The negative impact of not getting thing done.

[Tombo]

How do you deal with the negative consequences of falling off track and not upholding personal accountability?
I was thinking one ideal I have is getting daily exercise yet I have not gone for a jog in the past 7 days. I use this as an example but this happens with multiple aspects of my actions,projects etc... it’s a a drag on the positive attitude and momentum I have developed and can be detrimental to my progress.

 

[Cpu_Modern]

It usually makes me sad. Maybe that's the same thing as what you describe as "it’s a a drag on the positive attitude."

It is dangerous to try to overcome sadness with "hyping" yourself. Maybe that's just me, but I see it alot around me: people become sad and then they tell themselves half-truths to upon their moods. Don't do that!

I am no expert for these sort of things, but I would say that to acknowledge one's feelings honestly is the first step to do.

It is also fitting: when I screwed up, should I be happy? I would lie! Of course I am down when I let the enemy score a touch down against me.

The enemy is time.

So, special teams onto the field: let's punt!

But don't lie about the score.

 

[Tombo]

I find it difficult to acknowledge one’s feelings when we let ourselves down. It is the most important thing to do in this situation process and move on. I think too especially now a days we are trying to do too much and that also impacts emotions. Healthy expectations may be a key to navigating life and the pursuit of happiness!

 

[mcogilvie]

I have been dealing with precisely this issue recently but my perspective is a little different. I should be spending about 5-10 minutes twice a day doing exercises for my back. I’m not averse to exercise: I work out with a trainer once a week, hike regularly, and generally meet my daily exercise goals. But I am having trouble fitting these exercises in. I’ve tried putting them on next action lists, but I think the lack of progress wears at my subconscious- same exercises every day. Calendar is no good, my schedule is too varied. I’ve tried habit trackers, and I rebel against both the cheery and the surly ones. I think this is a bit of an edge case for gtd.

 

[Cpu_Modern]

Healthy expectations may be a key to navigating life and the pursuit of happiness!

Absolutely! Well said.

There are times for unconditional love (for oneself as well) and there are times for ambition. It is not always easy to balance the two.

 

[Cpu_Modern]

…trouble fitting these exercises in. I’ve tried putting them on next action lists […] Calendar is no good, my schedule is too varied. […] I think this is a bit of an edge case for gtd.

Oh, there is nothing more boring than doing one's physical exercises…

The technique I developed for me is somewhat of an success, not really, but the best I could muster anyway:

1. I have a note in the Tickler to schedule the next set of exercises. In the morning the Tickler prompts me thus to schedule the exercises for today.
2. I also choose and prepare an audio program I want to listen to while doing the exercises. My fave podcast or something… I found it important to do these steps same day in the morning, not earlier.
3. When I am done with the exercises I give myself a little pep talk, always including how fast these minutes went by and how it is soooo easy to just spend those couple of minutes each day, instead of having to live with back pain.

 

[TesTeq]

How do you deal with the negative consequences of falling off track and not upholding personal accountability?

Getting back to reality is not a negative consequence. When you become aware that your expectations are too high you lower them by moving things to Someday/Maybe.

 

[TesTeq]

Oh, there is nothing more boring than doing one's physical exercises…

Oh, there's nothing more interesting than doing physical exercises when you have a huge backlog of great podcasts to listen! ;-)

 

[Cpu_Modern]

@TesTeq, yesterday, when I did my physical exercises I had to think about your comment and that made me smile. Your positive attitude carried over to me!

 

[bcmyers2112]

@Tombo, I've found the best way to deal with the negative feelings about failure is to come up with a plan to put myself back on track. For example, I've found that I am most successful at sticking with an exercise plan when I rely on friends as accountability partners. I started putting my intentions on my gym's Facebook page because that created pressure to show up. I'm not saying that will work for you, but it's an example of how to feel better by solving the problem.

But to do that, I have learned to accept that I am imperfect and will fall short of my goals from time to time. Practicing GTD will not change the fact that we are flawed. If you can't feel OK about that, then you are making yourself feel bad about a central fact of your (and everyone else's) existence. And that's a recipe for unnecessary misery. It also makes it harder to try solutions, because it makes failure more painful than it needs to be.