At the beginning of this year, I have some goals I want to accomplish. I've not been very good about making things happen in previous years. I read about an idea I decided to try. Decide what you can do each day in order to make your goals happen and do a little each day. I've also found that if I have too many goals, I tend not to do any of them. If I keep to a few, it becomes much more doable. Five major goals seems to be about my limit.
Here's my big ones:
1. Improve my spiritual life. For now, doing devotions every day will make this happen.
2. Improve my health and get down to a healthy weight. I am making sure I do a little exercise every day to make this happen.
3. Become more successful. I am reading a book about success a little every day.
4. Develop an additional source of income. I am doing a little every day to build up other income sources.
So on every day on my calendar I write at the beginning of the week: D E R I
short for Devotions, Exercise, Reading, and Income and place a checkmark next to each one as I do it. I have not managed to do every one of these every day since I started, but I have been doing them on average 5 days a week, which is a HUGE improvement over previous years.
I ask anyone who reads this try this idea with their own goals and let me know what happens.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Achieve your dreams by underachieving
Yesterday I was reading and ran into a new twist on goal setting and achieving anything you want out of life: UNDERACHIEVE!
You heard that right, live your dreams and make huge goals happen by underachieving. Let me explain with an example. Let's say one of your goals is to be healthy & energetic (who doesn't want that???) The average person would go about it like this - especially at New Year's Resolution time:
Goal: become healthy and energetic.
How to achieve it: eat only bran flakes and wheat grass in the morning, an apple for lunch, and a salad and 4 ounces of chicken or fish for supper and work out 2 hours a day for 6 days a week.
What happens with this? Your second wheat grass and bran flake breakfast or the first night your friends want to go out to see a movie with you after work, you missed your goal, your plan is shot, and it is back to life as usual.
Here's the underachiever way:
Goal: become healthy and energetic
How to achieve it: work out 10 minutes 3 times a week. Eat 1 serving of vegetables a day.
Chances are much, much better you can hit those goals, feel good about yourself and most likely hit some bigger and better goals (I worked out 10 minutes! Why not go nuts and shoot for 20??)
Instead of setting big crazy goals and try to go from not doing anything to move toward your goals to doing everything you possibly can, set little goals and take it one baby step at a time. Be consistent, move toward achieving your goals, and it can happen!
This idea came from a slightly unexpected source: Robert Kiyosaki's book Cashflow Quadrant. This little gem of advice was crammed in there with financial advice along with how and why you'd want to be a business owner or investor. He gives credit to Raymond Aaron talk called "Goals: Crossing the Goal Line" for the idea.
You heard that right, live your dreams and make huge goals happen by underachieving. Let me explain with an example. Let's say one of your goals is to be healthy & energetic (who doesn't want that???) The average person would go about it like this - especially at New Year's Resolution time:
Goal: become healthy and energetic.
How to achieve it: eat only bran flakes and wheat grass in the morning, an apple for lunch, and a salad and 4 ounces of chicken or fish for supper and work out 2 hours a day for 6 days a week.
What happens with this? Your second wheat grass and bran flake breakfast or the first night your friends want to go out to see a movie with you after work, you missed your goal, your plan is shot, and it is back to life as usual.
Here's the underachiever way:
Goal: become healthy and energetic
How to achieve it: work out 10 minutes 3 times a week. Eat 1 serving of vegetables a day.
Chances are much, much better you can hit those goals, feel good about yourself and most likely hit some bigger and better goals (I worked out 10 minutes! Why not go nuts and shoot for 20??)
Instead of setting big crazy goals and try to go from not doing anything to move toward your goals to doing everything you possibly can, set little goals and take it one baby step at a time. Be consistent, move toward achieving your goals, and it can happen!
This idea came from a slightly unexpected source: Robert Kiyosaki's book Cashflow Quadrant. This little gem of advice was crammed in there with financial advice along with how and why you'd want to be a business owner or investor. He gives credit to Raymond Aaron talk called "Goals: Crossing the Goal Line" for the idea.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
My current planner setup Feb 2008
I've been asked about my planner setup, so here goes. I found myself messing around with the calendar part of my planner too much and decided to replace a 1 inch Circa Junior size notebook with a 3/4 inch notebook and a "large" 5x8" Moleskine weekly + notes calendar.
