Growing My Ta Da List

Turning “To Do” into “Ta Da”

Yesterday was an incredibly productive day, especially in light of my complete lack of progress on Friday. I took advantage of feeling infinitely better than I had on Friday to move a few things from my To Do list to my Ta Da list.

Not only did my walking buddy and I increase our walk again (getting ever closer to 2.5 miles!), but I’m hitting 10,000 steps more often now! I also took advantage of a day with no client demands to pay the mid-month bills, and better still, finally finish my 2023 books, and get my taxes started. Suffice it to say, unless I find some more business expenses, I get to pay a nice chunk in taxes this year on top of what I already deposited.

The latter has been nagging at me for a couple of months now, and as the due date is nearing, it feels good to have the bulk of that task off my list at last! Heaven knows, I came up with every excuse in the book to avoid working on it! The crazy part is, I didn’t have that much left to do on the books, and, while always onerous, the taxes weren’t a big deal either, aside from remembering I needed to use my external drive to install the software, and finding the software where I’d put it for safekeeping.

Clearing Space in Multiples

After tearing apart the bin on my dining room table turned desk where I tend to toss things to get them out of the way, and inadvertently trying to reinstall the 2022 version before remembering I’d put the software in the folder with the rest of my tax stuff, I fiddled with it until it finally allowed me to install it. (several error messages, and an unsuccessful attempt to use Intuit’s help site later) In fact, it was only by accident I finally found the Setup.exe file at all! My love/hate relationship with Intuit continues to lean more towards the hate side all the time!

In the process, my ADD brain took over, leading me to clean and reorganize the afore-mentioned bin, further reducing the piles on the table. This morning, I’m actually looking for things to clean and organize which won’t violate my current physical restrictions, though I am picking things up off the floor more and more every day by utilizing a kind of plie/squat method to avoid bending over too much. I’ve learned I do feel it if I overdo, or bend a little too far, which is a good thing, as it reminds me to continue moving cautiously in certain directions.

Making Space for More Stress Relief

I’d been vacillating over going to a St. Patrick’s Day dance today, but between feeling better, missing ballet and my walk on Friday, and getting so much off my plate yesterday, there’s no doubt in my mind a couple of hours of line dancing is in my immediate future!

As I sit here feeling more relaxed than I have in awhile, I’m reminded how good it feels to clear space, whether it’s physically, from the To Do list, or releasing old, tired thoughts and emotions from my head. I get to go to that place of ease I typically find during a massage, while on the dance floor, or when I’m able to focus on my breath for more than a nanosecond during one of my meditations. There might still be a thing or two weighing heavily on my mind, but now, those things have space to move around instead of merging together and forming one, big stress ball.

Everything at Once is NOT the Answer

Separating what weighs heavily makes it easier to deal with things one at a time, instead of trying to handle everything at once, which we all know is impossible, and only leads to frustration and…you’ve got it! More stress!

In my personal quest for a stress-free (or at least lower stress) life, regular clearings of space have become essential to the process. I can’t reduce my stress levels while I’m bombarding myself with all the things I think I need to get done right now. And I certainly can’t prioritize them, or plan a day or two to regain a modicum of control over my life if there’s no clear delineation between one stress inducing thought and the next!

Today, I get to revel in the feeling of a little space between the demands I make of myself, even if that space will be filled with something else before I have a chance to put up a fence or two to keep the critters out!

Grateful for Movement

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for adding to my Ta Da list instead of my To Do list yesterday.
2. I’m grateful for feeling better, and looking forward to walking and dancing.
3. I’m grateful for slow, easy breaths for at least another few minutes.
4. I’m grateful for the changes in my lifestyle which may have been forced on me now, but I’ve needed to make for a long time.
5. I’m grateful for feeling stronger, healthier, and more fit every day.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

Replace Addictive Behavior With Healthy Habits

Create Habits to Support Goals

In my mind, I set goals. Things like “I’ll edit another chapter of my memoir as soon as I’m back on schedule with my blogs.” Though I know both tasks are mutually exclusive, I treat one as a reward for achieving the other.

In fact, in some ways, I think I have it backwards. Getting to write another blog post or two is more of a reward for editing another chapter of my memoir than the other way around. Yet in my mind, this is the way it has to be. If nothing else, the blog has a solid, measurable deadline whereas I’ve yet to create one for the memoir that sticks.

As I mentioned recently, my current goal isn’t so much what I write every day, but that I write every day, not counting morning pages and daily gratitude posts. Actually, the goal is to write, or work on something writing-related every day for a decent number of hours though quantity isn’t specified.

Counting Successes Instead of Hours

I intentionally leave the amount of time open because I know it’s an arbitrary number, and has no bearing on how much I get accomplished. I’ve been known to knock out anywhere from 1000 to 3000 words in an hour, depending how focused I am, and how smoothly ideas and words flow from my fingers. Typing speed hasn’t been an issue for years. I’m one of the fortunate few who can usually keep up with a brain that emulates a runaway train most of the time.

