The No Excuses Project: Getting fit

It might seem like the goal of getting fit is the same as losing weight and I suppose they can go hand in hand. But there are plenty of skinny people out there that can’t make it up a steep hill and that’s what makes it distinct.

Not being skinny can even serve as an excuse for getting to this later. Unfortunately it’s not something that can be achieved sporadically – lifting weights or going on a hike once every two months will not get you a cumulative result. Without a doubt, I don’t have time and I’ll get to it later have been my favorite excuses for not making an effort. And yet as goals go this one plays into so many of the others from travel and treasure hunting to photography (got to get up that mountain!)

Next week: The steps to make it happen

Holding myself accountable:

• Treasure hunting: more research and concrete plans for San Diego
• Travel: on track for a week exploring San Diego in September
• Writing: no action this week but clear steps outlined for the next few months
• Photography: research and submission for a multi-leg competition (I guess finding these things a week before the deadline beats a week after)
• Jewelry: a quiet week except for planning next steps
• House projects: a week off to recover before tackling the closet again
• Garden: keeping up with the plan
• Losing weight: finally making some strides to forging a  new exercise routine
• Friends and family: on track for making time to socialize
• Romance: made some changes to my environment with more to do

Technorati Tags: excuses, getting things done

The No Excuses Project: Home improvement on top of everything

Like most homeowners I’ve got a list of things that need doing that never seems to get shorter. It’s not hard to come up with an excuse as to why sitting down with a book is more urgent than painting the airless unfinished closet (left over from 1950). That’s on top of all the other little things that come up and need attention. Sooo… while it will never be as efficient as a 30 minute home improvement tv segment, here’s my basic plan going forward:

1) make a list of everything that needs time and attention for each room during spring cleaning (when you notice that the latch isn’t catching right or the trim needs repainting

2) Get one major project done a year (this year it’s that dreadful closet) by breaking it into smaller steps that can be done each week – research, trip to the hardware store (or two or three) priming, etc.

3) take care of the small stuff room by room and as the budget allows

It may not seem like much but gradually things get done and looking the way I want them with the excuses staying in the background

Next week: Getting in shape – different from losing weight and the last topic!

Holding myself accountable

• Garden – hanging in there but the snails maybe getting the upper hand
• Jewelry – on hiatus for the week
• Photography – ramped up again and working hard on getting exposure (the marketing kind)
• Writing – small steps on the current project
• Losing weight – have got to find the time for more exercise (not exactly news)
• Check-ups – see me after the dental crown in August
• Chores – it comes and goes but ok for the moment
• Family & Friends – a veritable social whirl last week, now for some downtime
• Romance – back to researching social activities I actually want to participate in
• Travel – decided that the lure of beaches and gemstones is taking higher priority than people:-)
• Treasure hunting – got out the maps for local gem hunting – not a lot to work with but that just means less competition

Technorati Tags: diy, excuses, home projects

The No Excuses Project: Writing on top of everything

Excuses don’t have to be innovative to be effective in holding you back. That’s certainly the case with the ones I’ve used to delay various writing projects or leave them half started on the top of the filing cabinet. The cure is no more exciting really.

First off – keep the focus on only two actual projects plus the regular blogging. For now that’s the meditation book and the road trip book. Until those are done, nothing else gets worked on

Beyond that, a hard and fast goal for each project to be done every two weeks. I’m great at polishing or staring into space so it’s important to take the focus off of the quality, at least initially.

That’s really all that needs to happen. If I keep to that the excuses won’t be taking charge. Like so many things getting into good habits will keep everything else flowing. That doesn’t mean there won’t have to be some juggling with all the other goals – that’s why a summary calendar is in the works.

Next week: Home improvement projects

Holding myself accountable

• Jewelry – almost caught up and a specific action plan in place for this week
• Photography – worked on marketing, but behind on taking new photos
• Family & friends – doing ok but a little behind on correspondence
• Romance – proud of myself for not falling into some old  that were tested this week- probably time to work on expanding my environment
• Losing weight – my horoscope promised better results. Right there that says enough about what hasn’t happened!
• Check-ups – on track for now
• Garden – keeping to the plan with good results
• Chores – had to do some catching up over the holiday weekend but now on track
• Travel – making plans for both the practical and the un – should be a busy year
• Treasure hunting – maybe a little behind here but even I don’t care for treasure hunting in the pouring rain…

Technorati Tags: excuses, getting things done

The No Excuses Project: Important relationships

While relationships can also serve as an excuse “can’t make those calls – need to take Mom to lunch” too often they are the victim of having too many other things to do. Relationships can also be a goal unto themselves – those more strained that you feel the need to improve.  But what about the ones with friends and family that are just fine but which you manage to neglect rather than avoid?

I know I’m guilty of looking up from everything else and realizing that I haven’t seen a particular friend for two months or that maybe it’s been a bit longer than I thought since I reciprocated on family stuff. It’s neither conscious nor deliberate but “I’ll do it later” or “I don’t have time” still slip in there.  All the other goals are going to lose quite a bit of meaning if these folks aren’t there with you when you achieve them.  Delayed gratification has some merit but not when it comes to people. Relationships like so many other things are about process not the end result.