I'm still using the Dayrunner binder I purchased off ebay for $15 early in 2007. The front pocket is handy for storing a flash drive and a fountain pen that I like but doesn't quite fit in the pen loop.
I switched out the Levenger discs with clear & blue Rollabind rings. The front pocket works great for business cards, papers folded in half, and Post-It Durable Tabs to divide major sections.
I still have the tabs set up in a way fairly similar to what David Allen recommends with a couple minor changes. Of course the big one is my calendar is a different notebook from the rest of my planner. This allowed the front section of my notebook to become notes instead of a calendar. I also don't have a regular tab for my address book. I have a pocket divider after the "Someday" tab and then I have my address book after that. One tab I did add: Goals. I have some things I want to do that are too big for me to consider projects but break down into different projects. One example would be "Be Healthy" which breaks down into get down to a healthy weight, exercise often enough, etc.
Here's the big change in my planning system. This is a standard large 5x8" Moleskine Weekly + Notes calendar. Calendar on the left for stuff that has to happen at a certain time. Stuff that needs to be done on the top right page, and a lined Super Sticky post-it with my Goals for the month on the bottom right.
I just use regular Rollabind refill pages for notes with a Levenger pagefinder to mark my current spot.
I keep two writing instruments in my pen loops. Unfortunately the pen loops are small so I had a very limited selection to work with. I ended up with a Hero pen from isellpens.com and a mechanical pencil - a Pentel P205.
I'm still using the Circa-magine notebook cover as my cover.
And finally, in the back of the binder I keep an extra index card or two for quick notes.
I'm still using the Dayrunner binder I purchased off ebay for $15 early in 2007. The front pocket is handy for storing a flash drive and a fountain pen that I like but doesn't quite fit in the pen loop.
I switched out the Levenger discs with clear & blue Rollabind rings. The front pocket works great for business cards, papers folded in half, and Post-It Durable Tabs to divide major sections.
I still have the tabs set up in a way fairly similar to what David Allen recommends with a couple minor changes. Of course the big one is my calendar is a different notebook from the rest of my planner. This allowed the front section of my notebook to become notes instead of a calendar. I also don't have a regular tab for my address book. I have a pocket divider after the "Someday" tab and then I have my address book after that. One tab I did add: Goals. I have some things I want to do that are too big for me to consider projects but break down into different projects. One example would be "Be Healthy" which breaks down into get down to a healthy weight, exercise often enough, etc.
Here's the big change in my planning system. This is a standard large 5x8" Moleskine Weekly + Notes calendar. Calendar on the left for stuff that has to happen at a certain time. Stuff that needs to be done on the top right page, and a lined Super Sticky post-it with my Goals for the month on the bottom right.
I just use regular Rollabind refill pages for notes with a Levenger pagefinder to mark my current spot.
I keep two writing instruments in my pen loops. Unfortunately the pen loops are small so I had a very limited selection to work with. I ended up with a Hero pen from isellpens.com and a mechanical pencil - a Pentel P205.
I'm still using the Circa-magine notebook cover as my cover.
And finally, in the back of the binder I keep an extra index card or two for quick notes.
Monday, December 31, 2007
New Year's what?
It's that time again... You look back, think "What in the world happened to the last 364 days?" and try to figure out how to make the next 365 even better. New Year's Eve. I was thinking about the New Year's resolutions I made last year. At least, I think I made some. I'm pretty sure I wrote them down. I just don't know where! So what do you think the chances are that I actually accomplished any of them? If you're laughing and saying "No chance at all!" you'd be almost right.
There was one exception: I decided at the beginning of the year of 2007 I was going going to pay off all my credit card debt and student loans. And it happened! What was different? I'll tell you.
First off, it was something I seriously thought I could do in the timeframe I had. It was just going to take a bit of stretching.
I also posted the goal on my fridge, or more accurately, my wife made a fun poster and put it on the fridge.
