I feel the flesh on my bones weighing heavy and dense.
As my muscles within, sporadically grow frightfully tense.
I feel my spirit spiraling down towards weak.
Every time I part my lips to courageously speak.
A million sins cause my death, their hands wrapping around my throat.
Desperately grasping my freedom that originally arrived by boat.
Forcing my cooperation swirls of wine trickle droplets onto my tongue.
Unhealthy air chokes me as it moves thick throughout my lungs.
A world surrounded by dangers caused by violent adjectives, verbs, nouns.
Words roll off my lips easily; into your ears they are forever bound.
Never winning battles as I fight harsh hate with pure love.
Evil and violence always seem to be the only ones to overcome.
As I travel steep hills and climb rocky mountains,
My only one true goal is to reach a place filled with peace once again.
I pray God washes away my piles of sin, wrong, and lies.
And I ask your understanding the next time you look in a sinner’s eyes.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
How to Beat the Procrastination Habit
I am a procrastinator. I always have been. It's a character flaw, and I admit it. I've tried all sorts of things to beat the habit — Getting Things Done, e-mail reminders, dozens of list systems — but the only thing that seems to work is to: Do it now.
This is blindingly obvious, I know, but many people lose sight of this fundamental skill. It's not that we don't know that we should do things now; it's that we've forgotten how. Here are some techniques I've been using to try to force myself to get to now:
Set aside blocks of time to do things. When I was talking with my wellness coach earlier this year, she asked me why I didn't exercise more often. "I don't have the time," I said. "Something always comes up." She wasn't impressed. "J.D.," she said, "You have to make time. Make an appointment with yourself to run or to go for a bike ride." The same principle applies to other things you might procrastinate.
Kris and I used to schedule a block of time on Saturday morning specifically to clean the house. Each week we'd tackle a different room. If we didn't do this, I'd just put it off for weeks (or months). Pick an hour a day to get things done.
If it comes to mind, then do it. Often I'll be sitting on the back porch reading a book, and it will occur to me that some chore needs to be done — pruning the laurel hedge, for example. "I need to write that down so I can remember it," I tell myself. Wrong! What usually happens is that I forget to write it down, and even if I do, I just look at the list and procrastinate for weeks on end. The best move is to actually do the chore when I think of it. (Assuming, of course, that I have the time at that moment. Which I usually do.)
Use a timer to bring you back to reality. Part of the reason I procrastinate is that I have a rich mental life. This is just a flowery way of saying that I'm a daydreamer. I'm always lost in thought. One way to keep on track is to use a timer. I use the Ultrak Jumbo Countdown Timer, but not as often as I should. I set it for 48 minutes. When it goes off, it serves as an instant reality check: Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?
Do not multitask. Oh, how I love multitasking. "I'm great at doing many things at once," I told Kris once. She gave me one of those looks. "No, you're not," she said. "You're great at starting many things at once, but you never actually do any of them." Ouch! But she's right. In order for me to get something done, I need to focus my attention on it. Trying to do several things at once is a sure way to be sure they'll all be unfinished tomorrow.
Modify your environment to eliminate distractions.Distractions feed procrastination. How many of these have you told yourself: "I'll just check e-mail one more time before I start.","I'll go for a walk after I finish reading this magazine.","I can paint the house next weekend. I want to watch the Seahawks game today."
Whenever possible, eliminate distractions. Remove clutter and snack items from your workspace. When working on your computer, only keep the programs you need open. (Ha! I feel like a hypocrite for advising this — I can't even make myself close my e-mail client for five minutes.) Keep your office tidy. Don't turn on the television unless there's something specific you intend to watch.
Compare your actions with your personal values. Last week I wrote that it doesn't matter what we say is important to us — the things that are priorities in our lives are the things we actually do. How does what you do mesh with what you believe? If you say that getting out of debt is important to you, are you actually doing the things that will lead you to get out of debt? If one of your goals is to fit into your old Levi's, how is watching another episode of The Office going to help you achieve that? Go for a walk!
Take back your brain! I've mentioned this website before in the context of marketing. Its premise is simple: Instead of letting advertisers persuade you, use marketing techniques to advertise to yourself. While this is a great way to fight consumer culture, it's also a smart way to combat procrastination. Create some in-home (or in-office) advertising to remind you to stop putting things off, to encourage you to do it now.
