Comments on: Planning 2010’s Projects http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/ Getting more from life Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:17:57 -0700 hourly 1 By: Ali http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1318 Ali Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:31:13 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1318 Scott, I'm just the same ... I end up spending more energy trying to focus myself in the afternoons/evenings than I do on actually working! I think it's partly my daily rhythms and partly that if I've been working hard most of the day, I'm just plain tired. Struggling against it only makes me end up overtired and fed up, which isn't good for productivity... Scott, I’m just the same … I end up spending more energy trying to focus myself in the afternoons/evenings than I do on actually working! I think it’s partly my daily rhythms and partly that if I’ve been working hard most of the day, I’m just plain tired. Struggling against it only makes me end up overtired and fed up, which isn’t good for productivity…

]]> By: Scott Webb http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1316 Scott Webb Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:14:01 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1316 I have to re-read this, but I that you noted "easy tasks after 4pm." I have thought about this for a while and think it would be really good for me. I get so frustrated by every little noise as I try and think later at night. I normally get up at a pretty good time but I want to get in the habit of having that extra 1.5 hours in the morning to get the quiet time and pump out some free-form writing. I'll be back for sure! .-= Scott Webb´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Nuwomb/~3/NG7uSBw8ODw/" rel="nofollow">WooFramework V2 Makes All Wordpress Themes Jacked!</a> =-. I have to re-read this, but I that you noted “easy tasks after 4pm.”

I have thought about this for a while and think it would be really good for me. I get so frustrated by every little noise as I try and think later at night.

I normally get up at a pretty good time but I want to get in the habit of having that extra 1.5 hours in the morning to get the quiet time and pump out some free-form writing.

I’ll be back for sure!
Scott Webb´s last blog ..WooFramework V2 Makes All Wordpress Themes Jacked!

]]> By: Melanie Yarbrough http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1225 Melanie Yarbrough Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:47:25 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1225 This is such a great outline! Thank you for sharing. As a recent grad, I'm still reeling from all of the different directions my career can take, and it's nice to see that with some diligent planning, I don't have to choose just one! Good luck with everything. Melanie This is such a great outline! Thank you for sharing. As a recent grad, I’m still reeling from all of the different directions my career can take, and it’s nice to see that with some diligent planning, I don’t have to choose just one!

Good luck with everything.

Melanie

]]> By: Ali http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1196 Ali Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:47:41 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1196 Thanks Matthew! Great addition there. Yes, I agree there's not much chasing a goal if it's something that leaves you going "meh, why bother"! Thanks Matthew! Great addition there. Yes, I agree there’s not much chasing a goal if it’s something that leaves you going “meh, why bother”!

]]> By: matthew needham http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1188 matthew needham Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:36:29 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1188 Great start to 2010!! For me I would add EXCITING and REWARDING to my goal setting criteria (the goals though, I'm still working on!!). Goals need to be something you really want to do. Not I want to loose weight, but I want to loose 3kg's so I can walk up Killimanjaro in June (say) Great start to 2010!!

For me I would add EXCITING and REWARDING to my goal setting criteria (the goals though, I’m still working on!!).

Goals need to be something you really want to do. Not I want to loose weight, but I want to loose 3kg’s so I can walk up Killimanjaro in June (say)

]]> By: Ali http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1157 Ali Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:43:47 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1157 Helen, great tip on the Gantt chart - I used to use them in the day job, in my very brief attempt at junior project management (I hated it and left soon after!) Never thought of applying them to my small biz stuff, but may have to give it a go now! Endy, I guess that just shows you can't please all of the people all of the time! I love "embrace the spirit of imperfection" -- I still have a hard time accepting that things will *never* be "perfect", and I just have to get on with it and adjust course as necessary... Creative Times (sorry, don't know your name!), I've heard a lot of people recommend 30 day challenges. I've sometimes done something similar - I gave up alcohol for Lent a few years ago, and that was a good experience; I do drink now, but not nearly to the same levels as I did before then! (My liver is grateful.) 30 mins sounds like a good target to me; anything less and you probably won't see results, anything more and it's easy to think "I don't have time". Helen, great tip on the Gantt chart – I used to use them in the day job, in my very brief attempt at junior project management (I hated it and left soon after!) Never thought of applying them to my small biz stuff, but may have to give it a go now!

