...of Good Stewardship of Time

CTC Readers' Poll:
Lighting a Fire under Yourself

 In the May 1, 2005 issue In the last issue of the newsletter, we asked this question:

"What strategies do you use to find the motivation to do something you’d rather avoid?"

Responses:

"I tell myself that I'll work on it for only 5 or 10 minutes and then stop. Whether it's cleaning or organizing or working out, I use this technique. After 5-10 minutes I know that I'm off the hook but I keep going anyway because I'm all warmed up by then and know that I can stop at anytime." ~ Suzie
"I make a list of that chore and another chore I consider worse. That way the original chore doesn't seem so bad." ~ Maggie
"I made myself a book of things that motivated me in the past, and I read through it to get ideas how to motivate myself now. The pilgrims who came to this country had a rule that whoever would not work should not eat. That always sobers me up in a hurry when I get hungry!" ~ Diane
"I find that when I have the 'I Don't Want To's,'  if I set the timer for just a mere 15 minutes and just do whatever it was I didn't want to do, most of the time I get done in a lot less that that! Then I reward myself for 15 minutes doing something just for me. It may be nothing more than sitting on my swing drinking a glass of water or something as involved as working on my scrapbook. I think I deserve to love myself enough to give myself that little reward. This was taught to me by Marla Cilley, AKA the Flylady.  Check out www.flylady.net." ~ Denise in Alabama
"What I do whenever I need to do something that I really wish someone else would do is tell myself, 'You can do anything for 15 minutes.' That's what Flylady says, and she's right; it really works. Usually that's all I need to do to get started, and I either finish the job or get motivated to do it when I realize it's not as bad as I thought." ~ Lesley
"Sometimes I think, 'What if Mom were still alive and was able to stop in for a visit?'  If it were true, I'd want her to visit my clean home, with freshly made coffee, and a treat. I'd want my chores all caught up so I'd have plenty of time to visit with her without being preoccupied. Whether good or not, this works for me and encourages me on my day off to have a clean pleasant home for my husband to come home to. It also keeps me moving on days I work so I am motivated to get things done and not just veg out." ~ Char
"I reward myself at the end by reading a magazine (that I got at the library, of course!)" ~ Kelly
"When I'm procrastinating doing things like paying bills or preparing my taxes, I get dressed up. I'll wear a fancy evening gown or an old bridesmaid dress (that I paid a lot of money for and wore only once). It takes me 'out of the norm' and makes the horrid task almost fun!" ~ Robin
"I find motivation for tasks I'd rather avoid by sharing them with my prayer partner. We pray together every Monday morning by phone. I know that if I ask her to pray for me to have the discipline to get something done, she will not only pray but the following week she will ask how it went. Knowing that she is going to check back with me motivates me to make some progress!" ~ Stephanie
"I use the Flylady method of organization (www.flylady.net). Her daily email reminders are great motivation to get up and get moving. She also sends out testimonials from FlyBabies (This is the nick name for followers of the Flylady system.) that are not only motivating, but inspiring as well. I especially love to get a daily email reminder and be able to say to myself, 'Already did that one! and then hit the delete key."  ~ Ann Marie
"My mantra:  'Just do it and get it out of your life!'  Works most every time!" ~ Lynne

Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond.

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