#6 - The Best Time to Start Was 20 Year Ago...
Kara Monroe
Starting
There is a Chinese proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
I think of this proverb often. I’m a chronic procrastinator but once I start, I typically will get enough momentum and get a project moving forward enough that I get excited about the progress and keep going. Starting is always more than half the battle for me.
We celebrated the first day of spring here in the U.S. on March 20. In my little piece of Indiana, the weather was nearly perfect. And, while I’d had a big week and didn’t have anything on my calendar for the day, I got a lot done. I used three different strategies to help me get going and I thought they might work for you.
Pairing: Pair something you don’t want to do with something you have to do or like to do. I paired cleaning up the kitchen and swapping out some laundry with the time it took for dinner to cook. Pairing is great for listening to a podcast while you walk or ride a bike or watching a show while you walk on the treadmill. You can’t do the one you want to do/have to do without also doing the one you don’t want to do.
Healthy Treat: Kona and I could have been outside all day yesterday. Instead, I did something neither of us likes - vacuuming with Kona’s arch-nemesis the vacuum monster. We went for a spin around the neighborhood after I got done with half the rooms in the house and then another once the whole house was done.
First Steps: I have a relatively big project that I have been avoiding starting. I made some progress on it yesterday as I gave myself permission to put it down if it didn’t interest me after I started. Happily, it did interest me I made some measurable progress.
While Gretchen Rubin writes about these strategies and 18 more in her 21 strategies for habit change, I have found over the years that many of them are also great just for overcoming inertia to get moving on a project or task that you’re procrastinating.
I’d love to hear how you get yourself moving when you don’t want to start something. Just hit reply and drop me a note. What are your favorite strategies for overcoming procrastination?
Join Me
I am enjoying the March 2022 cohort of Ship 30 for 30. Writing and publishing daily is turning from a “I should” to an “I will”.
The Ship 30 Community is an amazing group of writers, creators, and tweeters who help each other out and work to make the learning experience amazing. I came for the writing practice - I’ve stayed cohort after cohort for the community. The April Cohort will set sail on April 18. Come join me! Use this link and get $100 off.
I’ll also be serving as a moderator of Building a Second Brain, Cohort 14 which kicks off April 12 following a bonus Tech Week on April 1. No affiliate program or options for a coupon here. If you’re interested in learning more, you can do so at https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/course.
What I published this week
I’m really disappointed that there are no videos in this list. I started three different videos but got stymied with editing or camera issues on each one. They remain on the list for next week. Regardless, atomic essays and twitter threads have kept me busy this week. I didn’t list all of them here - just a highlight of a few. I also HOSTED my first Twitter Space this week which was an incredibly fun time.
Even if you don’t have kids, 529 plans are a great investment option
I got curious about investment much later in life than I should have.
I missed important years of serious investing in my 20s before I got curious. I want to help others avoid my mistakes. Even though I didn’t have much money then, those lost years represent enormous losses.
An overlooked, but important, investing tool is the 529 education savings plan. I started one for myself for my masters and doctorate. I got huge tax benefits by putting money in my 529 before paying my college bills. Now, I keep a 529 plan for myself for random education activities I want to take on and I keep them for kids in my life. They make a fantastic gift and they have huge positive tax benefits for me.
There are a variety of types of 529 plans and states have different rules about how they work so you will have to do a bit of research to get started. Some employers will even match contributions made to 529 plans through payroll deduction or at least make the contribution for you through payroll deduction. While my employer did not make matches, if they had, I would have been sure to maximize every penny of that. Employer matches, when available, are benefits that are very often left on the table.
I think 529 plans are often overlooked. What other financial tool do you think not enough people take advantage of?
I am not an accountant, financial adviser or lawyer so please do your own research and make your own decisions. I am sharing what has worked for me.
This post was created with Typeshare
iwannabemewhenigrowup.medium.com
Lists are a focus super-tool on Twitter.
It’s easy to get sucked in to scrolling through your Twitter feed — even if you only came to Twitter to look for inspiration, or check out a few posts about “x”. I use Twitter lists to help me focus on a specific topic or task when I’m on Twitter.
Here’s how I create lists while I’m scrolling. It’s the perfect way to get started creating your focused lists.
1. Find a tweet by a person you want to add to your twitter list.Lists aren’t selective — you will get ALL tweets by any person you add to a specific list. If you want to keep track of a specific tweet, then use a bookmark instead of a list.2. Click that person’s name to go to their Profile.3. Click the three dots to the left of the Follow/Following button.You don’t have to follow someone to include them in a list. This is a nice way to be able to look at tweets from someone without following them and having them in your main feed.4. Click Add/Remove from lists.You do this same process to remove someone from a list or lists.5. Click the list or lists you want to add the person to. If you don’t have a list set up yet for this topic, click Create New List and name the list.You’re now ready to refer to your list whenever you want. On the web, lists are an option you can click in the left sidebar of Twitter. On mobile, you usually will see your lists as tabs across the top of your screen that you can click.This post was created with Typeshare
iwannabemewhenigrowup.medium.com
Control your internal autopilot. Get clear on your values.
We are far less rational than we believe.
Lots of unconscious forces power our decisions each day.
From our habits to our values, we humans run on autopilot far more often than we think.
That’s why it’s important to get clear on your values.
Here are 3 ways to find and name your core values:
Choose from a list of words
There are lists of “value” words all over the place online. One of the most comprehensive I’ve ever seen is at https://liveboldandbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/400-personal-values-list.pdf. Make several passes through the list circling what resonates. With each pass through the list, narrow your choices until only the three to five most important remain.
I would never…
While people have a hard time just naming their values, we’re often clear on what we WON’T do. Start with the phrase “I would never…” and then fill in the sentence as many times as you can. Review the list and see if any of the opposites make sense as values (e.g. ”I would never lie” means you may value honesty or integrity or truth seeking.)
Mine your journals and other writings.
Your core beliefs may literally jump off the page in your own writing. Read a sample of your past writing and see if anything jumps out at you.
This post was created with Typeshare
iwannabemewhenigrowup.medium.com
Diversion
Adobe has launched a new quiz to tell you want your “Creative Type” is. While the results aren’t necessarily all that interesting, the quiz itself is absolutely beautiful and so much fun - when do you say that about a quiz. It will take you about five minutes and I think you’ll enjoy it!
Creative Types by Adobe Create
Everyone has a creative “type”—knowing yours helps you maximize your potential. Take our quiz to discover your type!
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Kara Monroe, 11640 Winding Wood Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46235