Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

Matt Willard · 12-06-2009, 09:15 PM

I haven't set any time frame. It'd make sense for college, but for writing off my passion...that's a bit tougher. I can set a definite time frame for college once I actually get in.

As for Writer's Market, I do have a subscription there right now. Haven't really used it, though - my efforts have mostly been online. Though I should definitely go back and see what online stuff they have available.

DAY 186 - DECEMBER 6, 2009

Today kinda went nowhere. I got so frustrated by all the distractions that my discipline just crapped out. I didn't really like that, so tomorrow I'll be doing what I set out to do today.

At least I finished the Weekly Progress Report, though. I also finished my plans for my 30 day visualization trial, and I even did a bit of that as well. Not too long ago I got some synchronicities about the topic, which was pretty interesting to see. I know I'm on the right track now.

Matt Willard · 12-07-2009, 10:46 PM

DAY 187 - DECEMBER 7, 2009

Finished blog revising, made a chunk of effort in one of my guest posts. Rest kinda fell from there. I've been concerned as to the direction of my writing business as of late, and I think it's time to look deeply at it and see what needs to be changed around. I'll muse about that in NotePad after I finish roughing out these jokes and getting started on the other guest post I've got in the works.

Matt Willard · 12-08-2009, 11:23 PM

DAY 188 - DECEMBER 8, 2009

Today wasn't a very good day. It was one of those days I get every so often where the writing sucks and I wonder if this was the right path to take. But after I shook it off, I recommitted myself to creating that most enjoyable present moment I've been developing.

Even though I rough-drafted a lot of jokes on my one guest post, I still didn't finish, so it's that and revising tomorrow. I also finished drafting my second guest post, but that was so hapahzard that I think I'll wait until Friday to continue it. Beyond that, I didn't finish anything else.

Besides my guest post work, I want to do a lot of thinking and brainstorming about improving my present moment and my business efforts.

Matt Willard · 12-10-2009, 01:28 AM

DAY 189 - DECEMBER 9, 2009

Eh heh heh...totally forgot to post my update when I had typed it up before I removed it...so I did some stuff and I'm off tomorrow due to my personal rule of not working on my birthday. Yeah.

Matt Willard · 12-11-2009, 02:10 AM

DAY 190 - DECEMBER 10, 2009

A very solid birthday! Got some cool stuff and I ate at my favorite restaurant. Never did get around to watching Good Morning, Vietnam like I planned, but trust me, I'll do it soon!

Now, since I got home late in the afternoon and spent AN HOUR trying to adjust one of my gifts (a very complicated Transformer) I don't have a task list for tomorrow. I also don't know how tomorrow's gonna play out. I might be looking at more Christmas gift stuff for my aunt's husband, my cousin, etc. However, since I've been thinking a lot about what I want, I've been kinda anxious to do some writing, so I'll do that. I think I'll also do some more brainstorming. I'll be a bit more detailed tomorrow.

Matt Willard · 12-11-2009, 10:31 PM

DAY 191 - DECEMBER 11, 2009

Mostly went gift shopping today, but I also completed my guest post and I finished roughing jokes for my blog post. Thanks to a new insight I made, roughing jokes was SO much faster and better today. I'm going to keep using this technique to make sure I keep rockin' my joke writing.

Easy day, tomorrow I'm off (and I'll FINALLY watch those movies :V ) and next week I'll be ready for some serious action.

Matt Willard · 12-12-2009, 11:41 PM

DAY 192 - DECEMBER 12, 2009

Finally got around to watching "Good Morning, Vietman". Pretty good movie, as expected. Tomorrow, I need to take care of these pressing forms, work on a guest post that's sorely needed some work, and send out the one I recently finished. Also have to do some more business brainstorming as well as the typical Weekly Progress Report.

Matt Willard · 12-13-2009, 10:27 PM

DAY 193 - DECEMBER 13, 2009

Bah. I totally HATE this stupid loan business. What was turning out to be a good day was quickly ruined by that crap and the insane forms they want me to fill out. Ugh. I got so tired of it that I had to get some ice cream. At least my revision for my guest post went well and I did a satisfactory Weekly Progress Report that gave me some great new ideas for the business. I also sent out my other guest post that should appear around January, so I'll link it when it's available.