Next week – some thoughts on carving out time for the really important people

Holding myself accountable

• The garden – still going strong despite the appearance of the first mosquito
• Photography – an unexpected request for more information that took up the allotted time but that’s acceptable
• Losing weight – renewed focus after a frustrating shopping trip, doing better with exercise and not picking up the office treats
• Jewelry – ok – this one is a miss for the week
• Romance -doing ok on the plan to get out more
• Treasure hunting – also ok – nothing due this week!

Technorati Tags: balance, excuses, family relationships

The No Excuses Project: Keeping jewelry design in the loop

It would be nice to think that eliminating all the excuses would somehow cause the day to double in length – wouldn’t that be an incentive?  But it doesn’t seem to work that way.  So here I am trying to turn sea glass jewelry into an active business and finding everything else getting in the way, including the excuses.

The first thing I’ve done is make sure I’ve got the essential supplies (the ones that would actually stop me in my tracks) restocked before I run out. I’ve listened to the feedback I’ve gotten and incorporated that into the plan as well.

The rest of it is execution and marketing. So my plan is to do at least one thing in each area every week. One marketing action, one production action. The real question is is that enough?  There certainly may be times when I need to do more but that will become deadline driven. My weakness is losing momentum during the slow periods when there is no immediate deadline or it is far enough away to feel that way. That’s when the excuses really take hold.

Realistically things are getting to the point where I can’t keep track of them mentally – do this once a week and that every other week.  I’m thinking it’s about time for a chart with some gold stars to help make this happen!

Holding Myself Accountable

• Gardening – sticking with the new plan; it seems to be going well
• Photography – basically good; no new pictures this week but high marks on marketing
• Exercise – not so good; clearly I need to reinforce the priority
• Romance – making progress; time to make some changes to old habits and ways of doing things
• Treasure hunting – plans to go out next weekend  so on target for now

Technorati Tags: excuses

The No Excuses Project: Finding time for hobbies

It’s harder than you might think to figure out how to carve out some time from what’s available when there are already so many competing ‘more important’ goals.  But balance is the number one goal and all things stem from that.

I spent some time really thinking about this one -how to fit in treasure hunting which by it’s very nature is out doors and not that close to home.  I’ve looked into local clubs but quite frankly what’s available nearby doesn’t excite me that much (mostly fossils and yellow agates.)  So here’s my plan:

1) set aside $50 a month towards a fund for gem hunting trips (turquoise in Arizona, tourmaline in California, etc.)

2) explore some historic mining areas nearby to see what’s accessible and on public land – at least plan some hikes around that to see what’s there.

3) Layout the tide tables against the weekends so that if the weather is tolerable and the tides are favorable I can grab the metal detector and go – at least once every two months.

It’s a plan which is more than I had before and I think with something like a hobby that’s what it takes.

Next week: the jewelry making side of my career

Holding myself accountable

• Photography – far fewer excuses! Taking more pictures, better pictures and pursuing more opportunities to profit from them.
• Losing weight – well, there’s way too much chocolate and cookies within reaching distance at work and I keep reaching for it.  Otherwise basically okay although it’s probably time to step it up a notch.
• The garden – the plan here is also working well – not feeling guilty for not getting to everything that needs doing all at once.
• Romance – I think my thinking is beginning to shift although I can’t really describe how; continuing to work on how I think about things, before I rethink what to ‘do’ about it.

Technorati Tags: excuses, time management

The No Excuses Project: Making room for romance

So how am I going to going to solve this one? I’m not entirely sure. Leaving it at ‘I have no idea’ is just another excuse so I’ll keep pressing on. The experts say when you’re stuck on how to proceed to look to something you solved successfully in the past and try the same process.

I’ve read books and tried online dating without liking the results – glad it works for some but it felt too forced for me (and trust me, feeling trapped does not project well!)

It’s a stretch, but I think the mental shift I underwent between working for a non-profit and making barely enough to pay rent and making ‘good’ money in high-tech isn’t that different from what’s required here. My skills didn’t really change – I didn’t go back to school, I looked the same, and wasn’t appreciably different in any way. The difference was in my attitude about myself and how I projected that in resumes and the like. And if you think romance and business are really that far apart try writing an online profile sometime. It’s all about stressing the good points.

It’s easy to say I’ll just change my attitude; doing it is something different. If you’ve ever tried to force a mental shift you know how hard it is. So I’ve laid it out for myself in small pieces -based on what I know I did before when I didn’t have a plan ahead of time. Will that solve everything? Probably not – it should shift enough that the next steps will become more clear. Then I’ll write the book that makes it all sound self-evident and obvious!

I’m not just leaving it at mental effort though – my other action item is simply to find more events around my other goals that will get me out of my usual haunts and mixing with new people at least once every two weeks – something other than home, work, and the train.

Next week: Treasure hunting – the hobby

Holding myself accountable

I’d say I’m holding my own on gardening, photography, and exercise – the last improved over the weekend with the threat of more drastic action.

