Freewheel or Stuck?

I like collaborating to design a day rather than being a thumb tack in the hands of a corporation that pins me to a wall! Ellen Weber quote

NOT

If you take the risk for entrepreneurship and design your days, how then do you stay on track? That can be a nemesis for many... and especially me. Here're tips to stay on target and avoid distractions.

Design a day with targets that place goals at the center.

Keep a daily calendar

1. Write doable daily tasks with expected time frames to complete (Writing down increases likelihood of achieving)

2. Look at list of tasks throughout day

3. Check off tasks accomplished

4. Reward yourself weekly or monthly for increased accomplishment

Keep Big Picture in Mind

1. Create larger action plan with milestones - include time frames to complete milestones

2. Keep vision of outcome in mind. Pin picture or poster representing desired outcome on wall

3. Put poem or motto, where you see it, to inspire your vision

Daily Steps

1. Plan to earn a dollar a day and much more

2. Actions that step you closer to full achievement of goal

3. Attitude tuned to "can do"4. Network to build relationships and contacts

How might you tap into more of your left brain's proclivity for logic and organization to orchestrate the road map for your vision?

Target to Meet Challenges for 2008

Tell me truthfully -- how many New Year's Resolutions did you keep from last year? According to a survey taken by Franklin Covey, the top three resolutions were to (1) Get out of debt or save money; (2) Lose weight; (3) Develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating. When you think about New Year's Resolutions what would it take to make them more than good intentions? Fact is, most resolutions wind up as just good intentions, but you can change that!

Unless you and I target a daily or weekly plan and actually put feet to our resolutions, we can miss goals we truly want to achieve. So what could make the difference for a bigger bank account, a more svelte body and great physical and mental conditioning? Here're some helps to make 2008 New Year's resolutions become reality...

List your resolutions Jotting things down helps you figure out what you really want to do with your time, according to Kathleen McGowan, so that you get a handle on whether your goals are realistic.

And, here's a great strategy... Once you've displayed resolutions on the refrigerator door, there's no avoiding them. When they're staring at you every morning on the bathroom mirror, it's harder to forget that you made those promises to yourself.

Reprogram your brain... Every day that you begin to cut back on spending, for instance, you reprogram your brain for a new routine. Old patterns are stored in the basal ganglia of your brain and they don't change overnight. Your brain has great plasticity so that it can change. For example, the more you begin to be more frugal, the more your brain will help you develop a mindset for a more frugal lifestyle.

Go easy on yourself if you slip up once in awhile and start the next day with new resolve by discovering yet another way to save.

Make a game out of your resolution. Games are fun. Nobody likes doing something because they have to do it. So reward yourself now and then along the way. This will bring you more Serotonin, a brain hormone that brings well-being.

And, here's another strategy to bring more Serotonin...

Stay positive! When you think of possibilities you'll be challenged to see if you can make them a reality. Keeping a positive mindset actually helps make your resolve to save more money a reality.

Ready to give resolutions another try in 2008? I don't know about you, but I slipped when too much good food was served at Christmas so I've got some work to do as I launch the New Year! And I want to make svelte body a reality, not just a good intention!

Turtles Challenge Us to Reach Goals

Turtles speed along at 10-12 mph in water or 3-4 mph on land! Surprise you as it did me? We all know the story about the tortoise and the hare in which the hare beats the turtle hands down in reaching the finish line first. Why turtles? Bob Glaza tagged me for the Turtle Meme, and I wondered if turtles were depicted well in fairy tales...

Another fascinating fact about turtles is that snapping turtles can strech their jaws to devour food bigger than their mouths. Ever watched one devour a frog?

With these turtle facts in mind here's my response to the turtle meme. Hmm... what're some goals I'd like to accomplish - things that would be fascinating and fun to do that I haven't done... Here goes...

Goals to swim quickly for:

1. Take the whole family on a vacation. What fun my husband and I would have with our three children, their mates and our five grandsons. It's something I'd really enjoy doing. With lots of planning maybe we can pull it off.