Beating procrastination isn't rocket science, but it is psychology. For many of us, that's just as difficult. It's scary how well this Psychology Today article describes me. If only it gave some tips on how to move beyond this. Instead it offers one small slice of solace:
Procrastinators can change their behavior — but doing so consumes a lot of psychic energy. And it doesn't necessarily mean one feels transformed internally. It can be done with highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy.
Can you tell I've been struggling with procrastination lately? This is something I'll continue to work on. If you have any tips or stories, I'd love to hear them. Meanwhile, it must be time to read The War of Art again. Maybe I'll do that next week…
This is blindingly obvious, I know, but many people lose sight of this fundamental skill. It's not that we don't know that we should do things now; it's that we've forgotten how. Here are some techniques I've been using to try to force myself to get to now:
Set aside blocks of time to do things. When I was talking with my wellness coach earlier this year, she asked me why I didn't exercise more often. "I don't have the time," I said. "Something always comes up." She wasn't impressed. "J.D.," she said, "You have to make time. Make an appointment with yourself to run or to go for a bike ride." The same principle applies to other things you might procrastinate.
Kris and I used to schedule a block of time on Saturday morning specifically to clean the house. Each week we'd tackle a different room. If we didn't do this, I'd just put it off for weeks (or months). Pick an hour a day to get things done.
If it comes to mind, then do it. Often I'll be sitting on the back porch reading a book, and it will occur to me that some chore needs to be done — pruning the laurel hedge, for example. "I need to write that down so I can remember it," I tell myself. Wrong! What usually happens is that I forget to write it down, and even if I do, I just look at the list and procrastinate for weeks on end. The best move is to actually do the chore when I think of it. (Assuming, of course, that I have the time at that moment. Which I usually do.)
Use a timer to bring you back to reality. Part of the reason I procrastinate is that I have a rich mental life. This is just a flowery way of saying that I'm a daydreamer. I'm always lost in thought. One way to keep on track is to use a timer. I use the Ultrak Jumbo Countdown Timer, but not as often as I should. I set it for 48 minutes. When it goes off, it serves as an instant reality check: Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?
Do not multitask. Oh, how I love multitasking. "I'm great at doing many things at once," I told Kris once. She gave me one of those looks. "No, you're not," she said. "You're great at starting many things at once, but you never actually do any of them." Ouch! But she's right. In order for me to get something done, I need to focus my attention on it. Trying to do several things at once is a sure way to be sure they'll all be unfinished tomorrow.
Modify your environment to eliminate distractions.Distractions feed procrastination. How many of these have you told yourself: "I'll just check e-mail one more time before I start.","I'll go for a walk after I finish reading this magazine.","I can paint the house next weekend. I want to watch the Seahawks game today."
Whenever possible, eliminate distractions. Remove clutter and snack items from your workspace. When working on your computer, only keep the programs you need open. (Ha! I feel like a hypocrite for advising this — I can't even make myself close my e-mail client for five minutes.) Keep your office tidy. Don't turn on the television unless there's something specific you intend to watch.
Compare your actions with your personal values. Last week I wrote that it doesn't matter what we say is important to us — the things that are priorities in our lives are the things we actually do. How does what you do mesh with what you believe? If you say that getting out of debt is important to you, are you actually doing the things that will lead you to get out of debt? If one of your goals is to fit into your old Levi's, how is watching another episode of The Office going to help you achieve that? Go for a walk!
Take back your brain! I've mentioned this website before in the context of marketing. Its premise is simple: Instead of letting advertisers persuade you, use marketing techniques to advertise to yourself. While this is a great way to fight consumer culture, it's also a smart way to combat procrastination. Create some in-home (or in-office) advertising to remind you to stop putting things off, to encourage you to do it now.
Beating procrastination isn't rocket science, but it is psychology. For many of us, that's just as difficult. It's scary how well this Psychology Today article describes me. If only it gave some tips on how to move beyond this. Instead it offers one small slice of solace:
Procrastinators can change their behavior — but doing so consumes a lot of psychic energy. And it doesn't necessarily mean one feels transformed internally. It can be done with highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy.
Can you tell I've been struggling with procrastination lately? This is something I'll continue to work on. If you have any tips or stories, I'd love to hear them. Meanwhile, it must be time to read The War of Art again. Maybe I'll do that next week…
Pantomime
Pantomimes like pageants, need to be very well planned, and it is essential that initial organization should begin many weeks in advance of the production date. Pantomimes are nearly always divided into separate scenes, very often taking place in different countries or even in different centuries. It is therefore necessary that there should be an overall unity of design culminating in the grand finale. This latter is really just an excuse for visual effects, and for once the performers become merely cloths hangers on which to put elaborate garments.
