Monday Afternoon.

I walked down the hallway, past my kids bedrooms.

They stirred from their pillows, waking up from their naps.

I looked around me. The house was a disaster—toys in every room—coats, shoes, paper airplanes littered every spot on the floor and on the furniture.

It was time to do something—

I organized a marching parade. Toys in hand, we filed to our rooms singing and stomping, carting our possessions to the places they belonged.

After a few minutes I walked past my son’s room. I heard nothing—no singing—no clatter of falling plastic, so I peeked in and sure enough, distraction had a hold of him on the bed. He sat on his pillow with a couple of ninja turtles in his hands—the blue and the red one; Donatello and Raphael, I think.

At first I frowned—then I laughed. It’s a great reminder of how I cleaned my room as a kid. My mom said she’d send me in to organize the chaos. I didn’t fight her. I went in like a soldier and shoved things around. Two hours later she’d peek in, and in cleaning my room, I found all sorts of lost toys and failed my task. Instead of spending 1 hour and 45 minutes on my room, I maybe spent 15 minutes tops. Distraction grabbed me too, and I secretly played with my toys the entire rest of the time. It was a huge lesson for me. Time. Organization. Taking charge of my life. It hasn’t been easy because it’s not natural to me, but being a student in architecture helped. I learned how to chart my day. To set goals and manage my time so thoroughly the possibility of success every minute became possible.

Today, I don’t have a moment to spare. Between the kids, a full time job, getting stuff done around the house, if I add a dream to my list, some days it feels almost impossible. But I’ve figured out a way to make it work and I thought I’d share what I do to get myself on track.

So here’s my list: My Top Five things. There’s an article related to exercise and the top five things to make it routine I’ve also attached below.

1. Fix My Outlook. I do this as quickly as I can. I find something great like a photo or a quote or maybe a song. I know if my thoughts are ready for action, I’m more likely to act in ways to get me what I want and hope for.

2. Set a goal. This one is tough. Specifics are helpful. List out resources, a time frame for your accomplishment, and picture the end result when you’re done. Here’s an example.
                    I strive to be a writer everyday (my dream/vision)

                    Goal: Complete revisions to my book by the end of February and prepare pdf files to send to my friends for feedback.

                    Step One: Brainstorm and outline and write each chapter.
                    Step Two: Review what I wrote the day before and fix it.

                    Step Three: Send out finished chapters to my friends and make changes as necessary based on their feedback.

3. Schedule a Regular time to complete your goal.
    For me? 4:30 a.m. Why? Because my brain works better early. I’m fresh. I don’t have distracting thoughts floating through my mind, threatening to ambush me. It’s quiet. It’s dark. And I can drink my coffee and think.

4. How can you make your goal fun? Spice it up with a little variety?
    This blog helps me. I won’t improve if I don’t write every day. It’s the same thing with working out, eating right, and studying for a test or a new profession. I find something inspiring first thing. A quote. A pretty picture. YouTube videos are pretty great too. If I’m trying to write a scene, I search for a video to help paint my picture. I want to stimulate my brain in some way to get me on track. I’m a visual learner and videos stir emotions, which is what I need to make up a character.

5. Reach out to others for support.

I didn’t realize I had a network or a support system out there. People are ready and willing to help me proof and ask questions. Thank you. I am so grateful for your help. This blog is one giant blessing.

And how will I help my son who reminds me so much of myself at times? Let him be silly. Let him be the person he is. Baby steps. We’ll figure it out together and most certainly, let him  be a kid.

And don’t forget:

sodahead.com

P.S.

Here’s the link to the article. I think these five things can apply to any goal.

5 ways to stay motivated to exercise from Gaiam.