The truth is, I’ve always been task-driven as opposed to time-driven. The idea of being in an office or at a desk for eight hours a day whether or not there’s work to be done has always made me itchy. I know I can get the same amount accomplished in four hours if left alone to focus and get it done. Often, I can accomplish more, despite my tendency to be easily distracted. That same trait also means I can hyper-focus until I finish whatever it is I’ve committed to completing.

I’m also not stuck in the rut which dictates work must be done between certain hours of the day. Some of my most productive times have occurred late at night, and well into the wee hours of the morning. Maybe it’s because distractions in those hours are at a minimum. Unless I’m communicating with people on the other side of the world, everyone who might be messaging me, or posting interesting bits that lead me from my productive path are safely asleep.

Sure, I have a couple of friends who are night owls like me, but most of the time, they’re using the same wee hours I am to accomplish their own goals so we putter happily along from our personal work spaces, leaving each other alone to create and build.

Thus the last thing I consider when I’m working on expanding the time I spend on writing pursuits is what time of day I’ll perform a certain task. For the most part, it’s simply a matter of telling myself I will sit and write/edit/research/study for enough hours every day to accomplish certain goals.

Opting for Healthier Choices

Even my goals aren’t fixed in time, space, or nature. Right now, my primary goal is to get my blog queue filled to its scheduled level again. Once that’s done, my goal will be three posts a week, simply to keep my queue where I’m comfortable, and my stress level is minimal. In fact, I’m looking forward to reaching that goal soon so I can add variety to my week again. Though I love writing and sharing my thoughts with you, I have so much more I want to accomplish.

Perhaps that’s why the blog posts are my chicken and vegetables right now, and other things are the hot fudge sundaes and pie a la mode. I know when I reach this goal, which should happen soon if I stick to my plan to work more hours every day, I’ll get the ice cream sundae or pie sooner rather than later, and even get to add sprinkles, nuts, and cherries.

It’s funny. I know all the whys and wherefores about setting habits, be they healthy, productive, or something else. It’s like an addict trying to disengage from the unwanted behavior. I have a hard time kicking the habits that keep me from setting a good, consistent writing habit. Perhaps that’s the key. Maybe the first step will be getting the chips and popcorn out of my sight so I’m not tempted to stray.

Unhealthy Habits Fill Time Without Substance

I have a lot of bad habits I’ve grown comfortable with over the years, but which yield nothing useful. I know I need to let them go. They’re like the ratty old teddy bear I refuse to give up even though he’s filthy, smelly, and has lost most of his stuffing. I know it’s long past time to give him a decent burial and make room for something more pleasing, but it’s hard to let go of something that’s grown so comfortable and familiar.

I guess the best approach is to not only work on setting the new habit, but in releasing, one by one, those which are getting in the way, taking up space, and keeping me from reaching my goals. I’ve been doing the work of envisioning my goals as complete, of feeling the joy of reaching the acme and being able to jump off into new and exciting adventures. I’m starting to see disengaging from my unhealthy, unproductive addictions is an integral part of the process.

Release and Replace

Photo-Sergio Aguirre via Flikr

Like negative thoughts and feelings, I have to find ways to fill in the space before the destructive behavior seeps back in; fill up on broccoli so there’s no room for chips so to speak. That, alone can be daunting as I’m so used to the laziness, procrastination, and self-destruction, it’s hard to throw up a wall to hold it at bay while I bring in the behaviors I want, and cement them into place.

It’s easy to grab for the popcorn, chips, and nuts that fill up but don’t nourish. Creating a healthy meal instead requires more thought and effort to create, and also to consume. It also gives me something to savor slowly, knowing it’s giving me the nutrients and energy I need to reach my goals. It seems no matter what you’re doing, the more thought and effort you put into a task, the better, more sustainable results you achieve.

When curing an addiction, the first step is recognition. You have to acknowledge what you’re doing is harmful to you in some way. Perhaps that’s where I’m at right now, or a few steps beyond. I’ve acknowledged certain behavior is undesirable. I’ve identified what I want to replace it with. I know it’s going to take a long string of baby steps. The next thing to do is take the first baby step, and accept it’s going to take time for the cement to dry.

Using Gratitude as a Place Holder

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for my ability to self-examine.
2. I’m grateful I’ve learned about baby steps, and how they’re the key to making positive changes.
3. I’m grateful for my writing which is not only my goal, but my process.
4. I’m grateful for inspiration which somehow finds a way to flow if I get out of my own way.
5. I’m grateful for abundance; inspiration, motivation, determination, creativity, focus, behavior modification, love, joy, friendship, peace, harmony, health, balance, philanthropy, and prosperity.

Namaste

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook as Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author