Tickler and Outlook Express

In this university environment, we've been encouraged by our systems folks to use Outlook Express. Use of full-on Outlook is discouraged (I think, I haven't actually pushed this), but I still use it for my calendar. In my attempts to GTD my email (still hard--back up to 60 msgs in inbox, sigh), I worked out this way to set up a tickler file for my email. To get the months to sort chronologically vs. alphabetically, you assign a numbered prefix: 1-19 for Jan-Sept, then 20-22 for October to December. Once you get to the end of a month (here it is Jan 31 already!), you shift anything remaining in 11January to 12February (you procrastinator!), and then create 31January to file beneath 22December. Of course 31 could be 23, but the 3 signals that it's in the next calendar year. And you could make it 31January2007 too. OK, now I'm back to work!

Briefly, Juggling with eye to Spring

San Antonio over, the rush of work, home projects, and an eye toward spring follow. Many projects and expectations converging at work, with a mixed response of feeling up to the challenge and wanting to schedule many vacation days. Not-quite-spring-cleaning mode at home is pulling me to play hooky to re-shui the house. On that note, Sherwin Williams has a neat little toy called the Color Visualizer. I'm thinking a mushroom/taupe couch (couch! after all these years!) with robin's egg blue and vermilion red as accents against the rental-cream walls. We'll see how this evolves.

Gym activity continues, and soon will need to convert from my evening training appointments to a regular 5am routine. It will be painful, especially for this natural night owl, but worth it once I get habituated.

Buzz and Balance

Coming off the buzz of leading another unit meeting: the first one of the year and as such involving an extensive New Year's Message to the staff that I hope will be inspirational. Keywords were "optimization" and "transformation". Either this is the stuff that gets folks really excited, not least because they rarely hear it in this environment, or it makes folks want to go into the staff bathroom and hurl. Oh well, I really believe in it and hopefully some of the good energy will rub off and exhibit itself in actions over the next year.

On "transformation": body is shifting--the big personal science project involving body chemistry and mental (and other kinds of) power. The next challenge is keeping up the good habits while at a conference. No 24-hour Fitnesses in San Antonio so have to make do with the hotel exercise room.

The next challenge on this transformation thread is about balance: attention is focused on the self in order to get to a better place with more resources for others, yet at the same time we are still required to give of ourselves, to think of others instead of ourselves. There is no way to tell people to hold off until we're "ready". We've got to be ready anyway.

Newness, continued

[This is late in going up due to some weird technical difficulties--maybe a disk quota thing which I'll have to address in 2006....]

It's amazing how quickly the annoyances of daily living encroach upon the spirit of promise that the New Year brings. I'm trying to withstand the pressure and to keep the energy up, because there are so many neat things that can happen this year: Joined a gym, and am retooling my attitude towards my body, health, moving, with what can only be a good outcome. If nothing else will help the little monkey related to these areas to scamper off for a bit. The work office is in the process of being completely overhauled with old items moving out to their proper spots gradually. Much cleaner and I hope more efficient. Family relationships are morphing into something healthier, which is always good. Threatening the good vibes are same ol' work issues (people stuff), the de-momentum of bureaucracy, interruptions and errands. I know the challenge is to merge the above into the good vibes so that they aren't threats at all but opportunities. That's how it goes, isn't it?