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Posts from the ‘Time’ Category

Jan 2

Concentration Cycles: A President’s Example

“Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.”

—No. 110 from Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation

The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior are ascribed to George Washington, but not because he originated the list, which was already over 130 years old when his tutor assigned it to him as a penmanship assignment. Presumably, during those intervening 130 years, he was not the only school boy set to copying it by his tutor; surely others had longhanded the little statements as well.

What he did do was keep the list handy, making it part of his real life, rather than treating it like a school assignment. He did not pack it away in a bundle of forgotten school papers or throw it out once he received his mark. He reviewed it regularly, and made it part of his continued improvement as an adult. Read more

Jan 1

Calendar Work

Are you sitting with a blank notebook and pen eager to start something in this new year? Are you holding the new calendar and wondering what to record? Are you intrigued with the idea of meeting with yourself weekly but haven’t a clue what to do once you get there?  Read more

Dec 21

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Daily Dose 62: Marathon

Who practices more, the runner for the 100 meter dash, or the runner for the marathon? Real runners for either of those races would both practice a great deal. The difference is not how much they practice, but how they practice, because the needs of the races are very different.

The sprinter goes as fast as he or she can, every  muscle primed for that burst of speed. Allowing any one to pass imperils their chance of winning. Marathon runners must pace themselves, preserving energy for key times in the race. Another runner leading even helps set a good pace, until it’s time to pull ahead.

So, life is more like which—a sprint or a marathon? We’d all agree there are sprinting moments, but life itself is much more like a marathon. Read more

Dec 20

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Daily Dose 61: 5 O’Clock Quitting Time

Mom was a simple, straight forward stay-at-home mom, at the time when every mother stayed home. Our one car went to work with our dad. The milk man, the bread man, and the insurance man all routinely came to our home, the side door. The first two left FOOD, which greatly interested us as children; the third came to collect money, which held no interest for us whatsoever.

Our first teenage babysitter came one night when I was probably in fourth or fifth grade. Other than that, Grandma Wilson appeared for a week or so whenever a new baby was born, or mom was home with us. My dad even did the grocery shopping every other Friday night (on payday, it turns out) after coming home for dinner and picking up one of the children for their turn on the shopping adventure.  Read more

Dec 19

Daily Dose 60: Practice

The new is always hesitant, slow, awkward. New skills need methodical attention before becoming natural.

Tricky fingerings worked out slowly on the piano become second nature and “easy,” once conquered.

The novice cook’s first meal often arrives in a rather unusual course sequence, while an experienced cook lays out a feast with only a rustle of busyness.

The new teacher spends every night preparing the lesson plan for one day’s lessons. The veteran teacher plans full lessons in minutes, compensating for individual and class needs all at the same time.

The distinction is not innate ability, but concentrated practice. Read more

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