Technorati Tags: excuses, self-perception

The No Excuses Project: the goal of true love

I wanted to save this topic for last – I would really like to avoid talking about it all together. That’s how deep the excuses run! But if I’m going to be honest with myself, and by extension with you, then it’s time.

First off, I’m not whining about being single – it has it’s good points. I’ve said and still believe, that I would prefer not to be single going forward as I think I’ve explored its many aspects fairly well. I know that in many ways I’ve subconsciously marked myself as unavailable because of how I’m thinking – which is where the excuses come in. With anything involving other people I can’t, and don’t want to, control someone else or influence them through manipulation, e.g. “The Rules”. This is about making sure my attitude and my actions aren’t stopping me without worrying about a guaranteed outcome.

Here are the excuses I know I’ve used in this area – actually, I think the list of the ones I haven’t used would be shorter:

• I don’t know what to do (where should I be hanging out? etc.)
• My perception is skewed (maybe I’m not being realistic…)
• It will require too much risk
• The past still has hold of me (I don’t let go of disappointments easily)
• It has never happened before
• I have too many other projects (relationships take time and I don
• ‘t seem to have any…)
• The timing isn’t right)
• I’m too old (and stuck in my ways)
• I’m too ___ (independant,set in my ways, overweight, tall, brainy, geeky…etc.)
• I’ll compromise because I’m not confident enough to fully commit (I don’t trust myself to turn away from a relationship that is mostly good but not really good enough)

That’s the bulk of them – next week I’ll address what I plan to do to stop using them against myself.

Holding myself accountable

So how is everything else going?

Photography – things are going well. The emphasis on picking up my camera more often is making me feel more creative and I’m producing better stuff

Gardening – Mother Nature has given me a reprieve with rain. The benefit to me is that the plan removes the guilt for not doing more.

Losing weight – just ok – I’m doing fairly well with food (except for the 8 mini Hershey’s I scarfed down at work…) but exercise is still lagging at about 50% of the goal.  If I can’t get that in the groove this week I’ll revisit the plan.

Technorati Tags: excuses, relationships

The No Excuses Project: ‘The past still has hold of me’

This excuse is a tough one for me; I use it a lot.  When I say the past still has hold of me, it’s different than saying ‘it’s never worked before’. I’ve used that one too but it’s for a different week.  This one seems to come out more when I’m feeling stressed and inadequate. It usually comes from a completely different direction so if I’m worrying about finances then I start telling myself that I haven’t resolved past relationships and can’t move forward.  If I’m stressing about a relationship then I may tell myself that I never accomplished my goals in a prior career.  It’s something of a distraction mechanism as it gets me worrying about something other than what’s really bothering me, only it’s not productive at all.

I didn’t get this one off of a list in a book, so I could be the only one using this excuse (but I doubt it.)  My best strategy is to simply call it what it is ‘that’s and excuse and NO MORE EXCUSES!’ That seems to silence the inner voice for awhile but it requires repeat applications and constant vigilance. Working on my patience and restricting my worrying is on the goal list too.  Altogether  think I can eliminate this one with some work… I hope.

Next week: ‘I have too many other projects’

Technorati Tags: excuses, stress

The No Excuses Project: It’s not my nature

I’m not proud of this excuse, in fact I find the voice in my head gets whiny when I even think it.  After some contemplation this past week I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as wanting something that is outside of our individual make-up.  That is to say that things that are truly ‘not my nature’ are things that I have no interest in doing or even trying. Things like smoking, karoake, bungee jumping, etc.  Some of them may be natural fits for other people but they don’t cross my path or thoughts.

So if we only want things we are naturally atuned to, why does this excuse even come up?  I think it may have to do with how we approach the ‘it’ instead of what it is.  The two places I know I’ve used this excuse are in learning latin dancing and romantic relationships.  Something in me is dying to get all dramatic on the dance floor and no, I haven’t made a serious effort to let it out. Other than some of those group introductory lessons where nobody knows what they’re doing and everyone feels self-conscious I’ve never made a serious try.  The excuse comes in when I contemplate how the majority of my ancestors were very sturdy peasants of various European nationalities who passed their genes to me quite successfully. One doesn’t tend to imagine peasants managing any hip action in a mambo.  But since I’m not interested in being any kind of professional that really shouldn’t matter.  If I’m really honest with myself it has to do with bravery and willingness to look like an idiot because I know the only way to really explore it would be to take individual lessons where there is no place to hide.  I’m not there yet.  But what I can and will do right now is start consciously working on being more flexible so that when I am feeling brave, I’ll be that much more ready.

As for romantic relationships, that’s a different use of the excuse when you’re feeling like you tried everything  you can think of and figure it must be not happening because you’re not made that way.  (And no, that’s not an orientation thing!) Besides a little self-pity which can be fun in small doses but is generally useless, all this means is that what I want is pretty much universal but I just haven’t found the right place, method, whatever to make it work out for me.  Giving in to the excuse just means giving up. Keeping an open mind to finding a whole new way of starting a relationship that’s never been written about in any advice column is where I need to head – mind you, I have no idea what that might be but I can stop using the excuse as a way to start.

Next week: “I’m scared” that’s the excuse, not my current mood!

Technorati Tags: excuses

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