After the writing of yesterday’s post, it was pretty clear to me that I need to declare an all out war on procrastination. [Yesterday: Cultivating a Well-Behaved Mind - How can we do it?]
So as a quick mid-week posting, I thought I’d share two Nike videos with you which resonate with me. If you are reading this via email or RSS you may need to click in to see them: Each is only about a minute long.
I run every morning to start my day, and so this first one combined this notion of an all-out war (still talking about procrastination!) with each daily beginning and that Whole-minded Story crafting I am learning.
The very beginning of it recalls yesterday’s tip on “pulling a Ulysses” too :)
Need Motivation? (Length – 1:00)
Dean Boyer reminded me about this next one in a posting he did yesterday for Teaching with Aloha: Making Excuses. Dean offered five steps to take if we are “ready to seriously deal with your excuses” with this video a final power-packed prompting.
Warhawk Matt Scott: (Length – 1:01)
Really puts things in perspective, doesn’t it.
What would you add to these conversations?
- Cultivating a Well-Behaved Mind – here on Talking Story
- Making Excuses – by Dean Boyer on Teaching with Aloha
- No Excuses – right here today: The comment boxes await you! Let’s talk story.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
The word “procrastinate” comes from a set of Latin verb procrastinare, from pro- ‘forward’ + crastinus ‘belonging to tomorrow’ (from cras ‘tomorrow’ ). Isn’t it interesting that all we have is the “now of today?” But, we live as though we also have tomorrow, which is no guarantee. I would like to get to the point that I am able to say, “Nothing of today was left undone.” This means prioritizing and planning, keeping the main thing the main thing…while maintaining balance with other activities that have no deadline. I think this is going to be more difficult than I think.
.-= Dean Boyer´s last blog ..Marks of a Mentor: Addressing Weakness =-.
I like that Dean. “Nothing of today was left undone.”
From what I’ve learned, shaping “of today” usually means getting rid of those conventional To Do Lists because we have a tendency to put too much on them. They quickly become unrealistic and stress-inducing versus helping us feel accomplished. I have now abandoned To Do Lists altogether: When I do my strong week planning in the weekly review process, I plan on just 1 project emphasis each workday now and try to immerse myself in it.
Heard an interesting and useful definition of procrastination a while ago: procrastination is arguing with God (or reality, or the universe, or whatever makes sense to you).
Has the ring of truth to it for me. An argument I can never win.
.-= Dick Richards´s last blog ..The Parrot And The Gypsy Girl =-.
Aloha Dick,
I read this just before leaving for a coaching session today, and I’ve thought about it ever since, trying to come to terms with it – must admit I can’t!
I concur with never winning an argument with God having a ring of truth to it, however I am lost in the connection to procrastination. What am I missing?
If I know I am supposed to do something, that it is certainly the right thing to do, that it is in accordance with the will of heaven, and I don’t do it (procrastinate), then I am arguing with God.
.-= Dick Richards´s last blog ..The Parrot And The Gypsy Girl =-.
Ah, thank you Dick, got it! :-)
And I love your story about The Parrot and Gypsy Girl.
You are welcome. I wrote a related blog post about this a while ago:
Follow The Way Of It: What a quote, a camera, and a pack of agile dogs taught me about life.
.-= Dick Richards´s last blog ..The Parrot And The Gypsy Girl =-.
procrastination is definitely one of my problems, so much to accomplish and little drive at times to do them.
“procrastination is the thief of time”
Thanks
Holly
I think that procrastination is an equal opportunity affliction Holly – there are many of us who are in this with you! I saw another quote on Merlin Mann’s Tumblr that I added to my post today, October’s Ho‘ohana: Sweet Closure. Did you see it there? It says,
That one sure kicked my butt!