Today is tax day in the US and you can almost feel the tension in the air as you drive about the city.  People are staying home from work to get their returns completed, nervous about getting to the post office in time.

Actually, it’s not quite as bad this year because the annual deadline fell on a Sunday this year and then there was a Congress-observed holiday on Monday, Emancipation Day, giving everyone an extra 2 days to do their paperwork.  (You could almost hear a sigh of relief when local news channels reminded everyone of the extension on Sunday.)

This issue always gets me to thinking about procrastination, and my struggle to end my battle with this issue several years ago.  Those of you who have followed my blog in the past will likely recall the many posts that I made around my learning to become a “Do It Now” person.  (I am happy to report that that transformation was successful - I have been a DINP for a good three years now.)  “Do it now, do it now, do it now.”  My daily mantra.  It has just simply become my way of thinking, which was a huge paradigm shift for me back in the day.

With that being said, though, does that mean that I never procrastinate?  Not hardly.  But I use procrastination now to my advantage.  Let me explain.

C. Northcote Parkinson, a British writer, formulated this rule: “Work expands to fill the time allotted to it; or, conversely, the amount of work completed is in inverse proportion to the number of people employed.” Simply stated: If you have an hour to do a 5-minute job, it will take an hour to do it. A large number of people accomplish less work than a smaller number of people.  Have either of these situations ever happened to you?  Me too!

So when there is a task that I don’t want to drag out, I wait until the deadline.  Driving is a really good example of this.

I drive (sorry about the pun here) my mother crazy because I never get anywhere until the agreed upon time.  If we decide to meet for dinner at 7 PM, guess when I’m going to arrive?  7 PM!  Right!  Here’s the funny part - when I’m not there at 6:45, she starts calling me to make sure I’m on my way.  Now, it takes me usually at least an hour to get to wherever she is.  So if I were not on the road, I’d never be able to make it in time.  But in her mind, if you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late.  My point is, if we say 7, why would I need to arrive at 6:45?  (Other than to calm my mother’s nerves - which I often do - get off my back!)

In planning my day, I always want to work or get something done right up until time to get on the road.  Sure, I’ll allow a little extra time for traffic in certain situations, but generally, I like to arrive on time.  Not late.  But not early.  To me, that is the most efficient use of time, and time is a precious resource, to be savored and enjoyed. I don’t like to arrive somewhere 15 minutes early only to wait around for everyone else.  It just seems inefficient.

Getting back to the point of this post, I see what many call “procrastination” as really an effective time management tool.  Why start a project before all decisions have been made or everyone involved in the project is ready to launch?  That will only result in extra work.  (Expansion of the task and time to complete.)

Likewise, if a task will take one hour to complete and needs to be done at 5 PM, why start at 1 PM?  It will likely take four hours in that case.  Instead, spend those three hours doing something on that list you keep of “Important, but not urgent” things to do.  Like getting organized.  Catching up on relevant reading.  Clearing your Inbox.  (Another good topic - for another post!)

So I guess I’m saying, if it takes you a day to get your tax return ready, (and that would apply to a lot of people), and it doesn’t bother you to let it go to the last day, then let it go.  God speed!  Good for you!  In the end, here is how the time breaks down:  I got my tax documents ready and sent to my accountant in about a day back in February.  I applied “Do It Now.”  Since then, I’ve accomplished what?  A thousand other things.  Others have waited until the last minute but spent the same amount of time getting their taxes ready now.  In the meantime, they’ve accomplished what?  A thousand other things!  It all comes out in the wash.

So what is the big deal about “procrastination?”  Why do we fight it so much?  Why is it such a big deal?

I think it’s the stress.  I eliminated the typical procrastination of waiting right up until a deadline to do something from my lifestyle several years ago because I wanted to reduce my stress.  Reducing stress frees up the mind to be more creative.  I like being creative.  So I adopted the “Do It Now” philosophy.  I only procrastinate when it serves me.

I’d love to hear from you.  What causes you to procrastinate?  When do you know that you have “a problem,” and how to do you get it in check?

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

My regular followers will be proud of me for writing today, since . . .

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!

I am taking the day off from work to . . .

Organize!

