Excuses come easy for things that are a means rather than a goal.  That’s where truly being fit falls for me – I basically couldn’t care less. Until it means not being able to get to that mountain side where rumor has it rare gems still hide deep in the earth. Then I really care! So how to keep that in focus on an average day when all other priorities seem higher?

The first thing is to combine it with other projects from the obvious (losing weight) to the less obvious like treasure hunting. It’s a little like parking at the far end of the lot to get more walking in, not a huge deal but it adds up.

The second thing is to up the effort of working out (more inclines, and the like) and lastly to spend one day a month (the whole day) out doing real exertion from hiking to whatever – pack a lunch and plan to sweat.

The hardest part is simply to fit this in with everything else – getting rid of excuses doesn’t magically create more time in the day. It just means you don’t waste what you have.

Believe it or not – this post concludes the year. Next week I’ll do some wrapping up and reflecting on what I’ve learned.

Holding myself accountable

• The garden – I could wish it looked a little better but basically things are on track
• The house projects  – progressing slowly but also in the works
• Chores – doing better
• Treasure hunting – amazing what you can do by mail these days.  Making definite progress
• Travel – trip all booked for a week in San Diego; that will probably be it for this year.
• Friends and family – a little behind in email but otherwise on track
• Romance – doing a little more inner work in that area and feeling good about it
• Writing – a bit behind here
• Photography – progress on getting things out and researching more opportunities
• Jewelry – an off week except for identifying next steps
• Losing weight – a much better week for exercise and hey, the jeans are fitting better already
• Medical – off the dentist for that crown this week (next doctor after that’s all concluded)

Technorati Tags: common excuses, getting things done

I think it’s simply human nature that those who undertake home improvement projects will always have at least one unfinished, 5 just started and 20 more on a list somewhere. It’s just when the unfinished one lingers for ten years that there just might be a problem. An uncomfortable space, or one with uncomfortable reminders, can become a nagging voice against everything else you’re trying to accomplish.

Just a few of the excuses I’ve used to avoid dealing with peeling wallpaper and the like:

• It will take too long
• I don’t have the right materials
• I don’t know where to start
• I have too many other projects

Next week: making more progress on home projects

Holding myself accountable

Photography – progress on editing images, now just need to take some new

Writing – small steps towards an outline, a necessary first step

Jewelry – whew – turned out being late was actually early so on target for now

Losing weight – a little more exercise but more to do here

Checkups – ah the dentist just can’t wait to see me again but making progress

Friends and family – made this a higher priority and did a little catching

Romance – sometimes going for something means turning away from what won’t work

Garden – staying on course

Travel – working out the details for some long weekends

Treasure hunting – looked into what else might be nearby

Technorati Tags: common excuses, finishing things, home projects

Maybe because it can be done basically anywhere, for any length of time, makes writing even more prone to excuses.  There’s really no good reason why anyone that’s said that they want to write a book hasn’t done so already. Getting published is something different; actually writing the thing is completely under your control. I know this and yet untold projects sit in an outline or first chapter state waiting for me to simply focus and finish.

Writing is something I very much want to be part of my overall career mix – from blogging to writing novels, photography books and so on. But somehow getting those projects completed is lagging, to say the least.

There aren’t really any new or special excuses at play for this one – the old stand-by’s do the job just fine:

• I’m too tired/ not in the mood (meaning I don’t feel creative)
• It’s too big
• It will take too long
• I don’t know where to start
• I’m not good enough (a couple more books on the subject will help, right?)
• I have too many other projects
• I’ll lose interest before it’s finished

Next week: How I’m going to turn this around and fit it in with everything else

Holding myself accountable:

The garden – needs weeding but is otherwise doing ok

Jewelry – is on track for now and the priority for this coming week

Photography – continues to take a back seat, not a good thing

Travel – the fund is growing, plans are being made

Romance  – possibilities are emerging

Treasure hunting – not on the current agenda

Chores – holding their own

Family and friends – doing ok

Losing weight – somewhere in the middle on this one

Medical health – off to the dentist next week

Technorati Tags: common excuses, creativity, getting things done, writing

It seems like big trips to new places are one of the most common sinkholes of excuses. You got the idea into your head that it would be fun to see the castles on the Rhine in person and then suddenly it’s ten years later and you still think it would be fun but you haven’t done anything more about it.  I know that’s true for me and while I’ve managed some of the trips I’ve wanted to undertake, some others have been hanging on the list a little longer than I would like – who knows what adventures I’ve missed by spending more time with the excuses than planning the trip.

Here are the ones I know I’ve used in this arena:

• I can’t afford it – self-explanatory but it’s still an excuse
• Help will not be available – I’ll have to pay full price AND get stuck in a foreign country
• It’s too big (there’s a lot to plan and coordinate)
• I’m scared
• I have too many other projects
• The timing isn’t right (this will be so much easier next year…)
• I don’t know what to do (where to start, where to go?)
• It will require too much risk (safe is boring but…)
• I don’t have any experience (yes, that is the point but it’s also scary)
• I’ll compromise because I’m not confident enough to fully commit (such as going someplace where I won’t have to face driving on the left…)

That’s quite a list of powerful excuses – but they are standing in the way of fabulous adventures.

Next week: what I’m planning to do about getting more travel in on a regular basis

• Holding Myself Accountable

• Garden: Mother Nature has been conspiring against me lately but I’m on track with my committments
• Photography: Behind this week a little
• Jewelry: Definitely behind and will be the focus of this coming weekend to catch up
• Treasure hunting – the weather did not cooperate so there’s been a slight postponement
• Family and friends – doing ok
• Romance – releasing my inner Frenchness which I’d been misidentifying as flaws
• Chores – making progress, not completely there yet but progress
• Losing weight – getting more exercise and refining the diet this week

Technorati Tags: achieving dreams, common excuses, traveling solo

There’s nothing glamorous about taking out the garbage or loading the dishwasher. It’s even hard to relate that to making that trip to Italy happen or retiring to Baja. But. not getting them done, at least the basics, does keep you from achieving those goals. Partly because the rest of your life doesn’t flow as smoothly and partly because the guilty part distracts you from those projects every time you walk by the dishes on the counter or that pile of unironed laundry.

I’m as guilty as most of putting these things off with an easy excuse until they grow overwhelming and turn into a project of their own. In the past, it’s worked to assign a chore to each day of the week instead of doing everything on the weekend. That won’t work with my current schedule so well so I have another approach. Simply finish what I start – if I run the dishwasher that means putting everything away when it’s done, laundry gets done, folded, ironed and put away the same day adn so forth.

That may seem simple but it’s a committment none the less and designed to root out the ‘I’ll do it tomorrow when I’m not so tired.’ If you’ve never ever said that then I’m pretty sure you can ignore this entirely!

Next week: Keeping up relationships with family and friends

Holding Myself Accountable

First off, I made myself a chore chart – not that different from the one when I was six that resulted in a trip to the toy store when I got enough stars.  Most of life relates to when we were six.  This one I did in Excel but this way I’ve got a single point of reminders of what I’ve committed to.

• Gardening: This one is going smoothly; hanging baskets planted and everything fertilized
• Losing weight: funny how that chore chart made me hit the treadmill immediately – all in all, better
• Photography: next set of pictures selected for the book
• Jewelry: working on improving some techniques, a little low on the marketing efforts
• Romance: well, I’ve enlisted someone else to keep their eyes open so I guess that’s a start.
• Treasure hunting – found a new hunting buddy so that may help get me out there a bit more…

Technorati Tags: achieving goals, common excuses