Anyway, after that fail, I need a good Monday. Some diligent blog work is in order. And since I'm placing a bigger focus on my videos now, I want to get right to editing that video I've been meaning to put up for a long while. I also need to rewrite my website copy in order to reposition myself in the market I now think I can reach. From there I'll be in a better position to market myself directly.

Matt Willard · 12-14-2009, 11:09 PM

DAY 194 - DECEMBER 14, 2009

Argh. A frustrating day. My joke revision didn't go well, I didn't get as much editing done as I would have liked, my copy rewrite was slow, more stupid loan ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥...ugh, I am so hateful right now.

Tomorrow - blog, web copy, guest post, stupid damn forbearance. Blah.

Matt Willard · 12-16-2009, 01:43 AM

DAY 195 - DECEMBER 15, 2009

Ah. Today was a lot better. Finished my web copy and spread the intial word about it, finished my revisions for my guest post and sent that back out again, sent out financial stuff, and even finished editing and uploading my latest video. Much better.

Tomorrow I want to do three solid things. I want to finish revising my other guest post and begin roughing jokes. After that I want to set up a battle plan to advertise my new services...and that includes cold calling. (Which I will face with courage!) Finally, I'm going to make a biiiiig list for my continuing guest post strategy.

Matt Willard · 12-17-2009, 12:30 AM

DAY 196 - DECEMBER 16, 2009

Not too bad today. Finished revising this guest post and began roughing jokes, and I also drew up my new battle plan to make 2010 a way more kickass year for this business. I've expanded my services and I've gotten started preparing for new marketing methods. I'm ready to make this happen as soon as all of these preparations are complete.

Tomorrow I want to write an elevator pitch for a contest on another freelance blog. I think I've got the edge it'll take to win this one. Beyond that, need to add some more website copy, edit some images...simple stuff this time.

Matt Willard · 12-17-2009, 11:00 PM

DAY 197 - DECEMBER 17, 2009

Not too bad today, methinks. Made some decent progress on my guest post, if not as much as I would have liked. I also sent in my entry for a contest (with freelancing-reated prizes), added some more website copy, and uploaded my next blog post.

Tomorrow I'm making a big push on my business renovation strategy - I'm continuing preparations for cold-calling by developing a script and beginning to make a list of companies to contact. I'll also prepare for my massive guest post strategy by making the biggest list I can of blogs, big and small, that I can target for guest posts. In both of these cases, the law of averages is the strategy to follow here. I'll keep working at those tasks until my lists are big enough, then I'll move forward.

Matt Willard · 12-18-2009, 11:47 PM

DAY 198 - DECEMBER 18, 2009

Kinda dilly-dallied around today, admittedly. Took too long to clean up, started wrapping some presents, and eventually the whole day was frittered away. At least I discovered some great cold calling info to make the process easier.

Matt Willard · 12-19-2009, 09:14 PM

DAY 199 - DECEMBER 19, 2009

A more productive Saturday than most: cleared out a DVD with about four hours worth of stand-up, and I think I learned some new tricks I want to try out. Now, since Christmas is this upcoming Friday, I want to make the next five days as productive as possible so I can enjoy Christmas with a sense of accomplishment.

With that sense, I want to draw up my list of companies to cold-call. I'm still not sure if doing these so near Christmas would be a wise idea, but I think I'm gonna go ahead with it. And though Space Quest 5's next part is making some progress now, it'll be some time before it's up, so I want to begin preparing for a new monologue. Also, typical Weekly Progress Report.

nhaasch · 12-20-2009, 04:40 PM

Holy crap. Did you think you'd get day 200 when you started? Awesome job keeping with the daily journal.

Matt Willard · 12-21-2009, 10:05 PM

DAY 201 - DECEMBER 21, 2009

Horrible day. Disgusted with lack of progress and overall grim scenario. Don't know what I'll do next. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Matt Willard · 12-22-2009, 10:39 PM

DAY 202 - DECEMBER 22, 2009

Okay, I'm better now. Had a little Heroic BSOD there, but now that I've done some really hard laughing, I'm ready to go again. Spent today wrapping presents (which is way harder than it looks for me) and doing some more last-minute shopping. Tomorrow I'm easing myself back on track, though. I plan to FINALLY finish off this guest post, and then tackle the revision of my plans for 2010. Steve's new article on goal clarity inspired me, and revealed just where I may have been going wrong with my own goals.