On top of that, every month, we sat down together and decided what we need to do that month to make progress toward hitting our goal. In this case, that decision was written down in a form called a "cashflow plan" or "budget."
To add to this, I'd check up and make sure we were still on track at least once a week - after I got paid or after we got bills in the mail. I'd say it seems these things all came together in such a way that just made things happen.
I'm going to see if I can duplicate this success in 2008. Instead of a bunch of vague things I'd like to improve in my life, just a few well defined goals and plans to make them happen.
There was one exception: I decided at the beginning of the year of 2007 I was going going to pay off all my credit card debt and student loans. And it happened! What was different? I'll tell you.
First off, it was something I seriously thought I could do in the timeframe I had. It was just going to take a bit of stretching.
I also posted the goal on my fridge, or more accurately, my wife made a fun poster and put it on the fridge.
On top of that, every month, we sat down together and decided what we need to do that month to make progress toward hitting our goal. In this case, that decision was written down in a form called a "cashflow plan" or "budget."
To add to this, I'd check up and make sure we were still on track at least once a week - after I got paid or after we got bills in the mail. I'd say it seems these things all came together in such a way that just made things happen.
I'm going to see if I can duplicate this success in 2008. Instead of a bunch of vague things I'd like to improve in my life, just a few well defined goals and plans to make them happen.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Ponies, Journals, and notebooks
I promised I'd blog about which tool I ended up using to get organized and how I got there. I'm not going to go through all the details and background but I will focus on the two that work out the best: Journler and Circus Ponies Notebook.
Both are truly wonderful programs. The big difference here is Circus Ponies Notebook uses a notebook metaphor - it looks exactly like a notebook including you can make it look like a spiral bound notebook, a yellow legal pad, or even Cornell Notes. The problem here is trying to make a computer program look and act like a notebook ends up being a tad on the clunky side.
After trying Journler, I switched. It makes use of the features a computer provides: searching, indexing, categorizing, and tagging. You can do folders and smart folders. I call it "iTunes for my life". The folders are like playlists of the information you want to organize - you just drag 'n drop your stuff and it is there. The smart folders are like smart playlists - define the search criteria and anything that matches just shows up there.
Now if Journler just did todo lists better, I'd be using it for everything. I wonder if you could somehow combine Journler and iGTD.
Both are truly wonderful programs. The big difference here is Circus Ponies Notebook uses a notebook metaphor - it looks exactly like a notebook including you can make it look like a spiral bound notebook, a yellow legal pad, or even Cornell Notes. The problem here is trying to make a computer program look and act like a notebook ends up being a tad on the clunky side.
After trying Journler, I switched. It makes use of the features a computer provides: searching, indexing, categorizing, and tagging. You can do folders and smart folders. I call it "iTunes for my life". The folders are like playlists of the information you want to organize - you just drag 'n drop your stuff and it is there. The smart folders are like smart playlists - define the search criteria and anything that matches just shows up there.
Now if Journler just did todo lists better, I'd be using it for everything. I wonder if you could somehow combine Journler and iGTD.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Blog Action Day: wise use of resources
Originally, I was not going to participate in Blog Action Day. Am I allowed to say that? And what changed my mind? What changed my mind was Lifehacker's Blog Action Day post. In particular, one tip they gave got me thinking. The tip was "Bring Your Own Utensils To Work."
Before I read the details of the tip, my mind went a completely different direction than the article. The article was talking about forks and spoons - bring the metal ones and wash them instead of tossing the plastic ones. Where my mind went: writing utensils.
Maybe I spend too much time on DIYPlanner.com, but I started thinking about at nearly any office I've worked in, you go to the office supply cabinet and you find just about the same thing: a cabinet full of the cheapest pens and legal pads you've ever seen. The pens are doing well to last a few weeks before getting lost, stop working, or just get swiped off your desk by a co-worker. The notepads aren't much better. You turn a page 3 times and it rips off.
