I wasn’t exactly endowed by my creators with an abundance of willpower. Generally, reading the endless lists of productivity tips is about as far as I’ll get to actually implementing any of them (those tip links, by the way, were selected at random).
But lack of willpower doesn’t correlate with a shortage of a desire to improve — just the ability to follow through in the morning on the previous night’s good intentions.
- Go for a run
- Read a book (or anything) instead of watching TV
- Call mom
- Learn something new
- Current options include
- How to speak some Spanish
- How to draw
That’s a house, an airplane and a bagel (split in 2 and on a plate), if you’re wondering.
I’ve collected multiple books, how-tos and tips on the best ways to get all those things done. I just haven’t started on any of them. I’ve probably spent enough time reading up on ways to increase willpower that I could give workshops on it — if I were ever motivated enough to get something like that off the ground, that is.
One of the tips I used to believe was “tell your friends about it.” The idea that making a goal public would somehow increase my commitment to an undertaking sounds sensible, but my friends are too forgiving and perfectly willing to accept my always valid reasons not to have followed through on the goal of the week.
This week, however, I’ve come to find that getting Her1 interested in my plan will result in a relentless degree of nagging that would result in murder if done by anyone other than one’s own children. So I told Her1 I got a book and was going to try and get better at drawing, which isn’t much of a statement as I currently struggle with stick figures, and her enthusiasm was immediate.
“Where’s the book? Can I do it, too?”
Spheres and light sources – at least, that’s what the book told us to draw
It’s, of course, impossible to deny such wide-eyed excitement and I naturally agreed to a self-taught, father-and-daughter drawing course (the initial results of which are visible with this post). And if Day One’s tenacity is anything to go by tomorrow will certainly feature whatever “You Can Draw in 30 Days” has to offer on Day Two and the day after tomorrow will likely be more of the same.
In all the how-to’s and tips I read, “have a kid” never featured high on the list of productivity-enhancing tips, but as far as I’m concerned it should be place high up there – somewhere just below “get enough sleep.”
My next post, should Her1 motivate me to write it, will outline exactly how to both get sleep and raise kids.
I just got a chance to write about all the different iOS apps out there that make it easier to write. I spent a few hours testing out popular writing apps and learning some markdown (basically the kind of thing I’d be messing around with at home anyway), then the wonderful people at DW Akademie’s OnMedia blog said they’d share my opinions with the world (and cut me a check, to boot). Talk about a good day.
MeandHerandHer 