Matt Willard · 12-24-2009, 12:10 AM

DAY 203 - DECEMBER 23, 2009

Got in my latest guest post! Whooo. Tomorrow I'm going to work on my 2010 plans and do some video editing. Since I just finished recording the script for the next installment of Space Quest 5, maybe I can get the video done in time for New Year's. (And I promise, Sunday will have a full schedule again.)

Matt Willard · 12-27-2009, 12:09 AM

DAY 206 - DECEMBER 26, 2009

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I sure did. Now I want to gradually get back to business. Tomorrow I want to start revising my plans for next year and such.

bonlife · 12-27-2009, 02:26 PM

I think that's really great and remember that the only failure in life is the failure to try - so well done!

I remember feeling the same way a while back and just wanted to throw in some extra support and offer a tip that really helped me. As well as the Steve Pavlina forum which is a great environment to assist positive changes, its great to surround yourself with as much practical tips and tools to help you maintain this journey. Besides this one another really great site that helped me was This Is Your Time

Let me know how you get on, best of luck

Matt Willard · 12-27-2009, 11:52 PM

DAY 207 - DECEMBER 27, 2009

Did good today. After settling on a primary subgoal ("I attend programming classes at Florida State College") I revised my goal plans and Weekly Progress Report appropriate. Now I'll be focusing the majority of my energies towards taking care of that single goal until it's complete. I think this should really help with my feelings about my lack of progress. I also set up a blog post to go up later this week.

Tomorrow I'm gonna be spending my newly acquired Christmas money, but I'll also be spraying some bug poison to clear up some nuisances in here. I'll also be finding out what days Mom is off so I can move forward with my goal on those days.

Matt Willard · 12-28-2009, 11:22 PM

DAY 208 - DECEMBER 28, 2009

Sprayed some bug poison and went on a grand mall adventure today. Picked up some MUCH NEEDED jeans as well as a copy of "Henry Hatsworth In The Puzzling Adventure", which is very foppish, I assure you. Tomorrow I must do some heavy cleaning, but I'm also going to find out what days Mom is off in January in order to commence with my goal. Still, I've got the feeling I want to do some writing on Wednesday.

billionairekid · 12-29-2009, 12:17 AM

Hey, I've just skimmed through some of your posts and it looks like you have a problem with self discipline. You continually state you are going to do things but fail to follow up on accomplishing goals. Do you have a job?

What is a typical day for you? I would recommend that you go through Steve's blog and find the series on self discipline. Being that I used to have a lot of trouble with getting things accomplished, I think this could greatly benefit you.

Matt Willard · 12-30-2009, 02:20 AM

I don't have trouble getting things done, I just think my goal setting abilities needed some work. Now that I've adopted the whole "one single goal" mindset, I think that should help keep my energies focused. Time will tell.

DAY 209 - DECEMBER 29, 2009

Got home a bit late, but I did have a successful day beforehand. Found out what days Mom is off in January, cleaned up my room and my bathroom, wrote and recorded a script for a short video, put up a new blog post...good stuff. Tomorrow I'm going to begin prepping for a new monologue and do a lot of video editing, but in terms of my primary goal, I'm going to be making plans with Mom about heading out the next time she's available and getting stuff I need.

Matt Willard · 12-30-2009, 11:31 PM

DAY 210 - DECEMBER 30, 2009

Another decent day, though I had a bit of trouble staying busy. What's important is that the next stage is set - I'll be heading out on Monday to pick up their fancy "official" transcripts and find out what I need to do next on this asinine quest. Beyond that, I finished a short video I plan to make public at the right time. Also did some editing on Space Quest 5, though an unexpected obstacle forced me to stop until I can record a new bit of dialogue. In the meantime, I'm preparing a new monologue.

Tomorrow I work on the monologue, set up a draft post for the abovementioned video, do some musing...not much to do, really. It's because I cleared the backburners for this one goal. Might have a hard time keeping busy until it's done.

Matt Willard · 12-31-2009, 11:02 PM

DAY 211 - DECEMBER 31, 2009

Maybe I should develop some more self-discipline this year after all. I really should sit down and do work after an excursion, after all. But after I got my new figure I HAD to play with and picked up a new game I HAD to play...yeah, it's easy to see how time winds down.

Still, a new year is upon us tomorrow and I look forward to accomplishing some great things. As time goes by, I grow ever wiser. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing now, and success will surely come. Happy New Year!

