Archive for November, 2005

I am spending considerable time working through time management issues on my job with the advent of some new California State regulations. The state has mandated a new indentifier program for all students as part of the No-Child Left Behind act and the data reporting is very time consuming. This is on top of an already hectic tech schedule. My frustration level with E-mail overload hit a new high this week. I was out for over a week with my Dad’s memorial and you can imagine what I found when I returned. Where does it all come from?

I found an interesting article on Genuine Curiosity today by Dwayne Melancon about keeping your inbox clean and using the GTD add-in for Outlook from the David Allen Company. I have used the GTD add-in for over a year now and I find it to be very useful. They fixed the major shutdown glitch over the summer and now it works very well. When I first loaded the plug-in I was able to reduce my inbox from over 1100 e-mails to just a handful. Dwayne’s post today gives some additional tips for KEEPING the inbox clean….

When I first got my inbox to empty, it became like a game of “whack-a-mole” and I became obsessed with keeping it clear at all times. That kept me from doing planned work, since I was so busy cleaning my inbox all the time. If you’re on that treadmill, here are a couple of tips to break the addiction:

* Schedule some uninterrupted time to get your email done each day and try to stick to it.
o Be aware of how many messages you typically handle in an hour, and keep an eye on how many you get each day so you don’t under-schedule this block of time. One morning, and one late afternoon block might work best - it’s all up to you.

* Turn off your email alerts and “dings” so you don’t get lured by email’s siren song when you should be doing something else. Emergency scanning is OK, but…

* Remember the two minute rule - and try to stick to it tightly for at least 3 weeks to see if you can develop a habit.
o Gadget Alert: For me, using the GTD add-in for Outlook has been a big factor in being able to stick to the two-minute rule - it makes it easy for me to quickly file, delegate, and defer items that would take more than two minutes to get done.

Dwayne’s post came at a good time for me. I set aside some E-Mail only time this week to get things under control.

To see how the Outlook add-in works check out the video link here.

As I was working out today, I was trying to think of some ways to motivate my wife and some of my co-workers to try the Body for Life exercise program. I went online to the BFL website and looked through some of their articles and found out there is a new book out by Dr Pamela Peeke. The book specializes in a women’s body for life program and may be the kick-start that women need to start weight training and exercising. It breaks the program down into specific areas that are of concern to women. In reading the reviews, it sounds like many women have found success with the book.

As I have restarted the program I have thought about varying the aerobic training to include cycling. My Dad was an avid cyclist and that form of exercise was easy on the body and kept him in shape well into his 80’s. Cycling though has never been real exciting to me but a friend told me to check out the Trek Bicycles website. Wow! They have some cool exercise tools. I even checked out their link on Tandem bicycles but I realized I’ll have enough trouble riding myself without worrying about a passenger. With one of their bikes exercise would certainly be fun.

I talked with my wife about starting the program and she mentioned that she would need a reward for working out so hard. I asked her what would motivate her and she immediately pointed out some
modern tanzanite ring settings in one of her magazines. Being a novice at jewelry I went to the web to learn more about this blue jewel. I found a site about grading tanzanite and also realized there were tanzanite auctions online. But I needed some more information including the big one… price. In doing a little research I found a site specializing in discount tanzanite which sounds real good to me.

The bottom line may be some creative shopping this Holiday season. A new bike and a blue jewel may add some needed motivation to complete the 90 day program.

In my post yesterday I talked about determination versus motivation. I am a big fan of motivation. I like to find new ways to motivate myself to do things I don’t like to do. I like taking a difficult task and making a game out of it. Rewards are always helpful in motivation. How many people could lose 20 pounds if someone was willing to give them a million dollars to do it? I bet many people would even do it for a thousand dollars. While motivation is great it doesn’t always work in the long run. It’s hard to stay motivated. Boredom or apathy soon take over and once the motivation is gone so is the intended action or goal.

I have found John Maxwell’s quote…

“The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.”

to be quite true. In the past month I have been trying to motivate myself to start the Body for Life exercise program again. I have looked for someone to start the program with me. Maybe even a weight loss contest. Nothing seemed to work out. With the holidays coming nobody wanted to take on the challenge.

Body for Life is a pretty big commitment with weight training 45 minutes/day for three days a week and 20 minutes of Aerobics three other days. You do get a free day every week. The basic program lasts 12 weeks. This exercise program along with a sensible eating plan works wonders.

But it’s not easy. It actually rather painful and takes lots of motivation.

After I read John’s Quotation… I asked myself… how about determination? His key words “Just Do It” flashed across my mind.

I woke up yesterday morning and said those words first thing… and you know what… I did it.

I did the same thing today… and I did it again.

Maybe there is something to this “determination” stuff?

As I have been working through many issues in the last two weeks since my Dad passed away, I have found comfort in a couple of quotations by John Maxwell. The two that have really made a difference are…

“The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.”

“As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become. Take action on your behavior. Too many people want to feel, then take action. This never works.”

One of the things that kept my dad going for 94 years was his love of exercise. Ever since I was a little kid he would get up every morning at 4:30 and go ride his bike for an hour or two. He would even get up in the dead of winter, bundle up in two jackets and gloves and head out. His determination was amazing. I want this habit in my life.

My problem has always been that I don’t “feel” like exercising. It’s real easy to go back to bed and say I’ll do that tomorrow. I’m going to try Maxwell’s solution and just do it. It worked for my Dad. I’m going to “begin to act the part of the person you would like to become,” which in this case is my Father.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Hey… It’s cold outside…

As I think about Thanksgiving I find I’m thankful for many things.

I am thankful for friends and family that I so often take for granted.

I am thankful for the time I was able to spend with my dad before he passed on.

I am thankful for all of the blogging friends I’ve made since this site started in April

I am thankful for all of the “Shoeboxes of Love” that people donated at my dad’s memorial that will be distributed all over the world this Christmas.

I am thankful I live in a free country where I can speak freely, blog profusely, and spend time worshiping God without persecution. Continue Reading »
What I’m Thankful For

This has been a rather tough week with my dad passing on. All sorts of emotions well up and the questions outweigh the answers. It has also been rather stressful looking for documents, making phone calls, and arranging all of the details. Thank you all for the kind and encouraging words and comments this week.

One of the toughest things has been the advent of the Christmas season. My dad loved Christmas. He loved to give gifts to the grand kids and watch them open them. My dad was an artist by profession. When my sister and I were little he would wrap our packages with brown wrapping paper, draw pictures on them and write our names in large calligraphy. This always made Christmas special. This will be our First Christmas without him.

As we were planning Dad’s memorial service we tried to figure out a way to celebrate who he was. I happened to see a flyer at church about a program called “Operation Christmas Child” which is a ministry to children around the world sponsored by the Billy Graham organization. Once I saw the pictures I realized it was a perfect way to continue his legacy.

The idea of the program is to fill a shoebox with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and non-perishable candy and the Samaritans Purse ministry will distribute them as a Christmas presents to children who are in need.

We will be celebrating my dad’s life in a memorial service next Tuesday. We have put out the word to friends and family for them to bring a shoebox for a child instead of flowers or other gifts.

I know he will be smiling down from heaven when he sees all the boxes at the front of his service and know they will give children around the world a Christmas like he used to give us.

If you would like to give your own shoebox of love to a needy child you can find details here.