Joel’s Scattered Thoughts

I like this idea Increase Productivity with the 3 Open Project Method. It might be a good way to go on days when I have a couple of projects to get through, especially when I’m having trouble getting motivated.

Well, I made it 201 days of doing about 20 minutes of dedicated exercise per day.  I went from June 10 to December 27, 2008.  What broke the chain was discouragement. 

With the holidays here my regular routine has been broken and I haven’t been feeling up to doing much.  Doing the hundred pushups has been very discouraging.  I made it up to 60 pushups with a few snags but nothing serious.  I’ve been stuck at sixty pushups for about a month now and I just can’t seem to make it past that.  I did my exhaustion test yesterday and once again only hit 60.  I kept putting off giving it another shot and woke up this morning realizing I’d only done about 10 minutes of exercise yesterday. 

I plan to resume  my daily exercise, I’m just not sure if I’m going to continue the hundred pushups program.  Doing the pushups is starting to hurt a lot, which is not at all what I want from a fitness program.  The lack of progress is frustrating.  Maybe I’ll pause my hundred pushups for now, do another exercise program for a while, then think about coming back to it later. 

Project Euler Exercises Your Mind with Mathematical Problems looks like something I’d like to check out. Heinlein once suggested mathematics as a great way to fill empty hours. I don’t have so many of those any more, but I have studied various bits of math on my own to fill up wasted time productively. Maybe this can be one of my projects this winter.

I’m making progress on my push ups. I’m up to 31 now. Only 69 to go!

The Art of Manliness has a good post on How to Write a Thank You Note. I’ve been thinking about doing this more as one of my projects. I’m trying to gradually ramp up with self-improvement stuff as I think I’m likelier to stick with it that way.

Every two weeks or so I buy a pack of Coke Zero to drink.  Sadly, I’m going to have to quit doing that.  For some reason it seems to make me twitchy and irritable.  Ah well, with winter coming fast a hot cup of tea is a fully viable alternative. 

My daily workout program has been going well.  I’ve stuck with it for over 18 weeks now without missing a day.  For a change of pace, I’m going to do hundred pushups program for my strength workout.  My initial test was a little embarrassing at only 19 pushups - I’d been up to almost 50 about 4 years ago.  Ah well, I’ll get there. 

The reasons I chose the hundred pushups are that it requires minimal equipment, it has a definite, achievable goal, and it fits beautifully with my current workout schedule. 

Larisa’s post on Why Do I WoW? struck a lot of chords with me. 

Like her, I really wasn’t that into team play growing up.  I still find myself repelled by most group activities.  Doing things with a team and enjoying it gives me some perspective on those who love doing things with other people.

The way WoW makes self-improvement fun is also a critical part of my enjoyment of the game.  The Ferrett had a post way back when about wishing that leveling skills in real life were as quantifiable as leveling skills in an RPG.  (Sorry I can’t find the specific post.)  In WoW it’s easy to see when your character has gotten better at something - a number scrolls across your screen.  Once you reach max levels and you’re not getting those number you can start setting specific goals pretty easily, e.g. "I will not let the warlock pull off of me this evening."  The goals are achievable and concrete.

Having a world to explore is a lot of fun.  That was one of my favorite things about moving to a new area in real life - finding all the neat new places that are out there.  I’m not likely to move soon so WoW gives a bit of an outlet to my wanderlust.

I wouldn’t identify the kicks as a big reason for me to play WoW.  A big crit can be fun and it’s exhilarating to down a new boss, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep pulling me back.

Socializing is another of the big reasons I play WoW.  Many eons ago I told a college friend that I would love to do my socializing via typing on a computer network.  Now I can!  As a bonus, I get to play games while socializing and games have always been one of my favorite ways of connecting with people.

I’ve identified other reasons that I play WoW in previous posts, but I’d have to say that I strongly empathize with four out of Larisa’s five.

Micro Persuasion: Become an Expert with the Power of Deliberate Practice gives the tried and true response to becoming better at something - Practice! The notable addition is that you track what you’re doing. I know I tend to be more motivated to keep going if I keep track of what I’ve learned.

Motivation: Commit a Habit to Paper to Break It

You have to write down your goal. Write a start date. Write an end date (30 days is a good time frame). Write down exactly what you’re going to do. Write down how you’re going to be accountable, what your rewards are, what the obstacles are, what your triggers are. More on these below. Main thing: put it on paper and stick to the plan (don’t file the plan in your inbox, you piler you!

I’ve found this works remarkably well to keep me motivated. What I’ve done is mash up the Franklin Virtue Chart and Seinfeld’s motivational calendar into something that works for me. Now I need to bring it out of the few areas where I apply it into other places where I could use some improvement.

Bad habits cannot just be thrown out the window, but gently coaxed down the stairs step by step and then out the door.
—Mark Twain

PocketMod: The Free Recyclable Personal Organizer looks like it might be useful. I liked the Lifehacker suggestions.