i’m always looking for interesting reads and new ways to improve and understand the things i do and in particular improve the way i think. i ran across these critical thinking mini-lessons via del.icio.us. of particular interest is a practical guide to critical thinking and chapter 01 of becoming a critical thinker. i may just have to buy the book.
why am i here?
what am i looking for out of life?
what will make me happy in 20 years that i can work on today?
if my obituary was written today what would someone write about me? what would i like to have written about me?
am i happy with my current job?
where do i see myself in 2 years? 5 years?
what changes can i make to be healthier?
how can i be more financially secure?
how can i be a better husband?
what motivates me?
some of the questions i’m trying to answer while reading getting things done. i’ve organized most of our crap at home (still have some things to conquer), started keeping track of ideas and todos in lists, changed my approach to managing at work, and in general i try to stay on top of things more.
still plenty to do and lots of questions to ask. for a quick fix on cringe-busting your todo list check out 43 folders.
i’ve navigated a few more weeks with only a few faltering along the way. i’ve managed to eat reasonably healthy with almost 100% success! i’ve had a few bad weeks of workouts, not zero compliance, but darn near close on one of them. but the good news is that i’m alive, kicking, and still making progress.
i know i painted a semi grim picture but it really isn’t all bad, i’m a bit hard on myself at times. someone’s gotta be right? anyhow, i’m down 30 pounds to the digit as of this past saturday. not too shabby for the first 7 weeks though 1/3 of that was lost in the first 2 weeks due to water loss. i can say though that i feel amazingly focused and alive right now.
the hardest part for me has been getting my workouts in. there are days where it’s hard enough getting up to go to work let alone getting up to work out. when amy was gone for a month i had only me so i was much more rigorous about motivating myself and punishing myself for not waking up early. i forced myself to always make up for it in the evening. since she’s been back it’s been a lot harder because i’ve become a bit lax about enforcement. it’s hard after a long day sometimes and when you do get home you just want to relax with your significant other and do absolutely nothing sometimes. the problem is that i did absolutely nothing for around 30 years now and look where it’s gotten me. sure i try to make up for it sometimes with a walk but that really isn’t the same as pushing your body to your peak during a workout.
the important thing to do now is ask myself “self, how do i fix this problem?” there are a few ways i can think of. the simplest and most immediate thing i can do is reset my daily goal of not doing anything “fun” after work until i first workout. this is regardless of how bad or good the day may have went. no playing on the computer, watching the tv, reading, or anything like that until i’ve first worked out. it may not be the scheduled workout but it’ll be a full cardio or weight workout. nothing half ars, nothing shortened or abbreviated, all or no fun!
the long term thing i can do is set little alarms that force myself to get to bed a little earlier so it becomes easier to get up in the morning. a friend of mine started setting his alarm a little earlier each day and would just get up and do something, no necessarily work out. just do something to get you body in the repeatable mode of getting up early. once you’re able to train your body to get up early it’s just about doing a workout instead of say surfing the web or whatever else you decided to do when you started getting up early.
yes, i’m doing things better now that i was 3 months ago. am i, are we doing things as good as we could? no. is there room for improvement? beyond a doubt. that room for improvement and the progress i’ve seen with the few bumps i have had is what keeps me motivated. when i’m firing on all cylinders i’m really a fitness machine. it just takes a locomotive like mine a little longer to fire on all those cylinders.
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