2. Put on a big barbeque for all the folks who have prospered the MITA work Dr. Ellen Weber and I do. Such a party would be a wonderful way to celebrate with others who've helped us grow.

3. Take more Day Hops... [a site visited in a day's time]. There are so many natural and historical wonders in the world close by that I'd like to see and enjoy. One way to refresh and renew is to step out of the ordinary routines and get outside and enjoy our environment. I don't do enough of this and need to target it more weekly.

Goals to stretch:

1. Help people in Third World. I'd like to go to a country in Africa or Asia where I can share practical brain based approaches with people who would like to be "Tigers with Wings." When working in China, a leader told Dr. Ellen Weber and me, Before you came I was a Tiger. Now, I am a Tiger with Wings. I would like to see that happen for people in third world countries who would prosper.

2. Write a book. I've learned much about writing and engaging others on my blog. Next step would be to pick the best and with new additions organize and publish MITA brain based tactics in business as a handy resource for leaders.

3. Grow as a Tech Geek. There are several areas in which my hands have been tied as a blogger because I came with more content and writing strengths than HTML and programming savvy. Though I keep gaining, my progress still looks like the "slow" turtle in Aesop's Fables.

4. Learn to Paint... Though I have mentioned this desire, I have not taken the steps to do it. Writing it here...yet again, is a great reminder. Painting will help me view the world in different ways...it will help me stretch my imagination in new ways.

One more fact about turtles... many are listed as an endangered species. So for turtles to be all they can be, they need help and encouragement of a wider community.

Folks already tagged are: Cord Robyn Cam Sandy Jodee Ben David Liz David Matthew Robert Tully Karin Bob

Here's the rules* - make your post and refer back to this one. Tag one, two, three, five, ten - number doesn't matter - members of your community. You need to tell them they are tagged. Then copy the list of those already tagged to the end of your post. I have no idea how it will work but lets see if turtles move :)

I'm tagging: Bob Hruzek Anna Farmery GL Hoffman Cody Mckibben Ellen Weber

Spend Time and Save Time Simultaneously

I read a phrase in Liz Strauss's blog yesterday that stuck, Spend Time and Save Time Simultaneously. She added, "Time is a paradox of meaningful or meaningless moments. We can lose track of it. We can waste it or wait for our time to be over. She concluded, "I need to spend more time that I can save as memories." To spend time well, I sense, is akin to creating a great work of art.

Dreams or goals do not come about haphazardly, as if I painted with daubs and splashes as Jackson Pollock. Without planning, the end result's likely haphazard. And, I'd live with regrets rather than the meaningful moments Liz mentions.

Milestones and Memories make a difference in the way you and I choose to spend time. How? Milestones are accomplishments attained...Memories are made by spending precious times with those we love. Balance between the two is critical...

Interestingly, Ellen Weber once shared, "You cannot give to others unless you are filled and happy within yourself." The younger Robyn ran on empty because she gave and gave to everyone and consequently ran on fumes... Do you ever find yourself in this position?

On the other hand, when I began to top off my tank, such as when I took four years out to earn a PhD, I reached a milestone -- that filled a need within and part of a larger dream. And now when I give to others, there's balance between milestones and memories. A work of art in progress...

Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness tagged me to share what habits I have to achieve my goals. Here's how this works for me...

1. Fulfill a Dream. Begin here. When reading Natalie Goldberg's books on writing, she suggested that readers write details about a dream. I discovered I didn't have a dream. So, I prayed for one that would bring meaning. It took time and the answer came unexpectedly. But when I caught hold of the dream, I began to organize to save and spend simultaneously my minutes, hours, days, weeks... I tapped gifts and talents that had shriveled.

2. Make an Action Plan. By having an action plan to reach a goal, I break down steps, which I jot into a daily planner or calendar. In past, that was missing and I "winged my days" so to speak. When I began to see the big picture, I did not get caught in the moment by pressing circumstances. This only happens when I...

3. Create a Daily Checklist. That includes time for tasks such as, work priorities, exercise, family events, reading and writing, well-balanced meals and fun, too. There's a sense of accomplishment as I scratch these off. The secret's not to include more than is humanly possible to accomplish in a day.

