Tag: motivation

Planner Lessons

Coworkers and American Cocker Spaniel, (adorable) “Charley”

Wednesday, January 08, 2024

Today is yet another early-to-be-at-work, but I will have a day off tomorrow. Early to work might not seem like too much, but it means lots of extra effort from me. An earlier to work forces me to speed up my morning and be outside before I must leave, feeding and caring for animals.

I see upon examining my new planner that (again!) I am focused on the wrong day. At least, it matches today’s due-in time at work and has me correctly tracking in these early hours. A key lesson (yet again) is to avoid focusing on incorrect days and dates.

That happens when I’m in a hurry and have lots on my mind. The planner is giving me a sobering picture of this month. January will soon be half over, which doesn’t seem awful, but my mid-month commitments are making demands and coming due quickly. That incentivizes my tendency to confuse dates and times.

More about that lesson. I must quit trying to feel happier by avoiding pressures from uncomfortable timelines and commitments. The solution will be starting to work at focusing more steadily on them, and I can do that.

I now have a “plan with the planner” to help me better manage time in the early mornings. My desired outcomes are: (1) an out-early blog, (2) animals appropriately cared for, and (3) at work on time.

Dear Friends: Sloppy thinking leads to sloppy planning that invites mistakes. Diana

Learning Is…

Friday, April 26, 2024

Writers have subjects they’re passionate about. A high interest fuels creativity and makes writing processes more engaging. A favorite topic may recur frequently. Over time, I’ve blogged mostly about adult learning. Apparently, it’s my favorite topic, a springboard for exploration. The learning theme lets me delve into complex ideas, ask big questions, and share my perspective.

We are lifelong learners. Our constant learning usually isn’t from single incidents but it’s cumulative. Our challenge is to face our unique behaviors and speaking patterns and be self-aware enough to see learning opportunities. We must be able to rearrange some attitudes.

It’s all very tricky because new learning may manifest as anger or frustration about something carefully planned that went wrong. If we become obsessive about what went wrong, we might remain in a cloudy mode of, “Why instead, didn’t I?” We must refocus, reevaluate, face, and discover what might have created a better outcome.

That’s an adult learning experience.

Spotting errors lets us see things we previously overlooked or did incorrectly. However, new information may challenge our existing beliefs. That requires the strength to face shortcomings and to plan differently ahead. Misplanning brings new insights, new knowledge, and a huge challenge to evaluate new ways of handling what might have contributed to a current discomfort.

New learning illuminates something we thought we understood and creates a fresh perspective. It encourages us to change our behaviors to achieve more favorable outcomes. Essentially, grasping a new concept offers satisfaction and accomplishment.

My point is that learning is a continuous process, but it doesn’t always occur clearly. Only by slowing and being thoughtful may we start seeing its signs. Learning is amazing because something new can spark our curiosity and encourage us to delve deeply into a subject.

Dear Friends: Patience with ourselves is how new information may sink in. Diana