Thursday July 26 Thursday, Jul 26 2007 

Daily Log littd 11:17 pm

Well my 30 day trial is going well (nasal irrigation) it’s working beautifully and I’m definitely going to keep it ip. But it’s not aligned with my goals. Also, it’s not a significant enough lifestyle change. Doing something like meditating every morning, or getting 8 hours sleep every night is something that takes more commitment and more effort, and will produce actual, noticeable differences in my life. So what are some important habits for me to reach my social goals?

  • Sleep 8 hours a night – It’s important to be well rested to be pleasant and fun to be around.
  • Meditation in the morning – It’s important to be happy and relaxed
  • Writing out my goals in the morning – It’s important to stay focussed on what I want
  • Writing out what I learnt that day at night
  • Read for 30 minutes a day on communication skill building
  • Play my guitar and sing for 30 minutes a day

Rules

  • Reply immediately to messages for social invitations
  • Never turn down an invitation unless there’s a really good reason
  • Start conversations with people at every opportunity

 

Tuesday July 24 Tuesday, Jul 24 2007 

Daily Log and Ideas for 30 day trials littd 11:21 pm

Today I got a lot done from my to-do list, but felt a little tired, and didn’t get a lot of personal development done.

My project is progressing, I’m reading a lot of stuff on colour coordination, body type, hairstyle etc. Some actions I need to take:

  • Remove all old/non-fitting/bad coloured clothes from my wardrobe
  • Go to shops and ask for advice from the female shop assistants
  • Determine the image I’d like to project
  • Make a list of items that I need

I’m thinking that I might let my hair grow out. I’ve got thick, wavy hair and I think it would look good longer.

I’m starting a new 30 day trial today: Nasal irrigation every time I brush my teeth (i.e. twice a day) for 30 days.

 

Project 1: Get My Style Together Monday, Jul 23 2007 

Project Objectives littd 10:08 pm

Mon July 23 – ???

Project Statement:

This project is about improving the way I present to the external world. Appearance and presentation is a big part of life, and though I’m not a particularly fashion-conscious person traditionally, I can definitely see the benefits to always presenting well.

Project Objectives:

  • Dress Well all the time
  • Have outfits appropriate to different situations
  • Have a good idea of which colours go well with each other and with different contexts
  • Have a defined “personal style”. Write a blog entry titled “My Personal Style”.
  • Have fresh breath all the time
  • Practise good general hygiene
  • Have a signature fragrance
  • Have a good hairstyle and an idea of what to ask for
  • Have nice shoes, take care of them
  • Know how to wash clothes to keep them looking good

 

Project Ideas Monday, Jul 23 2007 

Project Ideas littd 7:19 pm

  • Get my style together
  • Build a strong social network
  • Get a girlfriend
  • Become a better public speaker
  • Become a semi-professional musician
  • Become more energetic
  • Be Cheerful
  • Be Funny
  • Become a better writer
  • Be more creative
  • Get organised
  • Become more effective
  • Learn Swedish
  • Learn Blues Guitar
  • Learn Jazz Guitar
  • Learn Rock Guitar
  • Learn Classical Guitar
  • Learn Piano
  • Become a faster typer
  • Become a more effective reader
  • Become a better songwriter
  • Become a better singer
  • Improve my memory

Projects last as long as I see fit. Each project runs singularly, and begins with a list of objectives and a vision statement.

 

Ideas for 30 day trials Monday, Jul 23 2007 

Ideas for 30 day trials littd 6:44 pm

  • Nasal Irrigation
  • Reading for half an hour before bed (fiction, nonfiction, practical)
  • Meditate for half an hour in the morning
  • Visualise my “best self” for half an hour each morning
  • Run the same route every morning, record my times
  • Swim the same route every morning, record my times
  • Cycle the same route (you get the idea…)
  • Start a conversation with a stranger
  • ask a girl out
  • Go out every night
  • Revise and re-write my goals each morning
  • Get up at 5am
  • Eat no sugar
  • Eat no meat
  • Eat 5 different types of vegetables
  • Cook a meal
  • Do 2 De Bono creativity exercises (31 day trial)
  • Start a list of ‘albums I’d like to get’, add one album per day (then get them…)
  • Start a list of ‘books I’d like to read’, add one book per day (fiction, nonfiction, practical)
  • List of ‘countries I’d like to visit’
  • Learn one song (guitar and vocals)
  • Analyse one song (chord progressions, harmony etc.)
  • Practice my guitar in a focussed manner
  • Do half an hour of vocal exercises
  • Write out my to do list in the morning (pocketmod!)
  • Write in my journal
  • Research a philosophy
  • Try a new journal exercise each day
  • Write a poem each day
  • Do 30 minutes of cleaning/organising

Each trial will be run one at a time (contrary to what I wrote in an earlier post) so I can give each one the attention it deserves. Each day I’ll write about my experiences in this blog.

 

Monday July 23 Monday, Jul 23 2007 

Daily Log and Inspiration littd 6:25 pm

Well, as of today, this blog is taking it’s latest twist. It’s taken a few so far, I certainly subscribe to the ready, fire, aim (yes, Pavlina again) approach.

