In all their jollity in this world, they are but as a book fairly bound, which when it is opened is full of nothing but tragedies. So when the book of their consciences shall be once opened, there is nothing to be read but lamentations and woes.
Richard Sibbes

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Pull It Together and Push It Through

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738 Posts
#1 · August 4, 2014, 9:28 am

Posted by: virginiaknowles <virginiaknowles@...>

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The Hope Chest with Virginia Knowles

#17-5: Pull It Together and Push It Through

(Life and Education)
August 4, 2014

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Dear Hope Chest friends,

​I hope you've all had a great summer so far! Now i

​

t's time to gear up for "back to school" - whether it is

​h​

ome school, private, or public

​!

My youngest

​ child,​
​

 Melody

​,

 just turned 9

​this past weekend

. 

​We're

starting school a week from to

day

, and we've got all sorts of fun plans.

​We're

going back to the eclectic, fluid, Charlotte Mason literature-based approach that I used with the older children (now adults) in our earlier years of home schooling. I am psyched! So many books, so little time! Yes, we've got some work books, too: Horizons for math, Daily Grams, Wordly Wise, and a few others. But we're also doing unit studies for American history and a variety of science topics, starting with weather. Several of her siblings

​and I ​

pitched in to get her a small used Asus tablet for her birthday, which we will load up with some educational apps to go with the games. This year should be interesting,

​home schooling just one child without co-op or virtual school. We can do things just the way we like. 

She got

​ a little​

lost in the shuffle there for a few years, so this will be sweet for both of us.

​ :-)​
Last time I sent out the Hope Chest, I was on a long road trip with my four youngest kids going to my grandparents' memorial service and family reunion, visiting my dad and my sister's family, as well as doing a lot of fun stuff on the way there and back. Here are the links to the remainder of my travel and family heritage posts.
​​​
​I have also continued my series on domestic violence with two interviews. Here are the links to most of the posts.

​​

I changed the name of my mothering blog to This Mom Grows Up and gave it a fresh new look and focus. Check it out! Besides the article that I have included below, the two other most recent posts are:

My article this month is quite practical, if I may say so myself. "Pull It Together and Push It Through" is about how to get it done when you can't seem to wrap your mind around it. How do you focus when you are distracted? How do you keep going when you are tired? Of course, I'm preaching to myself first of all, because I have a lot of paperwork and home organizing to do this week!


Pull It Together and Push It Through
How to Get It Done When You
Think You Can’t


Do you ever have
semi-complicated projects or tasks to do that you just can’t seem to wrap your mind
around, especially when you are tired? How about these? 

  • pay bills, evaluate insurance options, do taxes

  • organize a storage area or
    your computer files

  • research health and nutrition
    issues

  • make menu plans so you can
    have a decent “real” dinner at least a few times a week instead of frozen pizza
    and fast food

  • shop for back-to-school items
    or Christmas

  • switch out seasonal clothing
    for several children and figure out how to store what you are using now and what you aren't

  • plan lessons, grade, and keep
    records for home schooling or classroom teaching

  • figure out a new computer
    program or app

  • write a blog post, a research
    paper, a freelance magazine article, or a book

  • help your child with an
    extended school project or college application

  • plan a party or outreach event

  • ship out orders for a home
    business

  • revamp your resume and
    looking for a new job

  • prepare notes for a public
    speech or presentation

  • write proposals, evaluations, or project
    plans at work

  • plan events and accommodations
    for a family vacation

  • work through personal therapy issues

  • make and prioritize long-term and short-term goals

  • think through an upcoming life-changing decision

Whatever it is, your brain
can freeze up and you might think, “I just can’t do this. I don’t know how. I
can’t focus. It’s too complicated. It’s confusing.”


This happens to me quite
often. Honestly, that’s when I’m tempted to procrastinate, and sometimes I do.
But then it just has to be done, and I don’t want to do a shoddy job. I want to
get it done on time. I want to do it right. That’s when I need to “pull it
together and push it through.”


The “pull it together” phase is setting myself up for success. It’s the foundation, the groundwork, the prep
time. The “push it through” productive phase is actually getting the work done. Ready, set, go!


Pull It Together

  • Tell yourself it has to be
    done. Now. Remind yourself why it is important. What reward will come from
    getting it done? If there isn’t an intrinsic reward – which comes naturally –
    can you choose your own "carrot" reward to motivate yourself?

  • Figure out what success looks
    like for this project. Are there any deadlines or specifications? How will you know you have done it well? What will that
    look like? Take a few minutes to picture this and lock it into your mind. You
    might need to ask a supervisor, teacher, spouse, mentor, or other interested party for input. 

  • Remember that you should have SMART goals: Specific,
    Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

  • If you are feeling
    overwhelmed with the complexity, try to demystify the process. Sort out the
    tangles ahead of time. What questions need to be answered first? What decisions
    need to be made? Have you done anything like this before? What worked? What
    didn’t? Are you afraid of failure or criticism? Are you being a perfectionist?
    Write it down! Brainstorm!

  • Decide what steps you need to
    take to do it right. Write them down in logical order. This is called managing
    the critical path. You don’t want to bottleneck your project waiting for one
    thing that could have been done earlier. You also want to make sure the key
    things get done. (Remember the analogy of the “big rocks” going into the jar
    before the “little rocks”?) Maybe they won’t be chronologically first, because
    they are dependent on earlier steps, but make sure that first task path leads
    to the first priority whenever possible. All other things being equal, also try
    to alternate more simple steps with the harder ones. Or schedule the more
    difficult items for a time of day when you usually feel freshest. You can also
    try “backwards planning” where you start with the goal and trace back what
    needs to be done in order to get to each step.