I've been switching back and forth between a couple pens at work. I've got a couple Pilot G2 pens, and a couple inexpensive fountain pens. I like the idea that instead of just using a pen a few weeks and then tossing it when it quits working, of buying a pen that has refills available. The fountain pen (Lamy Vista, for those of you who are curious) are even better because instead of a cartridge you can get a converter. The converter lets you refill from an ink bottle. I can use the same pen for years and years and the only cost (financially and environmentally) is a bottle of ink.
The cost of a good fountain pen is more initially, but over time you've got a pen that is enjoyable to use and a lot less plastic going into the land-fill.
Along those same lines, I've been using a Circa notebook from Levenger. I also purchased the hole-punch to go with it. This means I can hole-punch just about any size and kind of paper and just toss it into my notebook. I have a pretty much infinitely refillable notebook.
Before I read the details of the tip, my mind went a completely different direction than the article. The article was talking about forks and spoons - bring the metal ones and wash them instead of tossing the plastic ones. Where my mind went: writing utensils.
Maybe I spend too much time on DIYPlanner.com, but I started thinking about at nearly any office I've worked in, you go to the office supply cabinet and you find just about the same thing: a cabinet full of the cheapest pens and legal pads you've ever seen. The pens are doing well to last a few weeks before getting lost, stop working, or just get swiped off your desk by a co-worker. The notepads aren't much better. You turn a page 3 times and it rips off.
I've been switching back and forth between a couple pens at work. I've got a couple Pilot G2 pens, and a couple inexpensive fountain pens. I like the idea that instead of just using a pen a few weeks and then tossing it when it quits working, of buying a pen that has refills available. The fountain pen (Lamy Vista, for those of you who are curious) are even better because instead of a cartridge you can get a converter. The converter lets you refill from an ink bottle. I can use the same pen for years and years and the only cost (financially and environmentally) is a bottle of ink.
The cost of a good fountain pen is more initially, but over time you've got a pen that is enjoyable to use and a lot less plastic going into the land-fill.
Along those same lines, I've been using a Circa notebook from Levenger. I also purchased the hole-punch to go with it. This means I can hole-punch just about any size and kind of paper and just toss it into my notebook. I have a pretty much infinitely refillable notebook.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
the big analog/digital DUH!
For the last few months, especially since re-discovering the site DIYPlanner.com I have been in a mentality that I should either do all my organization with a planner or all of it in electronic format. So the dilemma became: do I want everything to be digital and searchable or on paper and so I won't have to worry about computer problems?
My answer came later from David Allen. I wish I could remember which interview I was listening to with him exactly, but someone asked him which he uses: analog or digital tools? His answer: both! I've heard him say it before that if someone isn't comfortable using either of these toolsets they are in trouble. What I hadn't heard him say before is that he personally uses both and recommends that anyone comfortable with this do the same.
It was one of those "Well, DUH! Why didn't I think of that before?" moments as David went on the explain. He carries paper and pen with him at all times so he can jot down anything that pops into his head. Later he processes this information. In his case, if something is important, part of "processing" is entering his handwritten note into his computer. The note can then be saved, stored, searched, emailed, posted online, or whatever he choses to do with it.
So lately I have been revisiting different tools for stored everything I need to keep track of. More on that in another post later, but for now I'll say this. I've settled on a tool called Journler which is Mac-only. Windows has a similar tool called EverNote. I have not seen any equivalent in the Linux world.
My answer came later from David Allen. I wish I could remember which interview I was listening to with him exactly, but someone asked him which he uses: analog or digital tools? His answer: both! I've heard him say it before that if someone isn't comfortable using either of these toolsets they are in trouble. What I hadn't heard him say before is that he personally uses both and recommends that anyone comfortable with this do the same.
It was one of those "Well, DUH! Why didn't I think of that before?" moments as David went on the explain. He carries paper and pen with him at all times so he can jot down anything that pops into his head. Later he processes this information. In his case, if something is important, part of "processing" is entering his handwritten note into his computer. The note can then be saved, stored, searched, emailed, posted online, or whatever he choses to do with it.
So lately I have been revisiting different tools for stored everything I need to keep track of. More on that in another post later, but for now I'll say this. I've settled on a tool called Journler which is Mac-only. Windows has a similar tool called EverNote. I have not seen any equivalent in the Linux world.
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