This blog is now a combination of my projects and my 30 day trials. Let me ’splain: (I think I’m turning into him)

Project: equals something that will need a combination of research and implementation. There is no set time limit to a project, it simply runs until I decide that I have achieved my objectives. I’ll start out each project with my project objectives, and most importantly, why I have decided on this particular project and what it will do to move me towards being my best self. For example, my first project will be to get my style together. I will work on my presentation, the image I project to the external world.

30 day trial: Go to www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/04/30-days-to-success/ for the idea. Basically, this is a way of integrating a new habit into my daily routine. This differs from a project because it is something that I can implement immediately that I believe will improve my quality of life.

 

Habit 3 – Smell Nice Sunday, Jul 22 2007 

Habits littd 8:32 pm

  • Shower regularly
  • wear deodorant

Pretty simple, huh?

 

Saturday July 21 – 30 day trials Saturday, Jul 21 2007 

Daily Log and Habits littd 5:55 pm

I’ve been neglecting this blog for the last few days, partly because I’ve been flat out at work, partly because I lack discipline (Arnie voice).

I’m having trouble staying motivated and focussing on my goal. I think a good way to get myself out of this pattern (which is certainly not new) is to start integrating life habits that will support goal achievement and personal development. These are habits I can incorporate by doing 30 day trials Credit: Steve Pavlina). Here is a list of 30 day trials that look good to me:

  • Get up at the same time every day
  • Exercise first thing in the morning
  • Shower after exercise
  • Learn a new word every day
  • Dress well
  • Nasal Irrigation
  • Write a new blog entry every day
  • Write my goals out every day
  • Visualise my day
  • Write a to do list
  • Read a book that interests me
  • Read a personal development book
  • Read a fiction book
  • Have a good friendly conversation with someone
  • Start a conversation with a stranger
  • Ask someone out on a date
  • Get a new album
  • Go out every evening
  • Listen to motivational audio
  • Spend 30 minutes writing about my daily lessons
  • Have a self-conversation in my journal
  • Recount a significant life event in my journal
  • Write a post on Steve Pavlina’s forum every day
  • Meditate
  • Practice my singing
  • Practice the guitar
  • Learn and/or analyse a song
  • Write a song
  • Work on a speech
  • Monitor my diet
  • Write a journal entry
  • Clean or organise something

Ok here are my rules: 30 day trials can be concurrent, but there must be a minimum ten day period in between starting new trials. There can never be more than two running at the same time. I say this because I’m prone to setting plans that only an android could execute (Pavlina again). It’s very important for me to keep my plans simple and easy to execute. There will be no excuses! As for the 21 Habits I’ve already posted – I’ll continue to research them and do posts on how to achieve them on this blog, in the order I’ve posted. In all likelihood they will spawn 30 day trials to add to this list as I go. It’s better I think to pick options as I go rather than have a set plan and order and timeframe on how I’m going to achieve my goals. My goal remains the same, my plan of attack is highly flexible.

Obviously, doing one of these trials doesn’t mean I neglect other things, It’s just the thing I concentrate on the most and write about on this blog. For an indefinite period, this blog is the record of my 30 day trials.

I’ll simply pick items off this list at my leisure and start one that looks appealing. This list is by no means exhaustive. I’ll modify/augment it as I go, and I may use 30 day trials that aren’t (yet) on this list.

I am currently on my tenth day of a thirty day trial of nasal irrigation, so tomorrow I can start a new one (While obviously continuing the nasal irrigation one for another twenty days). An obvious one would be getting up at the same time every day, but I’m going to Pennsylvania in three weeks, which has a 12 hour time difference to my home city of Perth, Western Australia. So my next 30 day trial will be reading a book that interests me. I’ll start with “Impro” by Kenneth Johnstone. If I find a book is boring me, I’ll move on. The key for this trial is to be absorbed in a fascinating topic for 30 minutes a day.

Until Tomorrow!

 

Tuesday July 17 Tuesday, Jul 17 2007 

Daily Log littd 10:47 pm

Today I was bad. I did my morning exercise, but I was on a site visit all day for work and then I played a gig tonight so I didn’t get time to work on my project or even do my reading. Naughty. I got a pretty low score on my habit tracker today. I’ll make up for it tomorrow!

 Until then.

 

Monday July 16 Monday, Jul 16 2007 

Daily Log littd 9:19 pm

Today I exercised first thing. After work, I did my habit research and posted my action steps for habit 2. I’ll read for half an hour before I go to sleep. My habit tracker is now in use. I’ll post my weekly scores every Sunday, so you’ll have to wait until then (yes, you, my loyal fanbase) for that little gem. Basically I just track my good habits every day, and assign a score to each one according to it’s importance. I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible.

 On Sunday I bought a goal journal to re-write my goals every morning and to assist with visualisation.

“Take what you can from your dreams. Make them as real as anything. It will take the work out of the Courage.” – Dave Matthews (Grey St. on Busted Stuff)

Until tomorrow!

 

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