There are few things that bring me more pleasure than an organized living space.  And where I’ve recently moved into an apartment, a clutter-free existence is a little more difficult to maintain, but all the more necessary.

I’ve written before about how Clutter Around You Creates Clutter In Your Brain.  The older I get, the more I prove that one to myself.

It’s just so freeing to sit at my desk and have everything around me sparkling, beautiful, and organized.  When it’s that way, my writing, my work, my mood, and yes, my mind, all feel sparking, beautiful and organized.

So here I go to get the last little details polished off and looking great.  My writing will be on track, and on fire after today, so stay tuned!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “you are what you eat,” right?

Well I made an observation about myself this weekend that is just as accurate.

I’ve been moving my belongings in stages from my ex’s house to my apartment .  This weekend was the final move.  The items in this trip were quite revealing because, before now, I’ve been moving what I needed, and wanted.

But you know how it goes.  There are tons of items that we keep for all sorts of different reasons.  Guilt - like grandma’s hand-made quilt that she made for you when you got married the first time.  Sentimental - just can’t stand to part with it. “Just in case” - what if I throw it away and then need it two weeks later (despite the fact that I haven’t used it in years).  All of those “reasons.”  All justifiable.  I’m not going to preach about that.  (Not today, anyway - !)

Have you ever stopped to think about what your stored items say about you?  I never had, but chuckled out loud when I realized what the two categories of items that I’ve spent the most time moving during this trip were . . . (drum roll please)

Books and shoes!

Now, anyone who knows me will not find that to be a big surprise, and honestly I didn’t either.  But it was interesting to realize that about myself.  I DO love books; and I DEFINITELY have a fondness for shoes.

While I have decided to reduce my collections, you’ll be happy to know that nothing is going into a landfill.  I will donate, recycle, or sell every single item that I cannot keep, well, except for one pair.  For whatever reason, I have held on to a pair of bright red stiletto pumps.  There are gorgeous!  Those of you who are old enough will be able to picture what I’m talking about - the kind that just stepped out of 1980 - !

I asked one of my neighbors who walked by as I was cleaning out my car, “Remember when these were in style?”  She said, “Girl, that was a long time ago.  You’ve got to let those go.  Make it right.”

So I did.  It was symbolic.  I need to let go of a lot of things, and I am.

I’d love to hear from you.  What are you holding on to, and what do you think it says about you?

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

Some people say that we should “Work smart, not hard.”  Others tout, “Work smart AND hard.”  I’ll reflect on my opinion about this in a later post, but for today, I’d like to prime the pump a little - your pump.  Let’s look at some ways that we can work a little smarter.

1. Create a schedule. Every night, whether it’s before you leave the office or before you go to bed, make a list of everything you need to do, or would like to accomplish, the next day.  I don’t care if you created a weekly plan last Friday for this week, re-write your list for tomorrow.  Try to keep it realistic.  (Yes, I know it’s hard to do.)
2. Prioritize the list.  You know how to do this.  What tasks must you absolutely get done tomorrow?  What are the most important?  Sometimes those two don’t coincide, do they?  We’ll get to that in a minute.  At first, just number the items by how important they are to you personally or professionally.
3. Adjust for time to complete.  Now, take a look at your prioritized list and be realistic.  How many of those extremely important tasks can you really accomplish?  How long would the task take from start to finish?  Write it down.
4. Lay out the schedule.  Next go back and take into consideration what times of day are best to do certain types of tasks for you.  You know what I’m talking about here.  Are you better at focusing in the morning or afternoon?  Is there a task that is going to require 3 hours or more? (This is really another post, but if there is something on your list that will take longer than 3 hours to complete, it’s a project, not a task.)  Make sure that you allow time on your schedule for the time it will take to complete those longer tasks.  Then fill in everything else.  (Rock - Sand - Water)  If you’re not familiar with R-S-W, leave a comment and I’ll write a post about it.
5. Re-evaluate. Every morning, re-examine your list to see if it is still going to work.  Refresh your brain and allow your sub-conscious mind to work on things slightly ahead of your schedule.  You’ll be amazed at how much this helps!

Get to work!  The only thing better than planning is execution, so hop to it!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

In going through some old things this past weekend, I found a Home Interior piece that I’ll hang in my new apartment.  It is loosely based on 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13 - a/k/a ” The love chapter” of the Bible.

