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- October 11, 2018
2018 Goals Review 08: Acceptance and Advancement
October 11, 2018Read more
Again I am late posting review #8 for my 2018 Groundhog Day Resolutions! It’s taken me a while to distill my thoughts.
After several months of experimenting with my time and expectation management processes, I have three major insights that drive this month’s review:
- Surprise Insight #1: I am ALREADY quite prepared to take on my challenges, so stop worrying about that part of it. I am not perfect at it, but I am skilled enough to START and learn along the way.
- Surprise Insight #2: I am ALREADY living my Groundhog Day Resolutions as a daily habit and way of life. That is in itself a MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT. I can relax knowing that the habit will tend to keep me on the path.
- Acceptance Insight #3: Like it or not, I have an EASILY DISTRACTED BRAIN and years of pursuing focus and discipline methods have not changed permanently changed its nature. So instead of constantly being frustrated with it, let it produce what it does in the way it does. It’s still good stuff, so I’ll stop worrying about how it makes the sausage.
Taken as a whole, I think I’ve start to accept myself for who I am, shortcomings and all. I found this quote by Michael Shur quite relevant and beautiful:
“In the face of so much badness […] it is always tempting to give up. But the heroic thing is simply to try.”
In the spirit of trying, I’ve reorganized my Groundhog Day Resolutions goals yet again to take these new insights into account. The goals themselves are the same, but I’m just thinking about them from another point of view. (more…)
- October 3, 2018
GHDR Weekly Review 7.2 – Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is Fast
October 3, 2018Read more
Hey everyone! Another belated report on my ever-evolving Groundhog Day Resolutions Goals! Originally I thought I’d be posting these every Sunday, but I’m finding that I need a day or two between each reflection session. I think that’s OK, and results in a better report.
Last week, I was primarily concerned about the kickoff meeting for a new project called MEME, which is a supporting software tool for researchers studying different approaches to teaching scientific systems thinking in 5th graders. The kickoff was at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, and I hugely enjoyed meeting the team. I spent a couple days afterwards brainstorming our approach with my development partners. There’s several threads of inquiry and investigation with respect to the code we’ll be developing. This is directly related to my software development goals for 2018, so BIG WIN there.
I also had a chance to review my thoughts on hiring a business consultant to help me get momentum with my stationery business. I’ve not put much effort into growing or supporting the Emergent Task Planner and related tools. I’ve been talking to Brenda to see what we can set up, and I’ve also been thinking about exactly what I need from such collaboration. I’ve tried this a few times in the past, and my working theory is that I might benefit more from setting the expectations myself rather than seeing what the consultant suggests. Brenda’s willing to give this a shot, so I’m looking forward to kicking-off an initial session. Developing my stationery business is one of my business goals for 2018, so that’s another GHDR win!
Those are the highlights; let’s get into the details! (more…)
- September 25, 2018
GHDR Weekly Review 7.1 – Remixing Life Principles
September 25, 2018Read more
Time for my somewhat-delayed weekly Groundhog Day Resolutions Review! In September’s Monthly Review, I had the thought that maybe I was doing OK as far as my goals were going, and I have just not allowed myself to see the positive side of the process. Instead of celebrating effort, I have been very results-focused in my thinking because I can’t abide ideation without corresponding tangible results. While this insight has served me well, the dark side has been continual feelings of inadequacy. Let’s get into it! (more…)
- September 16, 2018
2018 Goals Review 07: Winning in Hindsight
September 16, 2018Read moreThis month FLEW BY and I’ve been delayed in putting together my GHDR analysis. My impression is that it was a terrible month, but in hindsight I think I’ve reached an important milestone of acceptance that may reduce the frustration I have been feeling. (more…)
- September 4, 2018
GHDR Weekly Review 6.3 – Constructive Insights
September 4, 2018Read moreHappy Weekly Report Day! Last week was frustrating because I had to clear away a lot of unanticipated housekeeping chores before I could get to the “focus” of fixing some code, only to find that it was not fixable in the timeframe I have in mind. However, I did start a new ritual I’m calling CORE HOURS: assigning a tiny block of hours as “focused work hours” every day. Read onward for the details! (more…)
