jkjkjk
Making plans is only the beginning.
Keeping on track is one of my biggest problems. I love dreaming up ideas. I could do it all day long. Of course, if all you ever do is think in the future, your present goes stagnant. Doing the work is my nemesis. I am always on the lookout for new ways to keep me on track. The best possible work situation for my type of personality is where I get teamed with a very conscientious plodder who can keep me focused on what needs to be done. Still in the workplace there was enough structure that I couldn’t get too flaky.
In Retirement, I’m all alone.
In retirement, it is easy to skip the actual work. If there is a to be a structure to keep you working your plan then you have to provide it. It takes discipline to keep focused on those tasks that actually move you forward to success. And when you are doing new things, learning new skills and forming new habits, you don’t have experience to confirm that you are making progress. It’s easy to fool yourself.
Looking for tools.
I’ve explored many ways to boost my focus. I prepared work plans that dedicate my working time to the activities I need to complete. It’s a good start but a plan is only good when it is followed. Without recording your time and checking how well you are following your plan, you might just as well not have the plan.
My latest effort.
I spent a day making a 12 week plan, a few weeks back. It was a beautiful thing. I listed the tasks I would be focused on, dates for completion of important steps and hours per week on each activity. I had to estimate time requirements but I felt reasonably sure that the framework was good. I knew that I might have to adjust the plan as I got into the tasks but I was pleased with the effort; Then came the hard part. Following it.
The idea was that I would enter my time each day and that I would check progress each week. Today I confess that it’s been two weeks since I entered time and three since I checked. Ooops!
Staying accountable is hard.
Taking a break and entering my activity is revealing. The stats shows that I haven’t worked the number of hours I planned. In terms of the tasks I preformedin those hours, the news isn’t good either. The activity shows that the hours worked were dedicated to current activities with almost no work logged for the new tasks. While I knew this down deep in my heart, seeing those numbers made the point. I am not doing what I need to do to make my plan happen.
Success is optional
It’s not vital that I work my plan. Life goes on either way. My days are filled. Still, there is something missing. Each day is routine. There is no exhilaration at moving foreward. The tasks that I avoid are the ones that push me into new areas. I don’t know what I am doing and face the fear of making mistakes or looking foolish. When I avoid that fear I limit myself and block the potential hidden inside.
So that’s why I keep looking for ways to keep me focused, moving forward and breaking new ground. That’s why I force myself to check my progress.
I have similar feelings regarding my banjo playing progress. I have reached a plateau where I can do alright at bluegrass jams, but know that there is so much more that I want to learn.
But scheduling time to practice is not the same as actually practicing. Learning banjo (at least, for me) is such an intense mental challenge that I have approach/avoidance issues with it. Just an explanation, not an excuse.
It helps me to set more or less artificial deadlines. As in learning a certain song by the next jam or some other event. Still, it’s not totally the answer (I can be a splendid procrastinator – particularly when I am in the middle of a great book.), but it’s one way to respond when one very challenging passion competes with a much more accessible passion.
I particularly liked your last paragraph. Right on.
Banjo Steve,
Thanks for sharing your experience. It helps a lot to know that people who I believe to be on top of things are striving to improve. Your experience encourages me to push myself into the uncomfortable world of new.
Ralph…remember, you’re retired! If not moving forward is frustrating for ya, try moving backwards. I don’t mean this to be a bunch of “Hansi” BS. But consider re-exploring some old ground, activity, passion, you once had. It’s worked for me with drawing, now blogging, and even going back to work with a new attitude. Me thinks you’re being too hard on yourself 🙂
Hansi’s last Blog Post ..Reptile Dysfunction Redux
Hansi,
Being hard on myself is what I do. Seriously though, I do have some big goals and I won’t get to them without some serious ass-kicking. Nobody said retirement was a walk in the park, especially me.