32-Day Commitment

32-Day Commitment

Because I know that this commitment will keep me on course to my goals, I promise myself that every day for the next 32 days I will take the following action:

I will move steadily toward my goal if every day I spend 15 minutes doing a round of calisthenics. 

(How my 32-Day Commitment will work: I will list Day 1 - Day 32. I will make each day bold as I complete my actions. If the day isn't bolded, I have not completed my actions.)

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5

DAY 6

DAY 7

DAY 8

DAY 9

DAY 10

DAY 11

DAY 12

DAY 13

DAY 14

DAY 15

DAY 16

DAY 17

DAY 18

DAY 19

DAY 20

DAY 21

DAY 22

DAY 23

DAY 24

DAY 25

DAY 26

DAY 27

DAY 28

DAY 29

DAY 30

DAY 31

DAY 32

Journal Entry #14

From your life plan in Journal Entry #9, copy one of your most important and challenging short-term goals from you role s a student.
School has not started for me yet. I had considered just pretending to go into the future but that really wouldn't work. So my choice of a short term goal is going to come from my role as a healthy individual.

Goal: work out everyday, even if it is just a simple round of calisthenics at home

Write and completely the following sentence stem five or more times:
I WOULD MOVE STEADILY TOWARD THIS GOAL IF EVERY DAY I...
Write five or more different physical actions that others can see you do and that you can do every day of the week, including weekends. So you wouldn't write, "be motivated" or "attend class". Other cannot see your motivation, and you can't attend class every day for thirty-two days straight. Instead, if your short-term goals is to earn an A in English, you might complete the sentence with specific actions such as these:

1. I WOULD MOVE STEADILY TOWARD THIS GOAL IF EVERY DAY I spend at least fifteem minutes doing exercises in my grammar book.
2. I WOULD MOVE STEADILY TOWARD THIS GOAL IF EVERY DAY I write at least two hundred words in my journal.
3. I WOULD MOVE STEADILY TOWARD THIS GOAL IF EVERY DAY I revise one of my previous essays, correcting the grammar errors that my teacher marked.

Chances are, all of these actions will fall in Quadrant II.

1. I would move steadily toward this goal if everyday I spend at least 15 minutes doing a small round of calisthenics.
2. I would move steadily toward this goal if everyday I made the initiative to go to the gym.
3. I would move steadily toward this goal if everyday I ran 2 miles.

On a separate page in your journal, create a 32-Day Commitment Form or Attach a photocopy of the one on page 121. Complete the sentence at the top of the form with ONE action from your list in step 2. For the next 32 days, put a check beside each day that you keep your commitment.

Write your thoughts and feelings as you begin your thirty-two day commitment. Develop your journal paragraphs by asking and answering readers' questions, such as, How self-disciplined have you been in the time past? What is your goal? What were some possible actions you considered? What action did you choose for your 32-day commitment? How will this action, when performed consistently, help you reach your goal? What challenges might you experience in keeping your commitment? How will you overcome these challenges? How do you feel about undertaking this commitment? What is your prediction about whether or not you will succeed in keeping your 32-day commitment?

Journal Entry #13

Write about the system (or lack of system) that you presently use to decide what you will do each day. There is no "wrong" answer, so don't let your Inner Critic or Inner Defender get involved. Consider questions such as how you know what homework to do, when to prepare for tests, what classes to attend, and what instructor conferences to go to. How do you track what you need to do in other roles, such as your social and work-life? Why do you currently use this approach? How well is your system working (giving examples wherever possible)? How do you feel while using this approach to self-management (e.g., stressed, calm, energized, frantic, etc.)?

Work. My system that I presently use to decide what I will do each day is, well was, work. Once I found out my schedule, I planned my days by working on the days I worked and being spontaneous on the days I didn't work. Obviously, considering my history, that has never ever in its entirety worked out for me. 

