Flow

For the first time ever (or at least in a long time), I planned out and ironed the clothes I would be wearing for the week on a Sunday night.

Between Sunday and today, I also completed three reports.

Now, more than ever, it's so important to show up.

Go Go Curry

"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out."

Anton Chekhov

mid-week post, are you still on track?

to ∞
and beyond

Resolutions: February 2012

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day."

And so after close to a month of practicing the habits I set out to cultivate in January, I am happy to report that despite some occasional lapses,  I've managed to inch a little closer to sleeping earlier, having a daily exercise routine, drinking a cup of water in the morning, and keeping an expenses log.

The habits that I would still need to work on are: eating breakfast at home and well, hydration.

Now that the month is drawing to an end, it's exciting to look forward to conquering an additional new set of challenges for February.

Here they are:

1. Plan outfits, bags etc the night before.
2. Wake up when the alarm rings (do not snooze). 
3. Be punctual. 
4. Perform acts of service with a smile.
5. Practice deep listening.

The mini-projects I would work on are in the domains of Self (Grooming) and Projects (Paper Boxes, Script).

Sounds like I've got February all cut out for me now!

The Art of Imperfection

Haha ok apologies in advance if this post sounds a bit frivolous. 

Just wanted to share a small tip I learnt when I was at the hair salon last saturday that fills me with a very strange sense of happiness (as in I don't know why I am so happy also).

You see, I always wondered how people could get hair partings that looked so natural. For years, what I'd do is to comb my hair up when it's wet, find the parting and then comb it straight down on both ends. Which often left me with a "perfectly straight" parting.

The stylist shared that I should find the parting when it's wet, and refrain from combing it through again when I blow dry, leaving it to fall naturally on its own. Finally,  I should leave a small gap at the front and comb perpendicularly straight down at the parting, towards the back of my head and just leave it to dry.

It's just that simple! I don't know why I took so long to ask. I guess things often look unattainable until we discover how do-able they are.

Kenny's Tips: Recycled Materials

I have more photos of my drawers after cleaning and updating them. Added a scotch tape dispenser at the back of this one, which can come in handy (found it unused in the study room downstairs). Today, I shall continue sharing Kenny's Tips, covering: organization with recycled materials!

One thing I find super useful are boxes and little containers, such as those you might receive gifts in. I flatten the ugly cardboard ones and recycle them straightaway. But I've always kept a small collection of quaint lil' boxes, not knowing what to do with them. They could have been sentimental keepsakes, subconscious pillars, or worse still, signs of a hoarder to be born.

However, somewhere between ending my career in the university and beginning another in the hospital, I got inspired by sites like Workawesome, and got to creating a functional workspace for myself. And while trying to organize the first — and most accessible — drawer with the things I use most for work — stationery — it struck me that I could make use of the boxes to segment the space, so things don't just roll all over the place when I open and close my drawers. So I whipped the boxes out and worked them like a jigsaw puzzle, fitting pieces not meant to be together with each other.

I like that my stationery and organizational boxes don't look like a sterile minimalist set; they look like they were collected over time, over places. And within that pastiche are personal memories attached: the two clear plastic boxes at the left are from City Chain where my Dad bought my current K-Swiss watch; the two blue ones on the right housed a pair of Oakley sunglasses, given by my army peeps when I ORD-ed; some of the stationery, previously imprisoned in my box for sentimental stuff, like pencils, Hello Kitty eraser, one of the rulers, were given by classmates; other stationery were garnered all over the house, some I used since sec sch, jc, uni.

I like this idea of recycling materials for organization. They don't incur cost. I imbue them a sense of renewed purpose. Interestingly, while everyone at home used to hunt high and low for stationery in pockets of spaces all over the house where stationery could be, only to ask my mum, "where is the -insert tool- ar?" at the end of the day, nowadays, they just comes into my room, take it, use it, and put it back. I think this fits into one of my goals for Room domain: Every item in the room has a space where it belongs.

So I've shared some tools I use to support me through my journey towards awesomeness. What are some tips and tools you use?

Kenny's Tips: Receipt Holders

Welcome to a new series on Kenny's Tips, where Kenny shares little random tricks he uses to perk himself up on the journey towards A Better Self.

