Late submission for April 20th

So on Wednesday, April 18th (we had to move our normal meeting time since Kelly had an interview) I sat down with Kelly and told her about the disaster the previous week. She was encouraging but firm and helped me get back on track. While the project of cleaning up and re organizing seemed daunting at first, because I Had established a system for organizing it wasn't too bad. Two hours later, I was back on track towards my goal. It has been really empowering to be organized. Since my disaster last week I have made the decision to wake up a little earlier in the morning and do at least 15 minutes of taking care of loose ends around the house. This has been really empowering because it has actually shortened my morning routine. Normally I spend a little time looking for something that I had lost in the disorder. Because I am organized now, I know where everything is and can find what I need for the day. It is amazing to me the amount of time I save by investing a little time into being organized.

Because this is my final journal entry I would like to take the time to thank Kelly who has been an excellent coach. I have improved so much on my two action items for the semester. While I still have a long way to go, the meetings with Kelly really kept me honest throughout the semester.

Late submission for April 13th

Well as you can see this is a late submission- this is where the class started winding down and for some reason I thought the journal entries were finished. Looking back at my calendar, the week of April 13th was a complete disaster. There are many excuses why I did not stay organized this week (buying a house, lots of schoolwork, etc.) but the bottom line was that I was still able to watch my favorite TV shows and do all of the other non value added things in my life that I do when I don't want to get down to work. At the end of this week, every part of my room at my apartment was covered in papers, clothes etc.

It has been valuable for me to recognize when I fail in my goals and to diagnose what the root of the problem is. This can help me stay focused on how not to fall into the same old traps which have derailed my progress in the past. This week I learned that if I don't make keeping organized every day a priority, I am more likely to blow it off the next day and the day after as a mess builds up. Once the mess gets to a "project" level that wil take several hours to complete, I usually abandon my goal until I can't find something or my girlfriend comes to town or some other such catalyst that will get me moving. Luckily for me, I have a coach that was firm and consistant at the end of the week that got me back on track.