Turn of the TV and Start Your Project

Guilty. So insanely guilty. At some point in the past year or so, I convinced myself that watching TV would help me tune my programming eye and improve my knowledge of advertising. There are many examples I could site that would make this statement true, but I’m clearly lying to myself and justifying my own guilty habits.

Turning off the TV and picking up a project is not as easy as it seems. I’ve tried to cure my refuge to laziness by knitting a scarf (currently partially finished and collecting dust my closet). I bought a sewing machine and fun fabric to make a costume (both items are crowding my feet under my desk at work). I marched home with two weeks worth of groceries and cooked for days so that I could pile up the leftovers (which now are poisoned with freezer burn.) So why can’t I get any of these projects to stick?

I think I’ve realized where I keep going wrong. Below are my suggestions for how not to end up like me:

1. Pick a project that you’re good at
*FFF: Don’t pick something that you want to learn or like to do. If you’re not good at it, you’ll soon drop it.

2. Make time or plan ahead
*FFF: Choose a project that you can maintain in time blocks. If you know you’re going to have a busy week, plan to push through a weeks work all in one night. If you have a hectic weekend, plan to go out less after work to make the time.

3. Set a goal and a schedule
*FFF: If you set deadlines, similar to you world at the office, then you’ll be excited when you meet them and may even push yourself harder in the future. And for once in you’re life, you’ll feel the power of being your own boss.

4. Reward yourself for sticking with it
*FFF: Eyeing a Kindle 2 or a new pair of shoes? If you meet your monthly project goals, give yourself a bonus. Note: try to avoid toys that will distract you from your project.

5. Don’t accept stress or exhaustion as an excuse
*FFF: Like avoiding sex, if you play the “tomorrow honey” card for too long, you forget how good it feels and find yourself getting grumpy.

My next project? Updating my blog. Soon we’ll find out if I can learn from my own lessons…
*FFF: Felicia’s Flawed Findings