Today's tip involves both the Room domain, and probably Finances domain. In my drawer, I hold all my credit card receipts, until I've settled payment. In the past, they'd fly around in the drawer and become a ridiculous mess. I had to re-organize everything and it was hard to keep track if I've already paid a particular bill. Last year when I had some spare plastic sheet, I cut out small strips and with the labeller at work, I made them into holders!

So I have three of these small holders, for three of my credit cards. With that, the receipts are sorted and clipped nicely into the respective groups. Now, my purchases can be verified and the (non-sensitive) receipts can be recycled after I've settled the bills. It's also a nice clean way to visually keep track of which card I'm using more and what my credit card expenses could be just by seeing how many receipts I've accumulated (though it's also included in my expense budget). I like that it's made with recycled material, I didn't buy anything new, and I've been using it for months and I find it useful for me — no more Drawer of Flying Receipts! Simple & Happy.

At the risk of letting you know what's in my personal drawers, here's seeing it in action:

Click for bigger picture

The World Can Be A Very Exciting Place When You Open Your Mind To It

I'm really starting to believe this.

When you throw aside all the baggage of things that actually don't really matter (i.e., not sweating the small stuff) and start to trust yourself a little more, when you free up space in your mind and your physical environment so you don't feel so overwhelmed, you will find that when new exciting opportunities start to show up at your door, you are in a better position to say yes.

Yes to the projects that push you a little further out of you comfort zone.
Yes to the projects that allow you to do the things you love, and at the same time, create value for others.

It's going to be an exciting journey ahead.

Un-Panic Room

One of the many perks of incorporating simplicity and leading an uncluttered life is that when Chinese New Year comes around the corner, there is no sudden hectic rush to "spring clean". I've also become less compelled to use 'purge' — suggesting a mega overhaul — and instead use 'de-clutter'. So today, I was de-cluttering my room, working on tasks in my Room domain.

Goals:
1. Have a clean and aesthetic place to live, work, & play in
2. Every item in the room has a space where it belongs

For the tasks, I was cleaning, organizing, and updating the room. I "recced" the room to see what needed work done, and today's focus was more on my desk drawers. Another Next-Action was also to schedule a bi-monthly review of the living space, which would be on a Sunday. Maintenance and cleaning will still happen as and when needed.

The thing is the Room domain might be a little large, and I've worked on it for quite a long time prior to our Better Selves project, albeit not as structured as now. I know what the colour scheme of the room is. A lot of systems had also been put in place. I guess for future consideration: short-term wise, I'm thinking of mini-projects to enhance my living space; long-term wise, I want to expand this domain to include the whole house: make it a better space for my family, help paying utilities, etc.

If I drew a graph of how you spend your time and money, I'd have drawn a picture of your priorities

It's serendipitous that the Golden Globes are held when I'm on leave. Much like how I was on leave at home for Oscars last year.

But I realize I don't care anymore. Not that I don't care about Hollywood or accolades; I just don't feel the need  to sit in front of the TV to spend 3 - 4 hours to honour them. I will read about it later.

And this I think, required no effort on my part. Or any conscious decision. My priorities have just shifted.

Because I have a clearer big picture.

Quotable Quotes III

“In every job that must be done,
there is an element of fun.

You find the fun and
‘SNAP!’
the job’s a game"

Mary Poppins (1964)

Mindfulness training

Hello fellow Better Selves Project mates! Really enjoyed our little spontaneous meet up yesterday, after the visual treat of watching The Artist.

When I woke up this morning, I thought the film and my experience after tied up pretty nicely in an insight. 

The Artist was clever in its referencing of cinematic conventions and techniques, even as it was a love note and homage to the golden age of black-and-white, silent films. But more that that, its self-reflexivity sensitized me to the experience of watching a film.  

But what does this have to do with anything?

I know I broke a few of my own restrictions yesterday, i.e., eating popcorn (I don't know whether it's supposed to be "heaty"), eating chilli from the baby crayfish spaghetti (I realised only at the end that I had forgotten to tell them not to put chilli, was wondering how come I don't remember it being so spicy), and drink a bit of the summer waltz latte (by accident ah, I really didn't know it was coffee, was so taken in by summer and waltz and the osmanthus), and also didn't sleep by midnight.

