating projects?

Facebook for writing prompts

I’m Mary Jo Campbell, and I am a Facebookaholic.

Anyone else relate?  It first started as a way to view pics from a grade school friend who moved to LA and wouldn’t be at our reunion back in October. Well, unbeknowst to me, you need to create your own profile before you can “friend” someone, and then they need to “accept” your friend request before you can view their profile and their pictures.  So, after my friend Nicole from grade school, I begin by looking up my brothers and sister, then my sisters-in-law, then my co-workers, my cousins, my former co-workers, writing buddies, and so on.  Now I speak in the 3rd person even when I’m not updating my profile. (If you’re a facebooker, you get it.)

As one to never let a bad habit or addiction go to waste, I think Facebook offers plenty of writing prompts:

1. Unusual flair on someone’s page can certainly give you a story idea or two (or at least a silly greeting card verse!)
2. News that friends of friends post can alert you to the local happenings of their neighborhood – possibly giving you to a new angle on an old topic?
3. Names and faces from your past could definitely conjure up an essay idea or two.
4. Posting as your alter-ego is good practice for getting into your fictional characters’ minds…

What else can Facebook do you for you?