Endy, I guess that just shows you can’t please all of the people all of the time! I love “embrace the spirit of imperfection” — I still have a hard time accepting that things will *never* be “perfect”, and I just have to get on with it and adjust course as necessary…

Creative Times (sorry, don’t know your name!), I’ve heard a lot of people recommend 30 day challenges. I’ve sometimes done something similar – I gave up alcohol for Lent a few years ago, and that was a good experience; I do drink now, but not nearly to the same levels as I did before then! (My liver is grateful.) 30 mins sounds like a good target to me; anything less and you probably won’t see results, anything more and it’s easy to think “I don’t have time”.

]]> By: Creative Times http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1156 Creative Times Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:58:43 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1156 Hi Ali - Thanks for being specific about tools you use for setting and reaching goals. I'll tell you an experiment I am trying right now: a 30-day fitness challenge, the goal being to exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in a row. I am on Day 8 and it is going well. I even started a blog where I log my daily success! http://brooklynfitnesschallenge.blogspot.com/ Here's the reason I decided on a 30-day challenge. I set goals for every area of my life before Jan.1, and what happens is I never really put my full attention on one particular goal, so my energy gets diffused. Setting aside to do something every day is making a HUGE difference. And 30 minutes is a doable amount of time; it could even include taking a walk! .-= Creative Times´s last blog ..<a href="http://creativetimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/painter-michael-sorgatz-makes-park.html" rel="nofollow">PAINTER MICHAEL SORGATZ MAKES PARK SLOPE 100 LIST</a> =-. Hi Ali – Thanks for being specific about tools you use for setting and reaching goals.

I’ll tell you an experiment I am trying right now: a 30-day fitness challenge, the goal being to exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in a row. I am on Day 8 and it is going well. I even started a blog where I log my daily success! http://brooklynfitnesschallenge.blogspot.com/

Here’s the reason I decided on a 30-day challenge. I set goals for every area of my life before Jan.1, and what happens is I never really put my full attention on one particular goal, so my energy gets diffused. Setting aside to do something every day is making a HUGE difference. And 30 minutes is a doable amount of time; it could even include taking a walk!
Creative Times´s last blog ..PAINTER MICHAEL SORGATZ MAKES PARK SLOPE 100 LIST

]]> By: Endy Daniyanto http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1155 Endy Daniyanto Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:40:33 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1155 "I’m also making an effort to sit and eat meals without distractions." That's an idea I might try for myself. I think it's a good idea to enjoy the meal and try to leave some room to breathe in our minds as we do so. Because thinking about work while eating might not be so good for the health, ya? I think you and I have quite a lot in common, Ali. I'm a fairly organized person myself, and I've also been trying to get more spontaneity in my life since 2003! I think I've succeeded to a certain degree, but definitely not as spontaneous as some of the people who inspired me to be so (and ironically, one such person says she wants to be more organized ... so I guess it's all about balance, huh?). And like you Ali, I think I'm starting to start more projects than I can handle later on when the schedules start to overlap. But since NaNoWriMo, I've learned to embrace the spirit of imperfection and just do it! If it's worthwhile, then it'll last, and if it's not, then it'll naturally get dropped, right? While we're on the topic of projects for 2010, here's mine: <a href="http://blog.endydaniyanto.net/happy-and-productive/" rel="nofollow">For a Happy and Productive 2010</a>. Cheers, .-= Endy Daniyanto´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PassionateLiving/~3/WpQqdpj08WU/" rel="nofollow">Why People Hate MLM People</a> =-. “I’m also making an effort to sit and eat meals without distractions.”

That’s an idea I might try for myself. I think it’s a good idea to enjoy the meal and try to leave some room to breathe in our minds as we do so. Because thinking about work while eating might not be so good for the health, ya?

