It’s time to take back some time. I’ve lost irretrievable time – sucked away into the black hole of technology. Of course, it’s my fault for not managing it better but I am claiming it back. Starting today, Mother’s Day until Father’s Day I am going cold turkey. No Facebook, no Twitter, no personal email and no other social media of any kind during this time. While I THINK there are some business benefits, I haven’t realized enough to warrant the estimated 4-6 hours a week I spend on it – hours I’ll now spend doing other things. Of course, there are some benefits of social media and technology but I think there is a great deal of time suck too. There are three things that inspired my action to go on a technology diet Sabbatical (which also includes a diet from the codependency I have with my cell phone). [Read more…]
Monday Motivational Memo: Building Willpower
Willpower is NOT the ability to say “NO.”
It’s the ability to say “Not right now.”
One of the biggest reasons we give up is we feel that it takes too much energy to resist whatever temptation we face. The thought of “going without” for long periods of time is daunting, overwhelming – and quite frankly – depressing.
The solution is to realize that willpower does not have to mean “forever,” it can simply mean “for the next few minutes.”
If you’re tempted to give up on your goals because you don’t feel you have the strength to stick with your plan, simply make a commitment that you’ll stick with it for the next ten minutes. That’s all. Most of the time, you’ll find the urge to give up passes in a few moments and before you know it, you’re back on track.
Note: Every Monday, a new motivational memo is posted. Subscribers to ThisTimeIMeanIt.com’s coaching service get this – and many more benefits – sent to them directly. If you’d like to know more, follow this link.
Making Chores Managable
Every morning, I stagger out of my bedroom, take a look at my living room and my heart drops. 
Aside from the normal house cleaning one has to do, I’m an animal lover and have seven indoor cats that have taken to using my house as their personal playground. I love them dearly, but I don’t like how filthy my home gets. A home that smells like animals disgusts me and it’s embarrassing to have company in my home when it reeks of pet odors. Because I was raised by a self-proclaimed neat freak, I feel compelled to ensure that the rooms are as tidy as possible… but since I also work a full time job, cleaning house is never at the top of my priority list when I get home at the end of the day. I’ve checked out maid reviews, considered hiring a housecleaner, even setting fire to the whole thing, but I have to admit; I really do like the challenge of maintaining my house myself – despite my hatred for some of the tasks required to do so.
The question is “How do I do it all and still have a life?”
Though I have many undesirable chores, one of my least favorites has to be cleaning the litter boxes. I have one litter box for every two cats that I have. And since I have seven furry felines, I have four boxes that are constantly in need of cleaning at any given time. The best way that I have found to deal with this job is to clean the boxes every single day. As humans, we are creatures of habit. So, I believe that even though it was difficult in the beginning to train myself to be diligent about the litter boxes on a daily basis, now I feel like I’m cheating on myself if I come home and don’t address the boxes.
Most people will just scoop the litter and be done with it, but I actually take the boxes and dump them out completely. After I’ve cleaned them with an environmentally friendly spray, I dry them and put them back onto the floor. I also use a little baking soda in the litter to cut back on any excess odors. I have found that this process becomes less of a chore if I do things to make it less boring. Sometimes I challenge myself to complete the tasks in record time. On other occasions I’ll purchase a new spray or find a new scent, which makes me excited to clean the litter boxes. Personalizing new litter boxes (before they get dirty!) also gives me more pride about the little box area and motivates me to keep the area in tip top condition.
Are We Having Fun Yet?
First, allow me to apologize for not posting recently! No excuses, just a new goal to post at least two times per week. Now for this week’s post…
“He who laughs, lasts!”
~Mary Pettibone Poole
“I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe turns on an axis of suffering; surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy!”
~Louise Bogan
I began running about 2 1/2 years ago. I never, ever thought of myself as a runner. I walked everyday, and I loved it. An online friend turned me on to fast walking and I got fantastic results from it. It was low impact and easy and fun to do, so that was my exercise of choice. Then, one day as I was walking my six-mile course, something snapped like an over-stretched rubber band. I’d torn a hip flexor muscle and it hurt – a lot. The short of it is, walking was never the same again. It hurt, and that sucked all the fun out of it. In addition, before the injury, I noticed that I had to walk further and further to work up a sweat and get my heart rate up. I was already walking for 75 minutes a day, and didn’t know how I was going to keep carving more and more time out for my walks. I started looking around for something else to do. Someone suggested running, and my first thought was, “Only masochists run.”
Me Before Race Time
After all, running is painful, and it’s really, really hard. Why would anyone do it unless they are being chased by large, carnivorous animals? But as I continued to search for a new activity to replace walking, I kept coming back around to running. I loved my bicycle, but the bike path in this town is fairly short so I was bored with the scenery already, and taking to the streets means taking your life in your hands (please, motorists, be kind to cyclists). Aerobics? Please. Workout tapes and treadmills and ellipticals were out, because I longed to be outdoors and quickly got bored with them. And suddenly I asked myself, “Just what are you afraid of?” I immediately came up with a list: I was afraid of injury, of how much pain I’d be in from the impact on my joints, the burning in my lungs, the cramps in my side (I clearly remembered these from gym classes past), the blisters on my feet. And then, once the list of fears was out there, I decided that none of them was really so terrible, and I was intrigued by the challenge of it. I was determined not to let fear dictate what I would and wouldn’t attempt. So, I strapped on some shoes and decided to run a mile.
The first time I did it, I hated it. It took me longer to jog than to fast-walk a mile! And I was hot and sweaty, my feet hurt, and I felt really out of shape – huffing and puffing down the bike bath like a 100 year-old steam engine. It took me a while to even attempt it again. But boredom and a plateau in my weight loss got me pounding the pavement. When I re-visited running I did it with a goal in mind – a friend had invited me to run a 5K for charity – that’s 3.12 miles. I felt it was do-able with a little training, so I set out to train. I had 12 weeks, and was determined to do it. I got myself an iPod, some proper running gear – including cheap, new shoes; I caution you against this. If you are seriously considering becoming a runner, make shoes your first priority, not your last. Anyway, in 12 weeks, I learned to love running. The first 2-3 minutes are miserable, but then your body warms up and gets used to the pace, and you’re off! With my favorite music in my ears, and the endorphins coursing through my veins, I am never happier than when I’m running and I’m in ‘the Zone.’ It’s bliss. The only thing to top it is running in a new locale and taking in spectacular scenery.
(More great pictures & inspiration follow the jump… ) [Read more…]
Keep Moving
Small steps taken regularly generate more results than large steps done periodically.
In other words, it’s better to promise to walk a block and actually do it than to promise to run a mile and sleep in.
Most of the time that we fail to accomplish our goals, it’s because we made the process too cumbersome, unrealistic, or large. Since it would involve rearranging vast portions of an-already busy life, we choose to avoid the task, remaining in place.
Pick something smaller when you’re stuck and move forward on that. Any movement is better than stagnation.
Note: Every Monday, a new motivational memo is posted. Subscribers to ThisTimeIMeanIt.com’s coaching service get this – and many more benefits – sent to them directly. If you’d like to know more, follow this link.