(But it's not that I didn't take my restrictions seriously. Other than the accidents, I guess the part about hanging out later than I should was a conscious decision because of the very very great company)

The point of the post however, is not about the transgressions. But rather, what the "transgressions" had given me the opportunity to experience - the value and pleasures of little luxuries I had once taken for granted. 

Without my rules and restrictions, hanging out till late would just be like ok, another outing with friends, but because of the rule of sleeping earlier and the rule of not taking a taxi, I was then mindful of the decisions I was making, and weighing out what was more important to me.

But having said that, I think I still did pretty ok. I resisted the urge to stay out longer and also managed to take the public transport home.

Looking forward to meeting up again next week! :)

A note to that voice in the head

Great work does not flow only from the most talented, the most equipped, or the most worthy. It also flows from the people who believe they have the right to do it.


Why not you? 

 (Pam Slim, from End Malaria.)

Mid-day Post

End of week one for "be punctual for work":
0 day(s) of reaching work late

It's a small step but I want to note it down to push myself for consistency.

Not feeling too well but a project I've been working on for almost a month is going live later. Reading all the posts here makes me feel a lot better.

May all be well till 6.30pm

21 Days to Change A Habit

How apt then, that our upcoming review meeting for the Better Self Project will be on 21 Jan!

For January, I had set myself the following target resolutions:

1. Jog daily for 10 minutes.
2. Drink a cup of water first thing in the morning
3. Eat breakfast. 
4. Sleep at 11pm every night. 
5. Record daily expenses.   
6. Clear up backlog reports and work. 

Since we still have about a week to our accountability review,  thought it'd be useful for me to do a quick review here so that I can attempt some tweaking or corrective actions (aka last ditch attempts hee).

Generally, I must say, I've found it surprisingly quite easy to incorporate the life-style changes into my daily routines. Am definitely on track with resolutions 1 to 5 (Yes, believe it or not, have managed to keep up with my running!). Although some areas could of course, still do with improvement. (Right now, due to the lack of time, I just tend to ta bao my breakfast and run off to office. However, I still want to work towards my ideal scenario of having time to eat my breakfast leisurely at home, and definitely want to work on being early for work).

However, I'm still having a bit of a problem with Resolution 6. Considering that I want to leave work on time and not do work on the weekends, this has been quite difficult, especially since time at work often gets taken up by meetings and other paper work. I guess I need to squeeze some time next week to clear up the reports so that I can look ahead, rather than live in fear of deadlines (which is an emotion that is not only exhausting but unproductive).

Will report good news next Saturday!

(Ok off to bed now!)

Where Is Your Money Going?

Don't tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I'll tell you what they are.

James W. Frick 

Kenny's 12 Months Budget Tally (in Oct 2011)

Top 5

1. Food

2. Ez-link top-up

3. Clothes

4. Taxi

5. Alcohol drinks

Truly 衣食饮住行

Domain: Grooming - Skin Care / Make-up

Ideal Scenario:

To look photoshopped, every single day

Haha, I wonder if that's possible. But essentially, regarding skin care...

Goal: Improve skin tone. Have check-ups with a dermatologist.

Tasks:

1. Apply appropriate night cream.

2. Apply sunscreen in the morning.

3. Follow rules in Lifestyle / Daily Routine domain on Diet, Exercise, Sleep.

Next-Actions:
4. Find a dermatologist. Explore need for cosmetic procedures.

Regarding make-up, my guiding video is this:

Goal: To have the tools to experiment make-up with.

Next-Actions:

1. Purchase
a. MAC Fix+
b. MAC pen eyeliner
c. MAC 187
c. Bare Escentuals Faux Tan (original)
All from Sephora.
2. Find out from Sis where to get a kabuki brush (I'm assuming Daiso)

Actually there might be other things related to this domain of Skin Care / Make-up such as maintaining the kit, having a routine for putting masks etc. But I have a system for most things in this domain already. Maybe I'll share them next time.

