Improvement

Originally, I posted the title as “changes”, but I’m looking at a more positive spin on things.

GTD

Getting Things Done.  Ces has had this book in our mini library for at least the last two years.  The basic premise is that we have  a thousand things we want or need to get done, but we waste most of our brain power trying to remember all those things.  The GTD methodology is to keep tabs on everything that needs to be accomplished, as soon as possible.  The first step is to write down and put everything you need to do that you can think of and put it in your “inbox”.  Then slowly go through it and make sure as new things come up, you immediately take a note or write it down. It’s very different from the normal planner method of daily tasks based on priorities.  You just go through your list of things to do and do them. Also, it believes in strictly following any appointments you put down in your calendar.

If you know me, I forget things quickly.  Through this, I’m slowly trying to get a hold of everything I feel like I need to do.  As soon as I think of something I need to do, I immediately write it down.  To supplement it, I bought “Things” for the iPod Touch.

It’s my main tool for keeping track of what things I need to do.  The second part of GTD is the calendar.  I now have my Mac Calendar, iPod Touch, and Blackberry  sync’d to Google Calendar.   Google Calendar is my central cloud, and can carry my calendar with me wherever I go.  This helps write appointments as soon as possible.

I haven’t done the full “write everything in your inbox” yet.  Mainly because of the pending move; however, once I’m settled in, I’ll try to follow through with this process.

Move

On July, Ces and I are moving out into an apartment with Chris, RJ, Donna, and John.  It’s a sad moment.  My brother and I have lived in our apartment for 4 years now and it truly has become home.  Our landlord is great and so are our neighbors.  With that said, our lives are about to change and this is a step that needed to be made.  Ces will be moving to San Diego, eventually.  With my decision to go to Grad School, I can’t commit to purchasing a house yet.  So moving in with friends is the best logical move.

Overall I’m excited.  It’ll be a nice, fresh start; however, I’ll miss the apartment.  I’ve been asked whether living with that many people would be problem, having to share more personal space.  To be honest, I’d rather live with more than two people.  I find that I can get irritated of people when I’m around them for two long.  It has nothing to do with the other people, I just can’t stick around one person for that long.  It’s basically me.  With four roommates, I think there’s enough variance that this won’t happen.  Also, if I need personal space, I can always go into my room and call it a day.  It’ll be a new chapter.

MSIM

As mentioned above, I decided to go back to Grad School.  It came down to getting involved in a mortgage, or going back.  I decided to go back to grad school.  It was a tough decision.  I’m already in a job where I could live comfortably for the rest of my life, and in this economy, getting another job is for guaranteed.  I’ve been asked, “Why leave when you’re doing okay?”  In the end, I know 20 or 30 years down the road, I’ll look back and say “man, I should have gone to grad school,” if I stuck with the status quo.

Moreover, I still don’t believe I’ve peaked or reached my potential. I’m doing good, but I want to be in a field that I believe I can be “great” in.  The plan is to go through the Information Management to get the “elevation” view of how to manage a company’s database and how it all interacts.  At the same time, I plan on using Bellevue College’s Continuing Education program to get a certificate as a Database Administrator on weekends.  With that, I should have the “working level” view of a company’s database.   With both, I’d hopefully be attractive to a company when it comes time for resume reviews.

In the end, it’s not about making more money.  It’s about maximizing my potential and being “great”.  Don’t get me wrong, I do hope the money will come with success.  Nobody (except lotto winners) became a millionaire by saying “I wish I was a millionaire” and doing absolutely no work to try and become a millionaire. It takes work.  I’m daring to put the work in and become one.  Why can’t I?  There’s an ultimate plan.  This is one of the steps.  In the end, though, the goal is greatness.  It’s about making a tangible difference in this world.  It’s crazy, but I know I’ll pull through okay.

Fitness

Right now, I’m trying to follow Stuart McRobert’s “The Program” from the book “Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great”.  It’s a slower, methodological approach to lifting.  It starts with a month of calisthenics (complete), then slowly working your way up in weights.  The first two weeks of real lifting are basically, bar only.  The idea is to get the form down, to get the form down, and to get the form down.  Then add weights.  It’s unorthodox in that he preaches slow weight loss, slow muscle gain, let the body adapt.  The lifts are only twice a week for the first 6 months.

It’s excruciating on the ego to go in to the gym and do sets with only the bar.  It’s horrible to be lifting only 15 lb dumbbells.  But it makes complete sense.  I had to accept my body has been on a consistent weight lifting program for at least two years.  My body needs to relearn.  Sadly, I’m a beginning lifter again.  After accepting that fact, I can move back to getting back in the cycle of lifting.  No more “hurry up and gain muscle” or “hurry up and lose weight”.  It’s a long haul plan, and that’s what I need.

Golf

Speaking of long haul plan, I’ve picked up golfing.  I originally started hitting last year, bought a cheap set of clubs, then decided to wait until I took lessons to restart hitting.  It’s paid off.  I didn’t want to ingrain bad technique into my swing.  One of the hardest thing to do is to work out a bad habit in muscle memory.  I feel about a month behind my friends, as far as golfing experience, but I’m glad I waited.

The coach stressed a relaxed, efficient swing.  Basically, no more movement than necessary.  After hours (and I mean hours) on the range, my shots are starting to become more consistent in their forward.  I make good contact with the ball about 80% of the time.  About 40% of those shots go in a straight direction.  I’m still trying to work out a fade in my shot that affects the other 60% of the shots.  But I love it.  It’s good to see work starting to pay off.  Best of all, I’m at the point where the swing is becoming muscle memory.  I’m thinking less and less about what I need to do during the swing and am just swinging.

Website

I made a few minor tweaks to the website.  On the right, you’ll see my google calendar of events.  This should be more updated, as the GTD program should force me to continually keep this updated.  Also, I haven’t updated the 5 on the pod.  I’m waiting until I hear the Em CD.  I expect more than one of those songs to join that group.  I added a “ratings” category.  I’ve always loved giving things ratings.  That’s the place I’ll put them.  Also, there’s a tab above with “About Me”.  I actually have an about me, so feel free to leave comments on that.  I suppose that’s it for now.  Later dudes.