Self-discipline

Unproductive perseverance

Posted by HorrieM

Productivity has been high.

You’ve been on fire all day.

There is a trail of done tasks left in your wake.

Now the energy is waning.

You’re running on empty.

Sure, you can keep going.

Becoming increasing unproductive the longer you persist.

Persevering past the point of diminishing returns.

You can grind out the next task.

Or you can rest and recover.

Do what works for you to recharge.

Returning to productively tackle that task.

You know when you’ve persevered too long.

The trick is to stop and recharge before you get there.

 

“Focus on being productive instead of being busy.” – Tim Ferriss

“We take better care of our smartphone than ourselves. We know when the battery is depleted and recharge it.” – Arianna Huffington

 

Restoring the peak

Posted by HorrieM

Peak performance is just that.

It’s a peak.

Correspondingly, there are troughs.

You cannot always be “on”, all the time.

Periods of “off” are required as well.

To accelerate and then take your foot of the gas.

To ebb and to flow.

To soak it up and then let it out.

To rest and restore.

Ready to peak again.

 

“Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves.” — Nhat Hanh

“In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.” — Dalai Lama

 

Moving too fast?

Posted by HorrieM

Whoa … nearly missed it.

Just made that.

Nearly forgot the important thing.

It’s all happening too fast.

Getting out of control.

Okay … time to pause.

Slow things down.

Regroup.

Recover.

Reprioritise.

And then go again.

 

“Have you ever been too busy driving to stop for gas?” – Stephen R. Covey

“The cure for moving too fast is just to slow down.” – William E. Coles Jr.

“Procrastination isn’t the problem. It’s the solution. It’s the universe’s way of saying stop, slow down, you move too fast.” – Ellen DeGeneres

 

Logging out

Posted by HorrieM

It’s okay to log out.

To take a break.

From the socials and apps.

From doomscrolling.

To stop watching or listening to the media.

With all the associated advertising.

Cease the negativity.

The unsolicited input.

Take a time out.

Reduce the screen time.

Turn it off.

Unfollow.

Unsubscribe.

You can log in again at any time.

You have the power to choose what you let in.

You always have.

Be purposeful.

Be intentional.

Okay, ready to log back in now.

 

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” – Ram Dass

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott

 

The body you have

Posted by HorrieM

The body is amazing.

Appreciate what your body can do for you.

Appreciate what is required to nurture it.

Listen to your body.

Pay attention to what it is telling you.

Look after the body you have.

It enables you to do amazing things.

Until it doesn’t.

 

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

“Honor the physical temple that houses you by eating healthfully, exercising, listening to your body’s needs and treating it with dignity and love.” – Wayne W. Dyer

 

Ah … Procrastination

Posted by HorrieM

Ah … Procrastination, my ol’ companion.

“Can I stay?”

I rather you didn’t.

“You know you like having me around.”

Not really, you just creep in and find ways to stay.

“I wouldn’t be here unless you invited me.”

I need to be doing something else.

“It’s probably really important, isn’t it?”

Yes, so perhaps another time.

“Yeah but look at this over here!”

That’s not helping me.

“It’ll take your mind off doing that other thing.”

Okay, where did the time go?

“You’ve spent some quality time with me.”

Right, you need to go.

“Can’t I stay a little longer.”

No, that really is enough!

“I’ll be back though.”

Yes, it seems you inevitably will.

 

“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.” – Christopher Parker

“Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage.” – Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby

“A day can really slip by when you’re deliberately avoiding what you’re supposed to do.” – Bill Watterson, the author and artist of Calvin and Hobbes.

The odds of doing the right thing

Posted by HorrieM

You did the right thing and it turned out badly.

Now what?

Do you stop doing the right thing?

That doesn’t help anyone.

Keep doing the right thing.

The odds are now more in your favour.

 

“Better to fail at doing the right thing than to succeed at doing the wrong thing.” – Guy Kawasaki

“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

 

What direction are you working on?

Posted by HorrieM

What are you working on?

Simple question.

So many possible responses.

So many directions.

What are you building?

What are you creating?

What are you developing?

What are you upgrading?

What are you designing?

What are you redesigning?

What are you improving?

What are you manufacturing?

What are you initiating?

What are you tweaking?

What are you producing?

What are you conceiving?

What are you preparing?

What are you launching?

What are you organising?

What are you making?

What would you like to be working on?

Pick a direction.

 

“You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen

“While we don’t always get what we want, we always get what we choose.” – John C. Maxwell

 

Dealing with the stuff that happens

Posted by HorrieM

You can be one of those people.

The ones that say, “this stuff always happens to me!”.

And then that stuff happens to them repeatedly.

Or you can be one of those people.

The ones that simply deal with the stuff that comes along.

And makes the best of it.

Same stuff.

Different outlook.

It’s actually a choice.

 

“It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye

 

Until it becomes all the time

Posted by HorrieM

You start something new.

First time.

A new habit.

Second time.

A new behaviour.

Five times.

Great!

Six times.

Now, keep going.

Ten times.

Keep building competence.

Twenty times.

And confidence.

Thirty times.

Until the new becomes ingrained.

Many times.

It is simply what you do.

All the time.

 

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” – Aristotle

“For a habit to stay changed, people must believe change is possible.” – Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change