Slow & Steady

Click for The Big Picture: Red means conquered

I'm not blogging about every domain I've worked on but rest assured I've been steadily progressing to capture Ideal Scenario, Aims/Goals, and Next-Actions for each of them. I've also been dedicating time each day to actually work on the items in my Next-Actions list. I'm neither Rabbit, nor Tortoise. I'm Speed Racer.

三人行，必有我师

In purposefully charting out my life through Ideal Scenario, Aims/Goals, and Next-Actions, the road towards The Big Picture becomes clearer and clearer.

Nowadays, if I eat alone, I no longer just stone or watch downloaded TV. I doodle on my jotterbook: brainstorming on topics I said I would (such as, in a previous Next-Action), working on incomplete domains, or just dabbling with new ideas. Instead of dallying on facebook or youtube, I "procrastinate productively" by organizing, renaming, and uncluttering my digital files. At the clinic, there's less random running around, thinking of how to be busy when I have free slots, there's more perusal of the to-do list (which is now much cleaner than before) and working on something specific.

By looking at the ladders in life, The Big Picture, and dealing with them more intently, a welcomed side effect is the freeing up of more time to be do what I need, and what I want. This reminds me of what a wise friend mused:

"having an end in mind can help you see things in better perspective - and also make you a more effective person."

I will continue to map out all my desires for my Life domains. Inevitably, I'd come face-to-face with the two gatekeepers of success: Maintenance & Review — only after mastering them may I make headway in my journey to the bwest. It can be invigorating to have new productivity tricks or motivation to churn out work but self-improvement is both a process and an everchanging product. I had been at that stage, many times, where I thought I'd reached the holy grail of productivity, only to rest on my laurels and slip back into a laissez faire state of things. Nonetheless, I have faith that this time it is different; this is not the story of the 3 wise men, who are never heard of again after paying tribute. I'm in good hands this time because I have accountability to, and more importantly, support from, the Better Selves Project team. =) The road ahead may be long but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

To quote yet another wisemen,

"To infinite and beyondd"

The Storyteller

Lately, I've been going for a number of meet-ups with friends I haven't seen in a while. And like all meet-ups, there would be a component where we each update the other on what's been happening in our lives. Ideally, this would be a great opportunity to showcase what a collected, calm, well put-together, positive person I have grown to become. Instead, I often fall back on stories that bore even me. Yes, the same old stories of what's happening at work, etc, angsty thoughts on certain issues that's troubling me now, my health, etc.

It was probably cathartic once, but like a well-rehearsed script, it has gotten tired.  And worse, at the end of the meet-ups, I often regret about letting on too much information, and feel bad about sounding so negative.

Let's hold on to the analogy of the script as I dissect this a little further. You see, I guess once I had "written" these repository of stories for myself, I somehow feel obliged to repeat the lines ad nauseum whenever someone mentions key words like "how's life?", "how's work?" etc. I go to the meeting thinking in my head at the start, don't tell them the story again, don't reveal those angsty thoughts, just smile and tell them new stories. But once I get to the hello, the same words just start tumbling out, inexplicably without control.

Why should I persist in telling stories that are no longer helpful to me?

So my challenge to myself is this. To write new stories about myself and to practise my new lines till I've learnt them by heart.

After all, we are the stories we tell ourselves, so choose our stories well.

Three Principles

__1 Autonomous
Simply don't be a burden
Taking care of myself, making sure I am fine so nobody needs to worry
Working well less help, awesome with
Constant improvement

__2 Reliable
Don't over-promise, keeping promises
Trustworthy
Dependable
Consistent
Punctual
Accountable

__3 Positive Deviant
Fun The most pleasant company one can ever have hah
Do-er
Proactive
Tenacity
Healthy degree of impatience with idleness

Only one ah

Pardon the advertisement at the end

There are days I will feel "why am I dabbling with so many things? what do I really want?" and days "I need to do much more than what I am doing now". In a way both sentences are telling me the same thing. Do more != breadth, I cannot continue skimming surfaces.