Matt Willard · 01-02-2010, 08:48 PM

DAY 213 - JANUARY 2, 2010

Sorry for forgetting yesterday's update. Slipped the mind. That doesn't mean I didn't do things yesterday, though. Did my typical video and blog work, but I also did some thinking about whether or not to get into a dorm. My sister brought the notion up to me on Thursday. She loved the dorm experience while my mother hated it. In any case, on Monday or so I want to call the college and learn all I can about their dorms, if any. (It's a big campus, there's bound to be some.) Speaking of Monday, had to reschedule my venture for transcripts to Friday. At least it's the same week.

Tomorrow I'll work on my stuff and do my Weekly Progress Report, per usual.

Matt Willard · 01-03-2010, 10:57 PM

DAY 214 - JANUARY 3, 2010

I feel better about this clear, single, primary goal. It's only been a week, but I've gotten clarity and I've been able to track my progress a lot better. Time will tell how it eventually turns out, but I'm positive so far.

Anyway, worked on videos and Weekly Progress Report, where I chose the first habit of the year to install. Tomorrow I plan to look into the dorms available at my new college - still deciding whether or not to go into it. I'm also going to do more prepatory work on readying for my classes when I eventually begin taking them. Think I'll hit up Study Hacks and some other college blogs to really get ready and make this as easy on me as possible.

Matt Willard · 01-05-2010, 12:34 AM

DAY 215 - JANUARY 4, 2010

So I found out the college I'm applying to doesn't have a dorm. And since I've already existed a ton of effort into going to THAT school, I'm not starting over. We're gonna finish this come hell or highwater.

Anyway, since that freed two hours or so, I hit up the mall to return a controller I bought for my grandpa and get one that actually works with his system. (Too bad he'd rather watch me play than play the games himself :V ) Also did some work on the monologue, though I did not finish, and looked around on Study Hacks for more ideas on what to prepare for taking classes. There I figured I should learn more about studying and note-taking, preferably as painlessly as possible.

Tomorrow I'll look into that while working on videos per usual. I should also wash those towels I promised Mom I'd wash while she was away :V

Matt Willard · 01-06-2010, 12:14 AM

DAY 216 - JANUARY 5, 2010

Pretty solid day today. Made some great progress on my videos, and I gathered a BUNCH of great note-taking and studying tips which will prove to be helpful with what I've already got. Still, my Friday plans to fetch transcripts may be in trouble...my mom got into a car wreck while she was leaving her friend's house today. (She is fine, thankfully.) Her insurance will cover it all, but we'll have to see how this affects things, and what I might have to do next to follow through on my goal.

Well, until then, I'll just work on videos. Since my latest installment of SQ5 is almost done, I'm going to put in double the time to finish it. I also need to take care of these lingering batch tasks.

12-20-2009, 04:40 PM	#255 (permalink)
nhaasch Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 122	Happy Day 200! Holy crap. Did you think you'd get day 200 when you started? Awesome job keeping with the daily journal.

12-27-2009, 02:26 PM	#260 (permalink)
bonlife Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 1	Extra Support I think that's really great and remember that the only failure in life is the failure to try - so well done! I remember feeling the same way a while back and just wanted to throw in some extra support and offer a tip that really helped me. As well as the Steve Pavlina forum which is a great environment to assist positive changes, its great to surround yourself with as much practical tips and tools to help you maintain this journey. Besides this one another really great site that helped me was This Is Your Time Let me know how you get on, best of luck

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12-06-2009, 09:15 PM	#241 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	I haven't set any time frame. It'd make sense for college, but for writing off my passion...that's a bit tougher. I can set a definite time frame for college once I actually get in. As for Writer's Market, I do have a subscription there right now. Haven't really used it, though - my efforts have mostly been online. Though I should definitely go back and see what online stuff they have available. DAY 186 - DECEMBER 6, 2009 Today kinda went nowhere. I got so frustrated by all the distractions that my discipline just crapped out. I didn't really like that, so tomorrow I'll be doing what I set out to do today. At least I finished the Weekly Progress Report, though. I also finished my plans for my 30 day visualization trial, and I even did a bit of that as well. Not too long ago I got some synchronicities about the topic, which was pretty interesting to see. I know I'm on the right track now.

12-07-2009, 10:46 PM	#242 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 187 - DECEMBER 7, 2009 Finished blog revising, made a chunk of effort in one of my guest posts. Rest kinda fell from there. I've been concerned as to the direction of my writing business as of late, and I think it's time to look deeply at it and see what needs to be changed around. I'll muse about that in NotePad after I finish roughing out these jokes and getting started on the other guest post I've got in the works.