  • If you don’t know how to do
    something, try looking it up on the web. You might find a tutorial or an
    instruction manual. Or check out a library book.

  • Contact others ASAP to get
    information or other things you need, like consulting with other family members
    on what needs to go in next month’s budget. Figure out which steps you can do
    even before they get back to you.

  • Ask for help actually doing
    the project, especially if you aren’t familiar with it. Be clear about what you
    need, so that you don’t end up going in different directions and getting frustrated with each other.

  • Clear your work area so you
    won’t be distracted and so you can have room to lay out the materials you need. If your desk area is too cluttered, take a basket bin and move off anything that you don't need right now. If you need extra space to lay out your supplies, set up a folding table.
  • Organize your information into notebooks, file folders, shelves, or an electronic device.

  • If you usually have trouble focusing
    on your screen or on the printed page, check into the need for eyeglasses for
    that particular distance. I wear progressive lenses with three focus strengths,
    so this is really easy for me. In earlier years, I just swapped out different pairs of non-prescription reading glasses for each task. Also make sure you have the right lighting for
    your job. You will tire more easily and you may miss important details if your
    eyes are strained.

  • Gather your supplies. What do
    you need? Make sure you have everything before you get started so you don’t
    have to stop in the middle to go find or buy what you are missing. Having a desk with fully stocked drawers (so everything I need is right there) has made a huge difference to me.

  • Make a ToDon’t list of
    distractions to avoid while you are working. If necessary, get your computer to block web sites that sidetrack you and/or set up a separate computer desktop that has only the programs and files you need.

  • Check what you’re wearing. It
    should be comfortable and suitable for your task. If you don’t feel productive,
    dress for success. There are certain things I like to do in my pajamas, but
    others that I should not, especially since I tend to work better if I've taken a shower. I’m not saying you should dress up in a suit every
    time you do paperwork, but try to be professional. 

  • Put on background music that
    is cheerful but not distracting, if it helps you. Classical or light jazz might
    be good choices.

  • Take care of your comfort
    needs. Drink some water. Eat a protein snack. Take a quick nap if you are about
    to crash and can’t think straight. Drink something with a moderate amount of
    caffeine. (I don’t like coffee, so I use Crystal Light drink packets with
    caffeine.) Go to the bathroom.  Put
    another cup or bottle of water in your work area where you can reach it easily.

  • Get up early and work while
    it’s quiet and your brain is fresh.

  • If you have recurring tasks,
    set up a regular procedure of how you do it. You don’t need to rethink it every
    time if it is still working. When
    I was classroom teaching, I had template documents for my lesson plans and for record
    keeping. No need to reinvent the wheel!

  • If you have multiple related recurring tasks, plan a regular routine. Before I go to bed, I have to lock three
    doors, turn off lights, make sure the kids are getting settled in, wipe &
    tidy the kitchen, brush my teeth, etc. When I see them as a set, I’m less
    likely to skip one. I can almost do these on auto-pilot.


Push It Through

  • As you start to work, decide how much you are going
    to do right now. Estimate and set aside how much time it will take. If you need
    more quiet concentration, lock the door and let others know not to bother you
    unless it’s really important. Then get going on it.

  • When you started losing focus
    or getting confused, stop yourself for a minute. Ask yourself a few questions
    to figure out what the problems are. Review what you have already accomplished.
    Did it go as planned? Do you need to redo part of it in order to continue well
    with the rest of it?  Reorient yourself
    to what you are doing now. Look at your list of steps, and then remind yourself
    of what you need to do next.

  • Don’t over think or make the
    job harder than it needs to be. The simple way is often the best way. It
    doesn’t have to be complicated to be worthwhile.

  • Motivate yourself when you
    are losing steam. You can do this. You must do this. Tell yourself that you are
    capable, confident, clever, imaginative, and logical. Psych yourself up! Knock
    the fear and doubt out of the way.

  • Take a short "power up" break when you need it. Breathe deeply. Get up and flex your stiff muscles. Drink more water.
    Close your eyes for a few minutes, especially if you are doing detail work or
    staring at a screen. If you are hot, crank up the air conditioning. If your
    work area is getting cluttered, take a few minutes to reorganize for the next
    step. Just don’t start a completely different activity or get stuck in
    diversions on your break. Focus on what will help you get back on task quickly.

  • Pace yourself. If the job
    turns out to be more than you can reasonably handle right now, break the tasks
    into steps and plan specific times to get them done, maybe a little this hour (or day), and a little more the next.

  • Keep going. Push on through
    until you have completed the goal you set for yourself. Remind yourself that if
    you quit before a logical stopping point, it’s going to be that much harder to
    figure out where you left off once you come back to it. Make sure your train of
    thought doesn’t lose its caboose.

  • Clean up after yourself if
    you don’t have a dedicated spot to work on this project. Even if you can leave
    things out, at least organize them so that you can pick up your work again
    easily.

  • If you aren’t completely done
    with the project, leave a note (paper or electronic) to remind yourself what
    you need to do next. If others are involved, communicate your progress and what
    still needs to be done.

  • If you are so tired or flustered that you can't determine whether you have done the job completely and accurately, don't finalize it yet. This is especially true for make-or-break communications or projects, which may or may not need an extra day to gel. Wait until you can come back to it with fresh eyes, a calm soul, and an energized brain. Then make your own second opinion or ask for feedback from a family member or colleague.
  • Evaluate your work. Review what you learned and completed. Decide what to do better. Feel a sense of accomplishment. Enjoy your reward! 

Becoming more productive and taking more responsibility for myself and my family are ways that I am growing up as a mom and as a human being.


How about you? What do you do
pull it together and push it through?


This is the second post in my Brain Boosting series. You can find the first one here: Brain Boosting: The Physical Factors.

Articles on the web that I used as idea resources: 

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