I want to describe myself using only one sentence

To infinity and beyoooooooond

An epiphany

Ironically, ever since I came to the (sort-of) decision to embark on "work 2013", I've felt a lot more zen about work presentations. Today, I had to help give a presentation to my new boss on the work of a team I was leading last year. (The portfolio has since been handed to someone else this year so perhaps that also contributed to the calm feeling as follow ups are not by me! ;p).

I went without (much) stress and for the first time in a long while, focussed more on the story I wanted to tell, rather than being afraid I might leave things out (and hence, ending up reading off the script). I was not afraid of judgment nor preoccupied about needing to sound smart, because it now meant little in the grand scheme of things.

I just had to be myself.

I've noticed this in other areas of my work too. Less uptight, more a "don't kan cheong, it'll be fine" mindset. Perhaps this is what they mean when they say, having an end in mind can help you see things in better perspective - and also make you a more effective person.

Mid-week review

Quick post and I'm out. (Sorry if it's dry). Today, kept with the water, exercise, breakfast, sleep at 11pm-ish routine, and the daily expenses record. Didn't manage to get much done at work today cos we had to attend talks in the morning and afternoon.

But am happy I managed to reach work on time today. It makes me feel a whole lot more relaxed.

Onwards to Thurs!

Domain: Work Admin

I previously had a cold war with Workflowy but just moments ago, I resuscitated it. Erstwhile a To-Do list, I'm breathed new life into my Workflowy to chronicle each LIFE domain I've tackled. My Better Selves jotterbook is fun to trash everything out on but a digital medium documents it more neatly.

Here's what went down in the Work Admin domain:

Ideal Scenario:
Present an image of organization, reliability & timeliness in the office. That Kenny can be trusted with tasks, Kenny has been trusted with tasks, and Kenny delivers when you entrust him a task.  I show ownership for admin tasks assigned; I finish them, like a boss, pwned, WIN.

Goals:
1. Have relevant paperwork or digital material at hand when working on projects.
2. Ensure quality and effort in the product.
3. Complete them on time.
4. Keep track of projects to account for the time spent and to report for appraisals.

Task:
To follow procedures

1. When assigned a new task
__a. Write down in 5-column-task-sheet under "Admin"
__b. Write down expected deadline
__c. Write down expected outcome
__d. Write down Next-Action if task itself is unclear

2. When task involves paperwork or digital documents
__a. Open temporary file / digital folders for materials
__b. Put in all relevant material
__c. Label physical file with post-it and store in Projects magazine folder, when not working on it
__d. Label digital folder with project title and place in Projects folder in d:/drive

3. When task is a multi-step project
__a. Log into "Clinical Mgmt Logging" excel sheet in dropbox, in sheet "Admin Projects"

Then all that's left is to do the task when time allows, noting the deadlines.

Here's the good news:
I hate writing things down, I'd throw up the white flag. Thus, when I'm assigned a task, say, through email (as opposed to a meeting where you'd have to stay put 'til it is adjourned), I'd evaluate if I can do manage it straightaway, and do it if I can and just log it in, instead of writing it down as a task. Past experiences these weeks have shown that when my motivation is high, and my energy level is not DEFCON 1, I complete Next-Actions for tasks immediately. So enforcing this process of writing down has deterred me from procrastinating.

Here's the second piece of good news:
I've already implemented these processes and it looks like we're heading for victory. I had set up the infrastructure and strategized the work processes previously when working on the Clinical Mgmt domain. Nonetheless, I'll evaluate and review this system down the road. If work were really a battlefield, I want to be the cool breeze Colonel I-Made-It-Look-Easy — like a boss, pwned, WIN.

Progress updates

And since we're on the topic of updates, here's another one just in.

Thought I should also share some progress on my resolutions.

1. Exercise daily for 10 minutes. So far, have gotten back in the groove of doing this.

2. Sleeping at 11pm-ish. Yep have kept up with this too (as a matter of fact, will need to sleep within the next 10 minutes!)

3. Drinking a cup of water every morning. Check!

4. Removed my make up!  Check!

4. Hydration. Have been following the items on the list but will continue to monitor. (Have not used the eye drops for my eyes, will start tomorrow).

5. Backlog. Completed one report today, but will need to work at a faster rate than this. Will aim for another report by end of tomorrow. 