12-08-2009, 11:23 PM	#243 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 188 - DECEMBER 8, 2009 Today wasn't a very good day. It was one of those days I get every so often where the writing sucks and I wonder if this was the right path to take. But after I shook it off, I recommitted myself to creating that most enjoyable present moment I've been developing. Even though I rough-drafted a lot of jokes on my one guest post, I still didn't finish, so it's that and revising tomorrow. I also finished drafting my second guest post, but that was so hapahzard that I think I'll wait until Friday to continue it. Beyond that, I didn't finish anything else. Besides my guest post work, I want to do a lot of thinking and brainstorming about improving my present moment and my business efforts.

12-10-2009, 01:28 AM	#244 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 189 - DECEMBER 9, 2009 Eh heh heh...totally forgot to post my update when I had typed it up before I removed it...so I did some stuff and I'm off tomorrow due to my personal rule of not working on my birthday. Yeah.

12-11-2009, 02:10 AM	#245 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 190 - DECEMBER 10, 2009 A very solid birthday! Got some cool stuff and I ate at my favorite restaurant. Never did get around to watching Good Morning, Vietnam like I planned, but trust me, I'll do it soon! Now, since I got home late in the afternoon and spent AN HOUR trying to adjust one of my gifts (a very complicated Transformer) I don't have a task list for tomorrow. I also don't know how tomorrow's gonna play out. I might be looking at more Christmas gift stuff for my aunt's husband, my cousin, etc. However, since I've been thinking a lot about what I want, I've been kinda anxious to do some writing, so I'll do that. I think I'll also do some more brainstorming. I'll be a bit more detailed tomorrow.

12-11-2009, 10:31 PM	#246 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 191 - DECEMBER 11, 2009 Mostly went gift shopping today, but I also completed my guest post and I finished roughing jokes for my blog post. Thanks to a new insight I made, roughing jokes was SO much faster and better today. I'm going to keep using this technique to make sure I keep rockin' my joke writing. Easy day, tomorrow I'm off (and I'll FINALLY watch those movies :V ) and next week I'll be ready for some serious action.

12-12-2009, 11:41 PM	#247 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 192 - DECEMBER 12, 2009 Finally got around to watching "Good Morning, Vietman". Pretty good movie, as expected. Tomorrow, I need to take care of these pressing forms, work on a guest post that's sorely needed some work, and send out the one I recently finished. Also have to do some more business brainstorming as well as the typical Weekly Progress Report.

12-13-2009, 10:27 PM	#248 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 193 - DECEMBER 13, 2009 Bah. I totally HATE this stupid loan business. What was turning out to be a good day was quickly ruined by that crap and the insane forms they want me to fill out. Ugh. I got so tired of it that I had to get some ice cream. At least my revision for my guest post went well and I did a satisfactory Weekly Progress Report that gave me some great new ideas for the business. I also sent out my other guest post that should appear around January, so I'll link it when it's available. Anyway, after that fail, I need a good Monday. Some diligent blog work is in order. And since I'm placing a bigger focus on my videos now, I want to get right to editing that video I've been meaning to put up for a long while. I also need to rewrite my website copy in order to reposition myself in the market I now think I can reach. From there I'll be in a better position to market myself directly.

12-14-2009, 11:09 PM	#249 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 194 - DECEMBER 14, 2009 Argh. A frustrating day. My joke revision didn't go well, I didn't get as much editing done as I would have liked, my copy rewrite was slow, more stupid loan ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥...ugh, I am so hateful right now. Tomorrow - blog, web copy, guest post, stupid damn forbearance. Blah.

12-16-2009, 01:43 AM	#250 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 195 - DECEMBER 15, 2009 Ah. Today was a lot better. Finished my web copy and spread the intial word about it, finished my revisions for my guest post and sent that back out again, sent out financial stuff, and even finished editing and uploading my latest video. Much better. Tomorrow I want to do three solid things. I want to finish revising my other guest post and begin roughing jokes. After that I want to set up a battle plan to advertise my new services...and that includes cold calling. (Which I will face with courage!) Finally, I'm going to make a biiiiig list for my continuing guest post strategy.