I think you and I have quite a lot in common, Ali. I’m a fairly organized person myself, and I’ve also been trying to get more spontaneity in my life since 2003! I think I’ve succeeded to a certain degree, but definitely not as spontaneous as some of the people who inspired me to be so (and ironically, one such person says she wants to be more organized … so I guess it’s all about balance, huh?).

And like you Ali, I think I’m starting to start more projects than I can handle later on when the schedules start to overlap. But since NaNoWriMo, I’ve learned to embrace the spirit of imperfection and just do it! If it’s worthwhile, then it’ll last, and if it’s not, then it’ll naturally get dropped, right?

While we’re on the topic of projects for 2010, here’s mine: For a Happy and Productive 2010.

Cheers,
Endy Daniyanto´s last blog ..Why People Hate MLM People

]]> By: Helen Calder http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1154 Helen Calder Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:53:37 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1154 Hi Ali, I had just finished writing my list of big goals for the next few months when I came across your post--talk about great timing! I really like your planning 'table' and I'm going to give that a go for my current projects. Another tool that has helped me in the past is a Gant chart, which gives a visual picture of your timeline and goals and how you are going with them. This is great to have sitting above your desk somewhere where you have a constant reminder of where you're heading. .-= Helen Calder´s last blog ..<a href="http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/01/03/prophetic-exercise-for-2010/" rel="nofollow">Prophetic Exercise For 2010</a> =-. Hi Ali, I had just finished writing my list of big goals for the next few months when I came across your post–talk about great timing! I really like your planning ‘table’ and I’m going to give that a go for my current projects.
Another tool that has helped me in the past is a Gant chart, which gives a visual picture of your timeline and goals and how you are going with them. This is great to have sitting above your desk somewhere where you have a constant reminder of where you’re heading.
Helen Calder´s last blog ..Prophetic Exercise For 2010

]]> By: Ali http://www.aliventures.com/planning-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-1151 Ali Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:53:57 +0000 http://www.aliventures.com/?p=560#comment-1151 Thanks for the comments, all! girlxoxo, good luck tweaking that plan. I tend to find that my plans never quite fit reality -- I'm getting used to it! Jade, thanks! :-) I think this is gonna be your year too. Plus, my 6.30am must be somewhere in the evening for you... ;-) Archan, good to see you in the comments! I did used to take an afternoon nap back in my student days ... now, I tend to eat a light lunch to avoid getting drowsy, and that seems to work well. None of London's famous parks are all that near me, though we do have a couple of lovely but non-famous parks nearby, and I often try to go for a half-hour stroll round one of them during the day. Tea is definitely my pick-up, but I try not to have too much -- usually two cups a day. Hulbert, thanks! I'm probably a bit *too* organised (just ask the people who have to put up with me in life. ;-)) I'm actually trying to get a bit more spontaneity into my life; I'm sure between us we'd have the perfect balance! Good luck with your goals -- and with the Staff Blogging Course. I hope it works for you too (no-one's returned it for a refund yet, but y'know, I'll forgive you if you do...) And happy birthday in advance! Thanks for the comments, all!

girlxoxo, good luck tweaking that plan. I tend to find that my plans never quite fit reality — I’m getting used to it!

Jade, thanks! :-) I think this is gonna be your year too. Plus, my 6.30am must be somewhere in the evening for you… ;-)

Archan, good to see you in the comments! I did used to take an afternoon nap back in my student days … now, I tend to eat a light lunch to avoid getting drowsy, and that seems to work well. None of London’s famous parks are all that near me, though we do have a couple of lovely but non-famous parks nearby, and I often try to go for a half-hour stroll round one of them during the day. Tea is definitely my pick-up, but I try not to have too much — usually two cups a day.

Hulbert, thanks! I’m probably a bit *too* organised (just ask the people who have to put up with me in life. ;-) ) I’m actually trying to get a bit more spontaneity into my life; I’m sure between us we’d have the perfect balance! Good luck with your goals — and with the Staff Blogging Course. I hope it works for you too (no-one’s returned it for a refund yet, but y’know, I’ll forgive you if you do…) And happy birthday in advance!

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