Back on track again

This morning I did my power praxis for Simple.ology again.

I am feel great. Let me explain. I have a great little program called Simple.ology that I list ALL the things I have to do. Everything. I can list everything I think of for now and in the future.

Now that is a long list. It is now out of my head and on the page.

But the beauty of this system in what happens next. You have the options of:

• Do it now
• Delegate it
• Schedule it
• Do it later

The great part is that the items are never lost or forgotten. In the past they were on pieces of paper - lost.

Once I do an item I can tick it off as completed. Simple.

It has some other wonderful tools I will tell you about then another time.

So after all the sorting and chucking of paper for the last couple of days. It is great to list some items that look towards the future and not the past. And tick them off when they are done.

I have decided that Marvellous March will be a the month to simplify. I have sorted through the paper piles and now I am doing the stuff that is left.

Having the reward of seeing the completed item tick is great for the self-esteem as well.

If you use Simple.ology tell me how often you use it and how your productivity has increased.

If you haven't used and want to know more click here to be sent to the Simpleology 101. Don't worry it free. It may look overwhelming at first, but it not, the whole program comes with an easy step by step guide.

Now that I am ready to complete some more things on my list I better get back to it.

Leona

Life lesson in ending stuff

I had an interesting perspective this morning.

I have been doing a particularly difficult 1000 piece puzzle and it has taken me several days to do. I have done all the cathedral and now, all I had to do was finish the sky. The sky was blue and slight change in shade from light blue to dark blue. What made it extra difficult was that the puzzle pieces could easier fit in several places. This took hours of individually placing each piece in place and stepping back and looking at the overall pattern to see it fits.

This morning I packed away a puzzle.

• Yes, I had the skills to finish the puzzle
• Yes, I had the patience to finish the puzzle

But

• I could use my time doing other things
• I could use skills doing other things
• I could use my patience doing other things.

So I decided by weighting up the pros and cons that I should give up on the puzzle and pack to away (or throw it away?) and move on to something else.

My life lesson: sometimes it is better to stop doing something and just move on.

I always prided myself that I finished stuff.... mmm that's sounds like another belief worth tacking.

Oh let's rephrase it - I believe I should finish stuff. Why? Why should I finish stuff?

I had figured out this morning that sometimes the "pushing yourself to finish a task" is not worth all the other consequences that go with it.

I don't mind spending a day or two on a puzzle as a bit of time out. And, now my children are older, I can teaching them how to do difficult puzzles. It becomes a family activity. I am teaching them skills of looking for shapes and recognising patterns. Which will help them looking for things in their rooms. I can always hope.

I can always find the motivation to finish things if necessary. But what about the activities that I still haven't finished, or even better, the activities that are never finish e.g. housework.

Key word here is motivation. Somehow I need to find the motivation to finish the other activities or the motivation why I am still doing stuff.

Lets analyze the first problem: Motivation to finish.

1. What is the activity?
2. Why did I start the activity?
3. Why have I not finished the activity?
4. Has something better come along to distract me?
5. What would it mean to me to finish the activity?
6. Do I need to finish this activity?
7. Can I just leave the activity in the state is in?
8. How can I reward myself to finish it?

Second problem: Why are you still doing the activity? This flows on from the questions above but with a twist.

1. Why don't I want to finish the activity?
2. Do I enjoy this activity so much that I want to keep going?
3. Does this activity pain me and yet I continue?
4. By doing this activity - what is it stopping me doing?

For example: I did enjoy doing the puzzle it was difficult but OK fun. Then it got difficult and boring. But I continued. So...

• What is the activity? the 1000 piece puzzle
• Why did I start the activity? A time out activity with the children to do while watching TV
• Why have I not finished the activity? It is getting to difficult
• Has something better come along to distract me? No not really
• What would it mean to me to finish the activity? I could see the picture complete before putting it away again
• Do I need to finish this activity? No
• Can I just leave the activity in the state is in? No I need to pack it away. I need the room.
• How can I reward myself to finish it? No reward would be strong enough.
• Why don't I want to finish the activity? I bored with it
• Do I enjoy this activity so much that I want to keep going? No
• Does this activity pain me and yet I continue? yes
• By doing this activity - what is it stopping me doing? getting on with the mending and reading list.

By analysing the whole list of pros and cons (I have not listed them all here), it showed me that I am not a failure. Although this is the first puzzle I have given up on. I am not a failure because I made a decision that it is better to end it now and move on instead of wasting time and energy in complete a task I am not enjoying.

How many activities are there that you have that you think you should finish but can't find the motivation to finish them. Do you think you should just stop and walk away?

Leona