4. Plan a reward system. To accomplish major milestones, rewards along the way work well. I'm very human. The milestone can seem very distant and it's so easy for a person like me, who built procrastination into her basal ganglia for years, to fall back. Rewards are a great way to stick to the path. Plan times and kinds of rewards... Here's a hint -- avoid food rewards.

5. Reflect to adjust and change. Daily reflection helps me see where I am, what is working well and what needs changing.

6. Celebrate. Share share plans and dreams with others who care about you. These folks then encourage you along the journey. And because they're very much aboard, celebrate with them as you reach milestones. Because you are filled, you'll spill over to others in meaningful ways.

Rick, these are the steps that made a dream a reality for me - that lifted me from a place of merely flowing with the tide. I've learned to spend time and save time simultaneously...by setting goals and having a system to insure I follow through with them...as in a realistic painting.

Keep Up with Today’s Tactics to Organize!

Yesterday, Xerox Corporation announced that it has developed self-erasing paper. If your file cabinet’s inundated by papers to discard, you’ll quickly capture the beauty of self-erasing paper, which tested to print over 50 different documents on the same page. What a great way to cut down on filing chores and consumption of paper! And, there’s more when you cosinder how much paper that saves!

In a similar way, why not reconsider routines and try on Today’s Tactics for fit? Compare these with Traditions as they're paired below:

Tradition: Keep a To-Do list

Today’s Tactic: Rather than use a post-it or envelope to keep track of daily targets, register with a trusted web site such as Google, which now offers Google Desktop. New Google gadgets available to keep track of your must-do’s are Todo List or Scratch Pad. Check off completed items and drag and drop others. And, try Orkut Birthdays to provide plenty of time to send a card or plan a party right from your desktop or now, even your cell phone!

Tradition: Store files in Computer Hard Drive for safety.

Today’s Tactic: Use a web site that offers free Web 2 access. Web 2 access allows storage of all your computer’s documents and files. Best part is they're now available other computers as you travel. For instance, Google offers Search Across Computers. Google describes how it works…

Search Across Computers

Search Across Computers enables you to search your documents and viewed web pages across all your computers. For example, you can find files you edited on your desktop from your laptop. To activate this reature, you will need a Google Account (the same login you use for Gmail, Orkut, or other Google services). Files accessed on your computer after you enable Search Across Computers will be searchable from your other computers. To search your other computers you must also install Google Desktop on them as well as enable the Search Across Computers preference using the same Google Account on each one.

In order to share your indexed files between your computers, we securely transmit this content to Google Desktop servers located at Google. This is necessary, for example, if one of your computers is turned off or otherwise offline when new or updated items are indexed on another of your machines. We store this data temporarily on Google Desktop servers and automatically delete older files, and your data is never accessible by anyone doing a Google search. You can learn more by reading the Google Desktop privacy policy.

Search Across Computers makes the following files searchable from your other computers:

· Web history (from Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape and Mozilla)
· Microsoft Word documents
· Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
· Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
· PDF files and Text files in My Documents

Note: Your HTTPS web history will never be shared with your other computers, whether or not you allow indexing HTTPS items on one of your computers.

Tradition: Process mail daily.

Today’s Tactic: If you’re up-to-date with bills, save time by managing mail weekly. Try this… Scan the mail for anything critical every day. Then, recycle or throw away junk, then put the rest in a tray of your tiered desktop basket. Simply designate a day to sort through the contents weekly.

Tradition: Buy gifts throughout the year and store till needed.

Today’s Tactic: Avoid storing generic gifts such as candles or after-shaves that take up room in your closet…and do not work well. If you’re in a pinch, buy gift cards for restaurants, games, movies, theatre, magazine subscriptions… Best part, gift card easily fit into your greeting.

Changes seem scary at first and perhaps major battles with technology left you skeptical. Do I hear you saying, “If it works, don’t fix it”? Why not give your noodle a new challenge... Thoughts?