12-17-2009, 12:30 AM	#251 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 196 - DECEMBER 16, 2009 Not too bad today. Finished revising this guest post and began roughing jokes, and I also drew up my new battle plan to make 2010 a way more kickass year for this business. I've expanded my services and I've gotten started preparing for new marketing methods. I'm ready to make this happen as soon as all of these preparations are complete. Tomorrow I want to write an elevator pitch for a contest on another freelance blog. I think I've got the edge it'll take to win this one. Beyond that, need to add some more website copy, edit some images...simple stuff this time.

12-17-2009, 11:00 PM	#252 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 197 - DECEMBER 17, 2009 Not too bad today, methinks. Made some decent progress on my guest post, if not as much as I would have liked. I also sent in my entry for a contest (with freelancing-reated prizes), added some more website copy, and uploaded my next blog post. Tomorrow I'm making a big push on my business renovation strategy - I'm continuing preparations for cold-calling by developing a script and beginning to make a list of companies to contact. I'll also prepare for my massive guest post strategy by making the biggest list I can of blogs, big and small, that I can target for guest posts. In both of these cases, the law of averages is the strategy to follow here. I'll keep working at those tasks until my lists are big enough, then I'll move forward.

12-18-2009, 11:47 PM	#253 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 198 - DECEMBER 18, 2009 Kinda dilly-dallied around today, admittedly. Took too long to clean up, started wrapping some presents, and eventually the whole day was frittered away. At least I discovered some great cold calling info to make the process easier.

12-19-2009, 09:14 PM	#254 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 199 - DECEMBER 19, 2009 A more productive Saturday than most: cleared out a DVD with about four hours worth of stand-up, and I think I learned some new tricks I want to try out. Now, since Christmas is this upcoming Friday, I want to make the next five days as productive as possible so I can enjoy Christmas with a sense of accomplishment. With that sense, I want to draw up my list of companies to cold-call. I'm still not sure if doing these so near Christmas would be a wise idea, but I think I'm gonna go ahead with it. And though Space Quest 5's next part is making some progress now, it'll be some time before it's up, so I want to begin preparing for a new monologue. Also, typical Weekly Progress Report.

12-21-2009, 10:05 PM	#256 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 201 - DECEMBER 21, 2009 Horrible day. Disgusted with lack of progress and overall grim scenario. Don't know what I'll do next. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

12-22-2009, 10:39 PM	#257 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 202 - DECEMBER 22, 2009 Okay, I'm better now. Had a little Heroic BSOD there, but now that I've done some really hard laughing, I'm ready to go again. Spent today wrapping presents (which is way harder than it looks for me) and doing some more last-minute shopping. Tomorrow I'm easing myself back on track, though. I plan to FINALLY finish off this guest post, and then tackle the revision of my plans for 2010. Steve's new article on goal clarity inspired me, and revealed just where I may have been going wrong with my own goals.

12-24-2009, 12:10 AM	#258 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 203 - DECEMBER 23, 2009 Got in my latest guest post! Whooo. Tomorrow I'm going to work on my 2010 plans and do some video editing. Since I just finished recording the script for the next installment of Space Quest 5, maybe I can get the video done in time for New Year's. (And I promise, Sunday will have a full schedule again.)

12-27-2009, 12:09 AM	#259 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 206 - DECEMBER 26, 2009 Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I sure did. Now I want to gradually get back to business. Tomorrow I want to start revising my plans for next year and such.

12-27-2009, 11:52 PM	#261 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 207 - DECEMBER 27, 2009 Did good today. After settling on a primary subgoal ("I attend programming classes at Florida State College") I revised my goal plans and Weekly Progress Report appropriate. Now I'll be focusing the majority of my energies towards taking care of that single goal until it's complete. I think this should really help with my feelings about my lack of progress. I also set up a blog post to go up later this week. Tomorrow I'm gonna be spending my newly acquired Christmas money, but I'll also be spraying some bug poison to clear up some nuisances in here. I'll also be finding out what days Mom is off so I can move forward with my goal on those days.

12-28-2009, 11:22 PM	#262 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 208 - DECEMBER 28, 2009 Sprayed some bug poison and went on a grand mall adventure today. Picked up some MUCH NEEDED jeans as well as a copy of "Henry Hatsworth In The Puzzling Adventure", which is very foppish, I assure you. Tomorrow I must do some heavy cleaning, but I'm also going to find out what days Mom is off in January in order to commence with my goal. Still, I've got the feeling I want to do some writing on Wednesday.