6. I have also been eating breakfasts, but I didn't manage to have time to eat it at home today. (Luckily my colleague brought breakfast for me). Will aim to have breakfast at home. Which means having to wake up earlier so I can get everything done in time.


Other stuff I've gotten done:

• Set up an iDoneThis account. Everyday, will enter my progress on these resolutions. I find it helpful for also recording the things to be grateful about each day as I reflect on the course of the day. (Mindfulness training!)
• Started an excel template for my expenses, will enter my daily expenses at the end of each day. 
• My cousin is getting married and just asked me to be her bride's maid. I said yes and she appeared quite appreciative, so am just glad I am able to "show up" for a family member.
• I've tried to wash the dishes in the sink before I eat and immediately after so my mom didn't nag at me for doing it much later after (like I usually do). Perhaps being less tired helped me to be a little more hardworking in this area. Usually I'd be too tired to do it right after.

Ok! Enough for now. Time for bed. Talk more tomorrow! :)

Of Dates and Updates

Nice to see everyone active in the blog. Hope that we all got the encouraging first-day-at-work SMSes from the motivation squad of Better Selves project.

Please remember the upcoming project meeting will be
21 Jan 2pm, same place!

Here's an update from my side regarding the next-actions for each domain I've drawn out previously.

Digital Life / Computer
1. Check status of laptop in the drawer.
NOT DONE
2. Block out time to rearrange files in the computer and archive files in the CDs.
ON-GOING
I block out a part of each day to do a bit of it.

Finances
1. Read the current life insurance plan I have to see what are the terms and if there is a need for supplementing it.
NOT DONE
2. Read through trading account application form to prepare for necessary application material.
DONE.
Application forms have already been sent out.

Clinical Mgmt
1. Update "Clinical Mgmt Database" with client info and corresponding Next-Actions
Status change: The Database is being updated with client info. That is incomplete.
I found it unhelpful to enter corresponding Next-Actions. So I found a solution to it.

2. Update "Clinical Mgmt Logging" with recent liaison work
I've updated with the recent past liaison work. And this is consistently updated on the new work.

3. Gather past records of supervision hours (from shared drive at work) which later should be recorded in "Clinical Mgmt Logging"
The records have been gathered. The new Next-Action should be: to block out time to record past supervision hours

4. Photocopy assessment tools (lying in my sunrise clinic magazine folder) and file them properly for easy access
NOT DONE. I think I'm re-wording this to first "Block out time to..." such that I know that is the time dedicated to this side-project.

5. Brainstorm on processes
When to block out time for follow-up on 4 types of Clinic Next-Actions
When to monitor and update "Clinical Mgmt Database"
When to monitor and update "Clinical Mgmt Logging"
NOT DONE.

Talking about working and writing about working does not equate to actually doing the work

No pretty visuals and flowery text from me today. Just plain hard text.

As much as I often talk about taking small steps and being consistent, sometimes the most important step to take is showing up.

It's been difficult trying to pull myself together to clear the backlog of work. It's like being in a hole, already half-filled with mud and I'm not sure if I should focus on scooping out the mud that's already in the hole or work on preventing more mud from piling up. It's paralysing because while I want to get started on all the amazing plans I have, I know I should really clean up all the mess behind first.

It's times like this that I wish I could chanel Elle Wood from Legally Blond - you know, the part when she decides to finally work hard so that she can enter law school. I love watching the resolve when she decides to bury herself into work and be so productive. But. In real life, actually getting down to it is boring, tedious work.

Yes, it's difficult. But no one ever said it would be easy. Do the work!

It's the execution, stupid

During the first interview I had at my current workplace, a question was:

"Why do you want to enter this industry?"

I looked through my bag of standard interview answers,

"Because I like to work with ideas"

He looked at me for a moment, before starting

"Ideas are nothing. You see taxi drivers out there, they have a lot of ideas, opinions. They bring these ideas to discussion over tea. And then soon after they forget about them.

The most important part is actually the execution."

Bad move.

Eventually he gave me the job, I turned it down and jumped on board the other team.

But what he said stays.

