Love Letter #5 ~Breaking Away

Dear Self,

I’ve had enough.  I set myself a goal this year.  A quarter of the year has passed, and I’m not seeing much progress.  If I’m going to reach this goal, something has to change.  I’ve got to be more disciplined.  So, I’m breaking away from some time-consuming habits.

One reason I’m not advancing toward my goal is because of distractions.  I’m guilty of sifting through YouTube videos and watching breaking news.  Also, I’m guilty of watching the latest antics on Instagram.  I admit that I enjoy the thought-provoking commentaries and humorous anecdotes shown on these platforms.  Hence, I scroll.  For a long time.  Regularly.

Another reason why I am not moving closer to my goal is that my hand has a mind of its own.  Like a magnet, it picks up my phone when I rise in the morning, when I need to spend time in the bathroom, and before I go to bed.   Then, the phone prompts me to constantly check, read, and respond to messages in each of my four inboxes.  The relentless attention to other unplanned activities on the phone leaves me little time to work on my goal.  This electronic appendage effectively sabotages my advancement.  So how can I loosen its grip on my attention?

I’ve been thinking about how I can break away from these disruptive habits. If my goal is truly important to me, then I have to be more focused.  Therefore, discipline is a must, as well as tracking and accountability.    So, I’m going to manage these troublesome routines by:

• Allowing myself a maximum of one hour at the end of each day and at a specific time to indulge in social media.
• Devoting a maximum of one hour at a specific time in the morning and another in the afternoon to check and respond to the most pressing emails. Emails that are not the highest priority will be read and answered whenever time permits, if at all.
• Tracking how many times I stay within the hour limit for the above activities.
• Documenting why the hour limit was breached and how to prevent it from happening again.
• Determining whether or not I’ve moved closer to my goal. If not, I will document what deterred me and how I will handle that obstacle in the future.

Time is ticking and I have a goal to achieve.  If I want to be successful, I have to break away from habits that interfere with my progress.  While I may not be able to fully break away from timewasting activities, at least I can better manage them.   

 Thanks for the pep talk. 

Self