Believed to have been written by the Apostle Paul as directions to the church in how Christians should treat each other, there are many dictates that make one wonder how different those times were from what we experience today in emotional terms.

To quote/paraphrase a few lines:

• “Love is patient . . .”
• “Love is kind . . .”
• “Love does not envy . . .”
• “Love does not boast . . .”
• “Love is not proud . . .”
• “Love is not rude . . .”
• “Love always trusts . . .”
• “Love always hopes . . .”
• “Love does not find fault . . .”
• “Love never fails . . .”

Wow!  That’s a lot to live up to, now, isn’t it?

I mean, I get it - this is how we should treat each other.  Not just “Christians,” but as human beings.  What a wonderful world it would be.

But it is a wonderful world, and I’m wondering if these are attributes that we should try to live up to, or whether they are something that we should learn to accept and allow.  Let me explain.

Have you ever noticed how we treat each other in new relationships?  Especially romantic relationships?  Think about it.

Even in business relationships or just plain friendship, when we truly like/love someone, we never “find fault” with them.  At most, we turn a “fault” into a positive attribute in some way.  Let me give you an example.

In evaluating my feelings toward someone last week, I noticed that I could find absolutely nothing wrong with this person.  It’s as if he has no flaws whatsoever.  However, my rational mind knows that he is flawed in some way.  And then I thought to myself, “Well, let’s not go there - why find fault?  Why go looking for it?  If they’re there, flaws will show up soon enough.”  But I have seen his flaws and I like him anyway.  Is that love?

Of course, there is a difference between “finding fault,” and “finding” “fault.”  Have you ever given that any consideration?  To “find fault” means to make an adverse criticism or objection, perhaps unfairly or destructively.  To “find,” means to discover or perceive something by chance or unexpectedly. I think we all know what “fault” means, but to be perfectly clear, it means an unattractive or unsatisfactory feature.  So are we not to “find fault,” or not to “find” “fault.”  Given that “finding” is typically something that we often feel we have no control over, (people will often write me and say, “I found your website by accident . . .”), the only phrase over which we could actually cognitively have control is “finding fault.”  So say no evil.

Taking romantic love out of the picture for a moment, wouldn’t it be great if we never found fault in any of our co-workers? What kind of world would that be?  No disparaging words. No judgments. Only love. Everywhere.  All the time.

Wow!

But getting back to my original curiosity, which is it - if we love someone/thing we find no fault, or when we find no fault, we’re in love?  Is finding no fault something we have to strive to maintain, or could we simply allow love to flow.  If “finding fault” means to criticize or ridicule, and “find” means to discover something unexpectedly, perhaps they are tied together.  If we were to stop finding fault in others, perhaps we would no longer find faults in others.

What do you think?

Until next time,
Live (and love) Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

Don’t you love those online calculators that take you through a quiz and tell you what your real age is?

Yeah.  Me neither!

Even though I do pretty well, I never really get anything out of them, except that I could be doing better.  Five pieces of bacon every morning for breakfast is my downfall.  What’s yours?

But I don’t smoke, never have, drink only socially, (mostly), exercise regularly, (hooray for hot yoga!), and exercise my brain with the Words with Friends app and Dice.

Throughout my life, I’ve had strange reactions to certain birthdays.  Seventeen bothered me.  It meant I was no longer “Sweet 16,” but still not 18.  Twenty-one didn’t excite me as much as most, but 24 was a hoot!  Turning 25 was not a big deal, but 30 sure hit hard!

On April 11 I’ll turn 44, and it’s bugging the crap out of me!  Forty didn’t affect me much, but by forty-one I remember thinking, “Oh, this is why they say that after 40 everything is downhill.  It’s 41 that’s the kicker!”

I don’t know what it is, it could be the divorce, facing a life-altering change at “mid-life,” and having to face the reality that I’m in mid-life, but WOW what a downer of a post this is turning out to be!

Moving on now.  I’ve always noticed that real age seems to be more about attitude than anything else.  I know what Dr. Oz says about our bodies and how we treat them, but we all know of people who have died young in accidents, and those who live very long despite complete nonchalance toward their health.

I’d be willing to bet that for most who are reading this post, quality of life is more important than the number of years spent in the physical body.  So the question is, are you still enjoying life, whatever your age?

