A well executed day

I had a highly productive morning on Saturday, which is quite unusual.  Normally I let myself wake up whenever (which ends up being around 9 or 10) and get online right away to read the comics, news, email, blogs, whatever, and finally get the urge to do something around noon.  Then I feel bad for “wasting” the morning.  This time I exercised, read my Bible, did the dishes, and spent two hours removing wallpaper in the living room, all before noon!  Wooooooooo!

There were several contributing factors to this productive day.  The first was that I scheduled my morning the night before, so I didn’t have to wade through my morning grogginess to decide what I should do next, or if I should do anything at all.  I knew exactly what to do when I got up.  I actually set my alarm too, so I knew I would stay on schedule.  The next very huge factor was that I didn’t get online until later in the day. This upped my motivation drastically, because I did something active first thing in the morning, and then it was easy to just keep going.  The third factor was that I didn’t let anything dissuade me from sticking to my schedule, even the fact that my husband was still in bed.  When you have a significant other, motivation can go one of two ways.  Either that person can prod you to be more motivated, or you can let their relaxation moments become your slacking moments.  In this case I stuck it out, and I gained the satisfaction of having him join me in ripping down wallpaper when he got up.

The end result was that I felt great about my day. I got a lot done, and then I was able to do my internet surfing guilt-free.  I also was able to accept a last-minute invitation to our friend’s house that evening without thinking, “Oh no, I haven’t accomplished anything yet!”  And, the satisfaction of a day well executed can only lead to more motivation! 

Speak up!

The other day I attended a training and planning session for summer school teachers in my district.  As we looked over the agenda we noticed that in the morning we had some time to plan out our lessons, and in the afternoon we were scheduled to get our class lists, along with data sheets about our students’ literacy needs.  The small group I was sitting with discussed this and agreed that it didn’t make sense.  How were we supposed to plan differentiated instruction before we knew our students’ needs?  It would be much better to do things the other way around.

The facilitator stopped by our room about a half hour later and asked if we needed anything.  Everyone just sat there looking around at each other without saying a word.  As the facilitator turned to leave again, I saw that if I didn’t speak up right then, we would have to go through our planning the wrong way around.  I stopped the facilitator and asked if we could have our student data in the morning.  Everyone in the room went, “Yeah!  Great idea!  We think so, too!”  A few minutes later, we had our data.

Now, here’s the question: If everyone thought the same thing, why wasn’t anyone willing to say it?  It took me, probably the shiest person in a room of about 20 people, to say it.  I guess the moral of the story (especially for us shy folk) is not to wait for someone else to say what needs to be said.  This experience was a good reminder for me that sometimes I just have to go ahead and speak up!

This time I’ll actually do it

My goal

So, the goal I’m currently working on is to create a habit of flossing my teeth every day. I mean every day. OK, so it’s kind of a lame goal, but I’m very motivated thanks to a certain dental hygienist that I’ve had the past couple times I got my teeth cleaned. She likes to poke my gums with pointy objects and floss my teeth really hard, and then when my gums bleed she tells me I need to take better care of them. Of course, I have no good way to respond to that since I haven’t been flossing my teeth every day, so I just say “umphguh” (that’s how “OK” sounds while her hand is in my mouth). I brush my teeth every day, but flossing happens when I feel like it. I know, if I did everything just “when I feel like it,” my life would be in a sorry state (think middle of Nebraska), but that’s what’s been happening so far, and that’s what I intend to change. Next time I’ll be able to tell that dental hygienist (or, preferably, a different one) that I flossed EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!! (Applause!!!)

How I’m going to achieve it

The way things like this generally go is that I’m good for a few weeks, but before the behavior has a chance to become ingrained as a habit, I lose motivation and can’t be bothered with it anymore. Here’s how this time will be different:

I have printed out a calendar and taped it inside my bathroom cabinet, along with a pen hanging on a string so it doesn’t get lost. Every time I floss my teeth, I get to put a smiley face on that day. Every day is a link in the chain. The goal is to add a new link each day, and not to break the chain. Some people call this the Jerry Seinfeld method, and you can use it for anything that you’re trying to make into a habit. (Read more here.) Seinfeld uses a big calendar on the wall with a red marker, but do whatever motivates you. I prefer to see a chain of little blue smiley faces. So far my chain is two weeks long.

Why it works

This method works well for visual people who like to see their progress. My brain is a bit weak in the motivation area, so I like this method because it gives me something concrete to look at and to mark when I meet my goal. One important key is to put the calendar and pen (or your preferred writing implement) near where you do the action you’re making into a habit. My calendar is right there when I open the cabinet, which I have to do anyway when I’m getting ready for bed. The visual reminder encourages me to keep up the habit, and when I succeed, I don’t have to go looking for my calendar or a pen in order to mark it down. If you want, you can add decorations to your calendar to increase your motivation. Make it a happy place. The smiley faces perform that function for me, but you may want to add some pictures or key phrases that capture what it will look like when you achieve your goal.

And one more thing…

One additional thing that can help you create a habit is to make it a part of a habit you already have. I have a well-established habit of washing my face, brushing my teeth, taking my contacts out, etc., before I go to bed. I added flossing into the middle of that sequence, before taking my contacts out. I can’t move on to taking my contacts out until I’ve flossed. It’s easier to condition yourself to do something daily if you consistently do it right after or right before something else you already do every day.

Tell us about how you’re creating your habit

If you try the calendar method to create a habit of your own, or if there’s another method that has worked for you, let us know in the comments!

Funny kids: Hiccups

As a student was waiting in my office for another teacher, he suddenly got a severe case of the hiccups.

“When I get the hiccups,” I advised him, “I hold my breath. It works every time.” He took a deep breath and I resumed my work.

After about thirty seconds, I heard his squeaky whisper: “Can I breathe now?”

Funny kids: My job

As I was chatting with some kids from the after-school program one day, I noticed it was getting late.

“Well,” I said, “I need to go make some copies.” Apparently this surprised one student.

“You work here?!?” he asked.

“Of course,” I replied. “This is my job.”

His answer made me smile: “I thought you just taught Spanish for fun!”