"Here Comes Success..."
I have been tagged by Amy and Joanna and Katherine for the meme that I originally saw over at Becky's. Susan also did it. And I've been thinking of it ever since I read this over at Becky's on Friday. It's a fascinating question, and I don't like what it says about my current state of mind and body. What do you do everyday to contribute to your success?

First of all, do you know how hard it is to come up with things that I do consistently? I have cycles of productivity and success, but there is a bit too much distance between cycles. Still, here is what I do (just about) daily that serves me well.

1. Talk to Da Man. I talk to him about almost everything. And I only say "almost" not because I keep things from him but because there's not enough time to talk about everything. Still, if it's important, or even if it's just something about which I've been obsessing, I go over it with him. And it's really important to get that stuff out of my head.
2. Give Myself Private Time. I obsess, and I know I do, but it often serves me well to think through things, cover all the angles. Most of the time, I end up in a better mindset about things.
3. Sing in the Car. The days when I have the energy and motivation to sing at top volume in the car are days I'm happier and better able to handle everything around me. Lately, I've been focused on certain songs from the Spring Awakening soundtrack, especially "My Junk," "The Mirror-Blue Night," "Don't Do Sadness," and "Totally Fucked."
4. Allow Myself to Revel in Silliness. I spend so much time having to think about serious subjects that I need to do "pointless" things, like watch random episodes of I Love New York or have Napoleon Dynamite playing in the background like I did today. A lot of what I do is serious, but I don't have to be that serious, and life should not always be that serious.
5. Sleep Late. I'll say more below about this, but if I look at the time I'm going to bed, and it looks like I am not going to be getting a full night's sleep, I will set the alarm later. I have learned the hard way that I need sleep, or I am screwed the next day. So, I do not begrudge myself when it comes to sleep (except for actually getting to bed).

Now, this is a fine list, but in looking at it and looking at the lists of others, I'm not thrilled by what I have here. I am not taking the best care of myself lately. When some of the bad things of the last few months began to happen, I stopped worrying about eating well or exercising and went into something of a survival mode. However, when things leveled off, that survival mindset did not go away. I was talking to a friend last week about instant gratification and how it largely rules my life. Then, this meme came along and got me thinking about specifics.

The above list is good, and I want to continue doing those things. But there have to be five other things I start doing (almost) daily.

1. Go to Bed at a Decent Hour. I allow myself to sleep late because I sometimes stay up until one or two in the morning. That needs to stop, even if I am doing email or something productive. At the very least, I should be in bed by 12:30 in the morning.
2. Move. The weight gain of the last few months is pretty remarkable, even if I do say so myself. I joined the gym but have not been consistent. I need to move daily, even if it's just a walk to the library or something on campus each day. That would be something. Actually, a good idea to walk back and forth to the library twice on campus days with gym on other days.
3. Drink Water and Cook Food. It's not that I necessarily believe in the eight glasses a day theory. That's actually too much for me. But when I lost my weight, a large part of that was drinking nothing but water until dinner when I would have one can of caffeine-free Coke (I can't Diet Coke, but I can skip caffeine). Also, if I cook my own food, including making and freezing food on weekends for use in the week, I will do better with financial and physical health.
4. Prioritize (and Check Email after Noon): I am guilty of not planning my days well and spending the first parts of the day on the activities that are not as important as others or that are minor, providing that instant gratification. I need to do other things first, which means not checking email until at least after noon each day. And checking it only a limited number of times each day. I did a bit of that last week and wrapped so many other things up.
5. Write. You know, I tried to think of another label for this category. I thought of adding reading or even calling it something like "project work," but the fact remains that I need to write more than anything else. Reading evolves from writing for me, not the other way around. Ideas start when I write or do some serious planning toward writing.

So, those are some new goals, extending what I was already doing. Anyone else who wants to tackle the meme should go ahead and grab it. I'm very curious about people's initial responses.
- posted by Nels @ 4:06 PM | | | Link |