When I was in school, I had this lime green agenda that was my life. Daily planner, weekly planner, student planner... whatever you want to call it. Let me tell you, I rocked my backpack too! A yack-pack: mini bag with aliens allllllllllll over it! AMAZING! Regardless, that planner kept track of everything for me my first semester. Tests, quizzes, homework assignments, chapters to read. Even kept track of dates such as birthdays and days like mothers day. Then, the self-management tool I rocked! Worked! Never forgot a thing! 

My second semester... well, I didn't do so hot. Worked more than I should have. Partied more than I should have. Didn't study as much as I should have. Didn't tend to my agenda like I should have. I failed. Halfway through, I took a W instead of the F in my College Algebra class and barely skimmed by in my computer class (two subjects and two things that I have never been horrible at at all, not even remotely). 

My systems so far have not rendered me any justice. Kind of. I will still keep a student planner when I start school again. But thus far, my systems have brought me nothing but stress and disappointment in myself.

Write about how you could use or adapt the three self-management tools in this chapter to create a leak proof self-management system and improve your outcomes and experiences. Or, if you do not want to use or adapt any of these tools, explain why. Consider the monthly calendar, the next actions list, and the tracking form. How might you use them separately or in combination? How could you use computers or other technology in your self-management approach? How might you use written self-management tools not mentions here that you may know about? In short, invent your own system for managing your choices that you think will maximize the quality of your outcomes and experiences. 

Now, I spent allllllll day yesterday making my beautiful GIANT monthly calendar. Alll day a bit of an exaggeration. All morning. I have noticed, since first reading this chapter a week or so ago, that keeping and logging things and particular events into monthly calendars makes me take a step further into the right path. I make sure to note everything! I save it to my phone and now also have it written on my calender in my bedroom! Reminders send my phone buzzing like crazy while my calendar is in plain and obvious view everyday when I walk into my bedroom. 

I mentioned my student planner (which I must invest in one very soon before the start of my first class this Month!) that will do me some justice. I am a very visual person I go on to assume. It seems if I write things down and make not of them more than once, I never fail to remember... PLUS I'm always on time which is a complete plus! 

My main interest though, because I would LOOOOOVVVEEE to see where I spend my most time unnoticed is the tracking form. First, you make note of your role, dream, etc, etc just as if you were beginning to write a life plan (which I need to finish mine and combine them as a entire whole huh?)... well actually, rewrite your life plan and for me, I would be using the tracking form for school so I would rewrite my life plan as a student. Then after your short term goals, you make a list of actions that you will take under two categories: Outer (physical) and Inner (mental). Each day you complete these actions you mark the box or how ever you have yours set up and in a week or two weeks or even a month, you can track how you spend most of your time and if you are really taking purposeful, productive actions towards your success and your future. 

So my next experiment is this! 

Because I can and I will! 

Until we all meet again! <3

Journal Entry #12

Write a list of fifteen or more specific actions you have taken in the past two days. 

1. Went to work*
2. Had lunch
3. Called my school*
4. Updated my FAFSA*
5. Ironed my work clothes*
6. Went to the Gym*
7. Relaxed
8. Went shopping*
9. Went out to Dinner*
10. Made banana Splits
11. Slept
12. Watched TV
13. Put my clean laundry away*
14. Gathered my gym clothes together for my next visit*
15. Made a giant wall calender*

Using an entire Journal page, draw a 4 quadrant chart like the example on page 104. Remember to reread the visualization of your dream (Journal entry 10) often to help you stay motivated. Also, remember to say your affirmation (Journal entry 11) each day to enhance the personal qualities that will keep you on course to your dreams! These are both great quadrant II actions.

I don't believe there is any way that I will be able to create a table on blogger. On the other hand, I will list.

Quadrant I (Important and Urgent): 

Ironed my work clothes

Quadrant II (Important and Not Urgent): 

Updated my FAFSA

Called my school

Made a giant wall calender

Went to Work

Gathered my gym clothes together for my next visit

Went to the Gym

Put my clean laundry away

Quadrant III (Not Important and Urgent): 

Went Shopping

Went out to dinner

Quadrant IV (Not Important and Not Urgent):
Had lunch

Relaxed

Made banana splits

Slept

Watched TV

Write each action from your list in step 1 in the appropriate quadrant on your chart. After each action, put the approximate amount of time you spent in the activity. 

