It’s astounding
Time is fleeting
Madness takes its toll
But listen closely..
I’ve got to keep control…

I read, a lot.  Sometimes it’s simple fiction – supernatural/ghosts are my happy place.  Sometimes it’s “self-help” books (that’s such a rotten classification I think).  Right now, I’m reading:

Pomodoro Technique Illustrated: The Easy Way to Do More in Less Time

It’s actually kind of simple.  You break down what you need to do, prioritize it, then you work in a block of time – like 25 minutes.  You focus on no interruptions, nothing else but the task at hand for those 25 minutes.  Then you take a break and stop, or continue on for another 25 minute block.

It makes it much more bite sized, easier to get over that overwhelmed feeling when you just think “I’ll work on it for 25 minutes and do what I do.”  Sometimes that’s enough to get started.

BUT.  Actually that’s not the main part of this post.  It was a sentence I read it the book that really hit me.  I’m a big planner, I love making lists, tracking ideas in my own private blog.  When I work on something I work better with an outline first, then I know what I’m going to work on next and I’m not stressing about it.  I thought that was just me, until I read this:

“First prioritizing and then focusing on the most important activity will make you feel safe and sound.”

It continues:  “Otherwise, your focus will constantly be disturbed by questions like “Am I really doing the most important thing right now?”   and “I replace ‘this project is so big and important’ with ‘I can take one small step’.”

OK, I can hear you thinking now…

No…I’m not the author 🙂
No…no commissions either
No…not really promoting the book either

Why do I write then?  Because that sentence really clicked with me.  That because I have a plan of what I need to do, I feel safer.  That is so very true and I never thought of that before.  I like the feeling of knowing what needs to be done, in what order, and it helps prevent me from overthinking, it helps me focus, and to chase away the doubts that creep into my head.  I have at least two different head spaces I’m in when it comes to creating a dance: the thinking/planning mindset, and the creating mindset.  They are very different.

The other thing?  I often procrastinate getting started, or once started I get carried away.  I can become compulsive about sorting my inventory.  It bothers me no end when it’s disorganized and I know I have amazing things I could use for my dances, but don’t even know what I have.  Not only do I need a little push to get things started, I need something to get me to stop.  I have fun with my pizza timer for that.

It’s actually a hud that looks like a pizza.  You set the time and an alarm goes off when it’s done.  Simple.

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/PIZZA-TIMER-HUD-Never-forget-RL-things-again/344101

Reading through this book, the pizza timer, and other things I’m working on in my life have led me to start questioning why I do things, why I respond the way I do.  What motivates me, what discourages me, what de-motivates me (those are two different things).  I’ve started really evaluating what I do.  If something in SL feels like a chore, why would I continue to do it?  Whatever I do, I strive to be prepared for, to make the best of it, and have fun.  Sometimes I need a little nudge to get started and to pace myself.

It would totally suck to have the most organized inventory and not finish a single dance…

It’s Monday, I can feel a couple dance deadlines coming up before long and another just banging away in my head.  I’m going to plan, breathe, get started, and leave a little room for playtime too.  All I can do is my best.

What I hope you take away from this:

Think about why YOU create, what motivates YOU, what discourages YOU, and what you enjoy.  THEN FIND WHATEVER METHODS AND TOOLS WORK FOR YOU, and make you happy.  Isn’t that the point of this world, both of them?

This world is whatever you make it.  You choose your own destiny, even if it’s not what you expected.

~ Eva