Knitting and Winner and Lists - Oh, My!

I had so much fun knitting with Jennifer and Denise today. The cinnamon streusel muffins were a big hit - Nathan says they are the best muffins he's had in a long time, and he would pay big bucks for them at a bakery - and I very much enjoyed the fresh fruit Denise brought, too. Eventually, we got down to knitting. The girls took my advice and went to Yarn Garden Knit Shop in Lawrenceville on Monday and treated themselves to beautiful yarn and bamboo knitting needles. As I explained to them the last time we were together, I don't knit to save money; I knit to feed my spirit, and cheap aluminum needles and cheesy acrylic yarn just don't do it for me. I taught them to cast on and do the knit stitch, all they need to know to complete their garter stitch scarves. Well, except for binding off, but they won't need to know how to do that for a while. I finished the black scarf I told you about last week, so I started a new project, too, using Patons Classic Wool Roving in Pumpkin.

I cast on 18 stitches and am following this pattern.
Row 1: *K2. P2. Rep from * to last 2 sts. K2.
Row 2: *P2. K2. Rep from * to last 2 sts. P2.
Row 3: Knit.
Row 4: Purl.

I plan to make a matching hat, too. I heart knitting.

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The winner of the $10 Amazon gift card from yesterday's drawing is S.M. Carriere. Congratulations, S.M.!

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The more I dig into Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy, the more life-changing I believe it can be. I am becoming much better aligned with my goals and see much more clearly how to go about achieving them - primarily through making written lists.

Mr. Tracy emphasizes the importance of making lists. He claims that if you work from a daily list, you increase your productivity by 25% or more - about two hours a day. TWO HOURS! He suggests making your daily to-do list the night before, giving your subconscious mind time to work on it while you sleep - great idea, right?

But it's not that simple. He says to start the process by making a MASTER LIST of everything you can think of that you want to accomplish at some point in the future. He also recommends MONTHLY, WEEKLY, and DAILY lists - and reminds us to start each day by "eating the biggest, ugliest frog first," because 10-20% of tasks represent 80-90% of results. Continually ask yourself which one project or activity will have the greatest positive consequences in your work or personal life.

Another tip is using the ABCDE method of prioritizing tasks, as follows:

A=very important, must do; rank A-1, A-2, A-3, etc. and do in this order.

B=should do; only mild consequences if not done.

C=nice to do, but no consequence if not done.

D=jobs you can delevate.

E=eliminate - things that might have been important at one time or things that you do primarily out of habit.

Again, he reminds us to START IMMEDIATELY on the A-1 tasks.

The time is going to pass anyway. The only question is how you use it and where you are going to end up at the end of the weeks and months that pass. And where you end up is largely a matter of the amount of consideration you give to the likely consequences of your actions in the short term.

~ Brian Tracy, Eat That Frog!

If you're not sure where you are headed, give yourself thirty seconds to write down the three most important goals in your life. You will be surprised how much clarity you will have with such a severe time restraint. You can then flesh it out by taking a few more minutes to identify your three most important goals in the following areas:

1. business or career
2. family or relationship
3. financial
4. health
5. personal and professional development
6. social and community
7. problems or concerns

This dovetails beautifully with today's #Trust30 prompt.

One Thing by Colin Wright

Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself. 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take a moment, step back from your concerns, and focus on one thing: You have one life to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. Sounds simple, but when you really focus on it, let it seep into your consciousness, you realize you only have about 100 years to get every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do. No second chances. This is your only shot. Suddenly, this means you should have started yesterday. No more waiting for permission or resources to start. Today is the day you make the rest of your life happen. Write down one thing you’ve always wanted to do and how you will achieve that goal. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in how you’ll achieve it: once you start achieving, your goals will get bigger and your capability to meet them will grow.

(Author: Colin Wright)

I encourage you to give some of these exercises a try. And remember: the chief benefit of getting your work life in order is to give you more time with the people and activities you love most. I wish you much success and great joy!