Quadrant I (Important and Urgent): 

Ironed my work clothes (30 minutes)

Quadrant II (Important and Not Urgent): 

Updated my FAFSA (10 minutes)

Called my school (20 minutes)

Made a giant wall calender (1 hour 30 minutes)

Went to Work (8 hours 30 minutes)

Gathered my gym clothes together for my next visit (20 minutes)

Went to the Gym (2 hours 30 minutes)

Put my clean laundry away (30 minutes)

Quadrant III (Not Important and Urgent): 

Went Shopping (2 hours)

Went out to dinner (2 hours)

Quadrant IV (Not Important and Not Urgent):
Had lunch (2 hours)

Relaxed (5 hours)

Made banana splits (15 minutes)

Slept (2 hours)

Watched TV (6 hours)

Write about what you have learned or relearned concerning your use of time. Effective writing anticipates questions that a reader may have and answers these questions clearly. To dive deep in this journal entry, answer questions such as the following:

What exactly did you discover after analyzing my time?

After analyzing my time, I discovered that I have recently been spending a lot of time in quadrant II. I am very proud of myself. On the other hand though, I have pretty much a equal quantity of items on quadrants III and IV combined which I would like to down size. Quadrant II is productive and less stressful when you get everything right. My time management is fairly decent but fair isn't good enough. My time management needs to be excellent.

In which quadrant do you spend the most time?

The quadrant I spend the most of my time is in quadrant II. "When you engage in an important activity with time enough to do it well, you can create your greatest dreams." 

What specific evidence did you use to draw this conclusion?

The specific evidence I used to draw this conclusion is if you look at my list in quadrant II, every activity is productive. I plan on beginning school again May 20 and I just found out that none of my financial aid had gone through. So I called the school immediately and found out they hadn't received my FAFSA. That day, when I had gotten home from work, I jumped on my computer and found my mistake I had made and updated my FAFSA to what it needed to be in order to receive my aid for my class I am going to be starting May 20. 

If you continue using your time in this way, are you likely to reach your goals and dreams? Why or why not?

If I continue using my time in this way, there is a possibility I could reach my goals and dreams as long as I stayed on course. I am the type of person who get side tracked easily. One thing I have observed recently though is that if I give myself the leeway to get off course is when I do. I enjoy living a very uniformed lifestyle. Yeah. It's great to have breaks here and there but I am the most happy when I am living a uniformed lifestyle, on a strict schedule, with an agenda for every single one of my days and honestly alone. Not many people can live and understand the way I do. They think I'm boring and want to do this and that. Having other people who think I'm crazy or weird for the way I live is stressful. Not because I care what they think, oh no. More because they tend to throw me off especially when I like having them around. But then I notice change in attitude, stress level escalates and that my dearies is not what I like to live my life for. In order to really truly reach my goals and dreams and my full potential, my quadrant III and IV activities need to be eliminated to a small list of 2 or 3 things.

What most often keeps you from taking purposeful actions?

What most often keeps me from taking purposeful actions is immediate pleasure and laziness. 

How do you feel about your discoveries?

I'm a little disappointed because I thought I had a stronger head on my shoulders. My life has always been pretty simple and I had wonderful parents. Every household has it's ups and downs but I couldn't have asked for a better childhood with my parents. They were fun and loving. My next discovery is to establish how I ended up being so lazy. My immediate pleasures I am slowly but surely grasping control over. My laziness strikes me as odd.

What different choices, if any, do you intend to make about how you use time?

The different choice I intend to make is to always stay productive. Instead of leaving open spots on my agenda, assign times and activities to do when relaxing. For example, tonight my show Once Upon a Time comes on at 8pm-Relax. <--- This is what my agenda should say.