Sunday, July 20, 2008

Inertia: Get unstuck

My life is full and I have goals set for me by my work, probate needs with my husband's death, and my dreams and aspirations. But this weekend I was stuck on the sofa with the computer and the television. Now, getting unstuck is a major project.


Inertia seems to sum up my state. The dictionary defines inertia as: a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force.


I must admit that describes me to a tee. The good news is I'm not limited to my own resources. I am praying for God to give me the momentum to be up and moving in the direction Holy Spirit leads. My thriving depends on me moving enthusiastically toward my goals on mission with God.


For the next few days I will write on getting up and moving. I know some of my readers are professionals, stay at home working moms, retirees, and students. We all work. So today we will see how we can work better with more momentum.


A few weeks ago I found these wise words on John Tesh's website:


Tips to Improve Your Work Week


Five tips to ratchet up your workplace performance.


1. Clear the decks. In other words, pick three to four critical projects to tackle early in the day. Save nonessential meetings and projects for later. Why? Because a Harvard study found that juggling too many tasks makes it hard to focus and experts say we become progressively less alert after lunch. So do the important stuff before lunch.


2. Seek the truth via email. That's the best way to find why your colleague skipped Monday's staff meeting. A study at Cornell University found that people are twice as likely to tell the truth in an email,as opposed to face-to-face or over the phone.


3. Say "we" instead of "you." Being all-inclusive makes people feel like they're part of a team. It'll also soften a complaint, so the other person is less likely to get defensive, and more likely to compromise. So, instead of saying "You need to get your facts together for the presentation..." Try, "Grab your notes, and we'll go over the figures for our presentation."


4. Play a symphony. Stanford researchers say that listening to music that's not familiar ... or has a lot of transitions... helps you focus and keeps your brain from wandering. Their pick? Beethoven's Sixth.


5. The fifth tip is good for Friday: Quit procrastinating. It'll improve your Monday before you even start your weekend. Simply knuckle down, and spend 30 minutes working on a task you've been dreading for days. You may surprise yourself and finish it off in 15 minutes.
http://tesh.com/ittrium/visit?path=A1x97x1y1xa5x1x76y1x2449x1x9by1x244ex1y5xc0bdx5x1


I need help. Since you've read this far, will you help me out? What moves you when you get stuck? What have you done with inertia?

2 comments:

God's girl said...

inertia! Oh girl, I just have to put on some uplifting praise music and it gets me moving. Then the times I am so unmotivated my kids force me up with their momentum! :)
Much love,
Angela

Tracie Miles said...

Hi there - thanks for visiting my blog! My big way to leave inertia behind is to excercise! Get out and walk or run in the morning before the humidity is too high and spend time in prayer, while admiring all the beauties of a beautiful summer morning. It always get my blood pumping - and my heart! - then Im ready to have a productive day.

ps visit my blog again this week to take part in the Faith Zone Challenge!

© 2008 Kay Martin

Thrive In Christ

Who I Am In Christ by Neil Anderson

For several months we will center on this book to pursue Thriving in our Christian journey.

Neil challenges us with: "Do you know who you are in God's eyes? We are no longer products of our past. We are primarily products of Christ's work on the cross. Who we are determines what we do.

You are not who you are in Christ because of the things you have done, you are in Christ because of what He has done. He died and rose again so that you and I could live in the FREEDOM of His love."

That's just the introduction. More to follow.