The scene should be discussed at some length with the producer so that the background, which is decided upon, does not present impossibilities for the provision of costumes within the budget or insuperable making problems for the wardrobe. Because of the large numbers of costumes needed full use must be made of the cheapest materials available, such as tarlatan (thin, stiff, open-weave muslin) nets and inexpensive cottons and taffetas. Very often it is possible to pick up goods that have been substantially reduced in price as cheap lines either in the big stores or on stalls in street markets.
Costumes for pantomimes need to be imaginative, gay and fairly bold in conception—this does not mean that they need to be garish. Usually in one scene there needs to be the flavor of what is newest at the moment in clothes. It is always a good idea to make use of a modern gimmick and to point it in some way if this can be conveniently fitted into the scheme. The audience comes to pantomime to have the eye feasted as much as for any other purpose, thus making a great chance for the designer to excel. Because of the very varied audience to be catered for there must be costumes to please patrons of all ages and delight the eyes of toddlers, teenagers, parents and grandparents.
Usually there is the chance for some country scene involving merry-making peasants in ginghams, stripes of chintzes. There may be a military or naval routine or some number emphasizing precision and calling for trim slick costumes. There is certain to be a ballet which is to look fairy-like or romantic and pretty and which may well need either classical or romantic tutus. The finale, which must be the most spectacular of all, is often set in a ballroom or palace where all the characters come together to make their final bows; and it is for this scene that the glitter of sequins and jewels, the sparkle of tinsel, the gold and silver materials and the waving plumes should be saved.
It may be helpful to examine the different characters and the various scenes in which they are likely to appear. They remain much the same in all pantomimes; the flavor varying according to the setting—so that a s\dash of the Orient, or the particular feeling of a historical epoch is added to the standard costume.
The scene should be discussed at some length with the producer so that the background, which is decided upon, does not present impossibilities for the provision of costumes within the budget or insuperable making problems for the wardrobe. Because of the large numbers of costumes needed full use must be made of the cheapest materials available, such as tarlatan (thin, stiff, open-weave muslin) nets and inexpensive cottons and taffetas. Very often it is possible to pick up goods that have been substantially reduced in price as cheap lines either in the big stores or on stalls in street markets.
Costumes for pantomimes need to be imaginative, gay and fairly bold in conception—this does not mean that they need to be garish. Usually in one scene there needs to be the flavor of what is newest at the moment in clothes. It is always a good idea to make use of a modern gimmick and to point it in some way if this can be conveniently fitted into the scheme. The audience comes to pantomime to have the eye feasted as much as for any other purpose, thus making a great chance for the designer to excel. Because of the very varied audience to be catered for there must be costumes to please patrons of all ages and delight the eyes of toddlers, teenagers, parents and grandparents.
Usually there is the chance for some country scene involving merry-making peasants in ginghams, stripes of chintzes. There may be a military or naval routine or some number emphasizing precision and calling for trim slick costumes. There is certain to be a ballet which is to look fairy-like or romantic and pretty and which may well need either classical or romantic tutus. The finale, which must be the most spectacular of all, is often set in a ballroom or palace where all the characters come together to make their final bows; and it is for this scene that the glitter of sequins and jewels, the sparkle of tinsel, the gold and silver materials and the waving plumes should be saved.
It may be helpful to examine the different characters and the various scenes in which they are likely to appear. They remain much the same in all pantomimes; the flavor varying according to the setting—so that a s\dash of the Orient, or the particular feeling of a historical epoch is added to the standard costume.
Through The Airplane Window
Kabul’s night-lighting along the earth’s curvature
is slight compared with the black space rising above
In this mighty starless space is an ornamental glowing bow of white letters to be read
EX INCT PEOPL
A sleeping TV reporter mutters
with a horse’s mouth
that the denied are hunted there they
won’t be allowed to reside
is slight compared with the black space rising above
In this mighty starless space is an ornamental glowing bow of white letters to be read
EX INCT PEOPL
A sleeping TV reporter mutters
with a horse’s mouth
that the denied are hunted there they
won’t be allowed to reside
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