For me, it’s a “heck, yeah!” I mean, “Yes.  It is my pleasure to be here!”  The opportunity to contribute to the lives of others, in whatever shape that’s going to take, is what is keeping me alive and well these days.  I’m enjoying my new-found freedom to be myself again, and to explore all that life has to offer.

So my real age? 44.  (Almost!)

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

I am so corny!  When anyone asks me what kind of music I like, I always say, “Jazz.”

I do LOVE jazz, but . . .

Today in the car, I decided to pop in an old Golden Chords CD, (the community group I used to play keyboards for), just to see/hear what was on it.  WOW!  Did it put me in a good mood!   The songs?

1. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (The Supremes)
2. I’m a Believer x 2 (Both from Smash Mouth and The Monkees)
3. Seasons of Love (Album verison)
4. Thank You for the Music (Abba)
5. The Way You Look Tonight (by the Beelzebubs)
6. When I Fall in Love (From Sleepless in Seattle)
7. You’re the One That I Want  (Of course - John Travolta and Olivia Newton)

Try being in a bad mood while listening to this mix.

On second thought, don’t try - just enjoy!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

In going through major life changes, like divorce, for example, one must make tough decisions.  While it’s true that “with age comes wisdom,” life experience also brings fear of risk and opportunity cost.

In making my decisions lately, I keep remembering something I read a couple of years ago, but I cannot find the source.  If you know, please comment and let us all know.  I might not quote it directly, but the gist is, “Anything or anyone that doesn’t bring you alive is too small for you.”

Let’s make our decisions, if just for today, based on that.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

I am absolutely loving my new apartment in Cincinnati, Ohio!  And for any of you who followed my blog several years ago, you know how much I love organizing, so this has been a veritable treat for me.

Tonight I am putting the finishing touches on my kitchen and will hopefully be cooking my first meal in my new place sometime this week.

Getting my clothing organized has been the biggest hassle due to the change of seasons, BUT, I’ll take the 80-degree weather any time!  It has been absolutely gorgeous here, despite the threatening conditions.  Boy, talk about having to “take the good with the bad” - but that’s another post!

My biggest challenge right now is in trying to answer some of your comments on my earlier posts.  I don’t know if it’s an internet speed issue, WordPress issue, or what, but when I try to post a reply to your comments, I’m receiving an error.  Rest assured, I’ll be checking this out and getting it corrected very soon.

I am excited about blogging and writing again and sharing my life with all of you!  Let’s get and stay motivated together - what do you say?

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

My brother recently lost 2 homes in the tornado that destroyed most of West Liberty, KY. Having someone that close to me go through that made me stop and think about what is most important to me in life. (It’s just not the same to see it in the news.)

For the second year in a row now, I have declared “authenticity” as my “new year’s resolution,” or personal growth goal for the year. After more in-depth reflection, I came to the heart of what “authenticity” means to me: reaching my full potential. As in, allowing myself to be all I have become, and all I can become. As a result, I’ve made some changes in my habits, in my surroundings, and in my thinking. I now feel more “authentic” and genuine about my life’s path.

My challenge to you going into this weekend is to think about what would be most important to you if you KNEW that a tornado was going to swoop down and take nearly everything you own tonight. All of your current physical possessions would be gone forever. What would be the most important quality for you to have in order to rebuild your life?

My brother, his wife, and their daughter were not at home when the tornado struck. They had gone to a neighboring town for dinner. All they had when they returned home were the car they were in, (2 other vehicles were completely destroyed), each other, and their own lives. And they are grateful for all of that.

Once you’ve decided what is really most important to you, take some time this weekend to make plans around that. How could you build that quality up so that, in the event that something did destroy your physical surroundings, you would survive the setback a little stronger?

Eliminate all the extra stuff that gets in the way of making your top priority your top priority. Whether it’s physical clutter, emotional baggage, intellectual distraction, or spiritual emptiness, get serious about it. Don’t wait for a catastrophic event to make this decision for you. Be strong in who you are and nothing will be able to destroy you.

The people of West Liberty, Kentucky, are very strong, as are all survivors of natural catastrophe. And as much as we can do to help them, nothing replaces inner strength.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation