March 5, 2024 – Following last week’s email detailing my foray onto the Dune scene, I’ve had so many great conversations around this epic book! And I’ll be finished with the Audible version in a mere 2 hours…woohoo! Then we’re seeing the 3-hr movie this coming Sunday…woohooooooo!!
In keeping with the “sci fi books written in the 60s” theme, I’ve picked up Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. It received the John Newbery Medal award in 1963. It’s a classic work of young adult (YA) fiction packed with notes of wild space fantasy, themes of family, and is also a classic coming-of-age story for social outcasts.
And it’s SHORT! I never realized it until now, but YA can be a great tool to help you read more! After all, YA fiction is specifically written to get the reader engaged quickly, and then to HOLD that attention. So, why not consider adding YA to your reads?
Some suggestions for you:
The Harry Potter series (magic, wizards, reluctant hero)
The Hunger Games trilogy (dystopian, sociology, politics)
The Percy Jackson books: (blending mythology, adventure, fantasy)
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books (family, historical fiction, rural life)
ANYTHING by Roald Dahl!! (bizarre, lightly dark and twisted, brilliant) My favorite? The BFG. (the “Big Friendly Giant”)
Don’t be a “hero” and think you need to pick up tomes like Moby Dick, War and Peace, or A Tale of Two Cities, however brilliant those books are. Work your way up. Set the bar low!
PS I could never get through Gone With the Wind in print, so Audible carried me off to play with Scarlett and Rhett! Highly recommend! (listening counts!)
It’s my new theme: USE YOUR TOOLS!
And what if you NEVER leave YA for “grown-up” books? Good for you!! And who cares?? If you’re reading…you’re reading!
What are some of your favorite YA reads?
Well, I know it’s no surprise to you that March is officially upon us! Let’s review:
January – check!
February – also check!
March – here it is!!
March tends to be “long” especially since it follows February, a typically short month. (and if you get paid monthly, then oh yes, March is quite long!)
And as far as the business calendar goes, it’s the last month of the first quarter. I know I’m poking you in all the tender places, I’m so sorry! But it’s for a reason, I promise!
I want you to “MARCH” through your goals in March! (Wow, that was such a cheap shot; again, my apologies!)
But it’s true! Weeks can fly by where all you do is fight fires, living in reaction mode, and getting drained of all your energy. If at all possible, we must fight this “life running us over” modus operandi.
Sometimes it’s tempting, okay, it’s ALWAYS tempting to do things that are outside of the current projects…why is that!!? But, you’re wasting precious energy and time. Time is a NON-renewal resource. Energy is finite, too, so use TOOLS so you can be ruthless with your FOCUS.
A tool I’ve started using: I write the week’s projects on the left half of my “not very fancy” weekly spread in my Bullet Journal (AKA Bujo). So it serves to remind me to focus only on the current projects, most of which are deadline-bound (AKA not “fun”), but that’s okay!
Consider this formula to GSD:
Time + energy = FOCUSED PROGRESS
That’s productivity math. I never been a fan of math, but I do really like this Get Shizz Done formula. When you specifically state a time you’ll work on something, then gather your energy (having a regular recurring time on your calendar is KEY), you can make focused progress. I see it happening every week in our Find FOCUS Membership sessions.
You can do anything, but you can’t do EVERYTHING. And when you aren’t intentionally focusing on SOMETHING, then it’s just like trying to boil the ocean…and guess what?
Overwhelma loves it when you do this!!
What about visualizing that feeling when you have completed something? This is why we MUST celebrate every win! There is no win TOO small. Micro-wins pile up and grow into a winsplosion! We celebrate every win in our Find FOCUS Membership meetings: every. single. one.
I want you to get more done and show Overwhelma the door!! Consider booking a chat with me if the membership sounds like a great tool for you. We have a fantastic, supportive group that would love to meet you.
Let’s GSD in March like we mean it!!
Reply here and tell me if this email resonated with you!