But that is also my biggest problem. I get excited quickly only to forget about this new interesting idea soon after. Plus a weakness when working with details. If this goes on, nothing substantial is ever going to come out from me.

This is project "It's the execution, stupid"

__1 Currently I subscribe to several "up and coming tech ideas" blog/websites which I will browse through each morning. I look through them and go "oh so pretty" *close*

Remedy: Keep an Evernote folder of articles that I think will work and can apply to work. With each article list down

a. what technology it is leveraging on
b. give an example how I can use it
c. any file/code I need to download

This way I will have a bag of tricks when once we need an idea to crack a brief, bring up le idea

__2 Work on a casual project once a month, I can

a. Pick a project from Creative Workshop
b. Work on a project stated in the websites
c. Pick an idea from the books I am reading

Project must be small enough that it does not interfere with work. Preferably done within 3 days of coding

__3 Talk to boss

Talk to/Email boss once a month about a project we/I can undertake. Client-based or not

__4 Contribute to ideas pool at work every Monday. Working on it from 10am-11am.


oh my guanyinma, grant me all the perseverance I need

To infinity.. and beyond!

Images from http://startupquote.com/
Melinda, look! http://startupquote.com/post/8353614743

If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

Click for a bigger version

In the OUTGROW Mission, I've listed 9 objective goals to measure how 2012 will be great for me. I picked KIV goals from some of the domains in my life. Some of these things I've drilled and bored into for months but all that was put in place were words. And perhaps I've yet to work on them because I didn't think I could! What I'm striving for in 2012 is to out-perform myself and achieve all these by the end of year.

I like the idea of themes. I've dabbled with New Look and Next Look; I've donned The Model Attitude and played with Simple and Happy. But since the inception of The Better Selves Project (of which its title and its members are not only subject to change but expected to change) I'm okay not to have a theme really. It's not the most important thing. Nonetheless, I like the idea of OUTGROW; it whimsically encapsulates the overarching idea of competition with and improvement beyond the self — myself.

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.

William Faulkner,  1897  - 1962 

Mindfulness

Hihi please treat me with care, I'm new.

Here we can be talking about the path to enlightenment, deliberate practice or being accountable to yourself. But it's about time I start to jot down what I am doing, at work, with people, or the mountain of books I am reading.

Most pressing issue at hand: my timesheets are not done. A rough gauge there should be a month of backlog. Filling out timesheet is tedious, time-consuming and pinches me when I see I don't milk the most cash out given my effort at work (filling out timesheet will grant me the ability to claim taxi/dinner/saturdays allowance. otherwise sorry no money).

Current method: plough through weeks of sent emails to see what I have done for each day.
New method: iDoneThis

It will send me an email at 6pm everyday with a friendly prompt "What’d you get done today?"

Format that I should follow to reply to this email:

[Job No.] [Name of project] [No. of hours]

Every Wednesday will be timesheet day when I will work only on timesheet from 10am-lunch.

To infinity and beyondd

Domain: Digital Life (Part 1)

I have a PC system that is the anchor of my workstation. My monitor is 32", for goodness sake. I have two active thumbdrives, one within home, one I bring for work. I have two external harddisks, a smaller one for personal documents, a bigger one for media storage. I've an active iPhone. I've a defunct iPod I use to lend friends to transfer big files. I have two blogs and one tumblr. I have a facebook account (and 4 extra ones I activate when playing games. I'm not obsessed, who says I am!? WHO?). I have a dropbox account. Which is synced to my computer here, my computer at work place A, and laptop at work place B. This is as exhaustive a list as I can conjure for now.

At some point, even if it's contrary to leading a simplified life, I admit willingly I'm entrenched in a digital world. Right now, I'm streamlining the practical day-to-day use of the tools to engage this world — one of which is the computer. While I'm thinking about the tools, what I've yet to consider is the concept of "online presence". I'm still deciding if it's going to be a separate sub-domain in "Digital Life" or not. Nonetheless, I'll pen down what I have worked on so far.

2012 - A Commitment to Change

Fresh from the discussions we had yesterday (welcome to the club, Yishu!), I decided to ride on this wave on motivation to get started on mapping out my life into the various domains.  

So here it is!!