Well, I’ve creatively procrastinated so far today by eating breakfast, shining my sink, talking on the phone, wishing Carm a happy birthday, and reading about sticking to my goals. That’s all well and good, but I’m still not sticking to my goals. Reading about it isn’t the same as doing it.

I’ve got a little reminder tacked over my desk that came originally from William Knaus’s book Do It Now. Maybe if I re-write it here, it will sink in and help me change my thinking and start sticking to my goals:

I have put away things that are not getting me to my goals this year. I did well yesterday!!!! I put away a sewing project that has been sitting on my table for days and days. Felt so good to acknowledge that I DIDN’T REALLY WANT TO DO IT AFTER ALL!!!! I vow to do only things that I really want to do. It’s O.k. to say NO!I

I purchased a book a few days ago. It has journaling exercises to keep a creative mind in shape. So I have a beautiful, small leather journal, I put some mini post-it notes in a cute little rhinestone studded business card carrier. These post-it notes just point out things in the book I want to revisit later.

Every morning, after breakfast, I do a journal exerecise to let my inspiration flow. It has been only 2 days since I started, the exercises are cool! They are short, and easy, word association, list making, past happy experiences.

I guess, the thing I learned to day, is that I do not have to finish a task that has no real meaning to me. I have this strange compulsion to always finish what I begin, and this means I end up having a list of meaningless activities that distract me from my goals.

I have my 2 goals and these are my priorities. That’s it.

Perseverance

EDIT 3/19/09: Some perseverance quotes for inspiration.

EDIT 5/28/09: A good quote for today from the link above:
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” ~Albert Einstein

...from a library book about motivating school children…

In order for a person to be motivated to invest herself in an activity, 3 factors MUST be present:

A. She must feel that the goal is attractive. She must want to accomplish it.

B. She must feel that the amount of effort required to meet the goal is realistic.

C. She must feel that it is likely that she can accomplish the goal, that accomplishing it is within her capabilities.

“A resolution that is a fine flame of feeling allowed to burn itself out without appropriate action, is not merely a lost opportunity, but a bar to future action.”—William James

from Rita Emmett, author of “The Procrastinating Child”:
1. Select a task.
2. Focus.
3. Time the task.
4. No breaks.
5. Reward.

I tried this yesterday to help me make 2 phone calls that I didn’t want to make, and it worked. I think I’ll try it again today.

Maybe it would be good to make a list of potential rewards.

I’m trying a little experiment today. Something I read on the web site of the To Do Institute, which offers many ideas on overcoming procrastination. The article suggests changing your thinking to make it easier avoid avoidance. The author recommends to change “I have to” to “I get to”. So, I’m going to try that today. I’ll think about the goals that I get to work on today.

I just now saw that as a response to someone who felt blocked, and wondered about how to tell the backstories of my goals.

1. Realize you are delaying working on your 43-things.
2. Discover the real reasons for your delay (some of them may really be hidden from you and may take time and thought to discover) and write down as many as possible.
3. Argue against all your reasons for delay in a convincing manner.
4. Pick a starting point (small task, short duration) and start.

EDIT 5/28/09

More tips from Carleton College here.