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Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

12-29-2009, 12:17 AM	#263 (permalink)
billionairekid Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: In the moment Posts: 527	Hey, I've just skimmed through some of your posts and it looks like you have a problem with self discipline. You continually state you are going to do things but fail to follow up on accomplishing goals. Do you have a job? What is a typical day for you? I would recommend that you go through Steve's blog and find the series on self discipline. Being that I used to have a lot of trouble with getting things accomplished, I think this could greatly benefit you.

12-30-2009, 02:20 AM	#264 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	I don't have trouble getting things done, I just think my goal setting abilities needed some work. Now that I've adopted the whole "one single goal" mindset, I think that should help keep my energies focused. Time will tell. DAY 209 - DECEMBER 29, 2009 Got home a bit late, but I did have a successful day beforehand. Found out what days Mom is off in January, cleaned up my room and my bathroom, wrote and recorded a script for a short video, put up a new blog post...good stuff. Tomorrow I'm going to begin prepping for a new monologue and do a lot of video editing, but in terms of my primary goal, I'm going to be making plans with Mom about heading out the next time she's available and getting stuff I need.

12-30-2009, 11:31 PM	#265 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 210 - DECEMBER 30, 2009 Another decent day, though I had a bit of trouble staying busy. What's important is that the next stage is set - I'll be heading out on Monday to pick up their fancy "official" transcripts and find out what I need to do next on this asinine quest. Beyond that, I finished a short video I plan to make public at the right time. Also did some editing on Space Quest 5, though an unexpected obstacle forced me to stop until I can record a new bit of dialogue. In the meantime, I'm preparing a new monologue. Tomorrow I work on the monologue, set up a draft post for the abovementioned video, do some musing...not much to do, really. It's because I cleared the backburners for this one goal. Might have a hard time keeping busy until it's done.

12-31-2009, 11:02 PM	#266 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 211 - DECEMBER 31, 2009 Maybe I should develop some more self-discipline this year after all. I really should sit down and do work after an excursion, after all. But after I got my new figure I HAD to play with and picked up a new game I HAD to play...yeah, it's easy to see how time winds down. Still, a new year is upon us tomorrow and I look forward to accomplishing some great things. As time goes by, I grow ever wiser. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing now, and success will surely come. Happy New Year!

01-02-2010, 08:48 PM	#267 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 213 - JANUARY 2, 2010 Sorry for forgetting yesterday's update. Slipped the mind. That doesn't mean I didn't do things yesterday, though. Did my typical video and blog work, but I also did some thinking about whether or not to get into a dorm. My sister brought the notion up to me on Thursday. She loved the dorm experience while my mother hated it. In any case, on Monday or so I want to call the college and learn all I can about their dorms, if any. (It's a big campus, there's bound to be some.) Speaking of Monday, had to reschedule my venture for transcripts to Friday. At least it's the same week. Tomorrow I'll work on my stuff and do my Weekly Progress Report, per usual.

01-03-2010, 10:57 PM	#268 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 214 - JANUARY 3, 2010 I feel better about this clear, single, primary goal. It's only been a week, but I've gotten clarity and I've been able to track my progress a lot better. Time will tell how it eventually turns out, but I'm positive so far. Anyway, worked on videos and Weekly Progress Report, where I chose the first habit of the year to install. Tomorrow I plan to look into the dorms available at my new college - still deciding whether or not to go into it. I'm also going to do more prepatory work on readying for my classes when I eventually begin taking them. Think I'll hit up Study Hacks and some other college blogs to really get ready and make this as easy on me as possible.

01-05-2010, 12:34 AM	#269 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 215 - JANUARY 4, 2010 So I found out the college I'm applying to doesn't have a dorm. And since I've already existed a ton of effort into going to THAT school, I'm not starting over. We're gonna finish this come hell or highwater. Anyway, since that freed two hours or so, I hit up the mall to return a controller I bought for my grandpa and get one that actually works with his system. (Too bad he'd rather watch me play than play the games himself :V ) Also did some work on the monologue, though I did not finish, and looked around on Study Hacks for more ideas on what to prepare for taking classes. There I figured I should learn more about studying and note-taking, preferably as painlessly as possible. Tomorrow I'll look into that while working on videos per usual. I should also wash those towels I promised Mom I'd wash while she was away :V

01-06-2010, 12:14 AM	#270 (permalink)
Matt Willard Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,334	DAY 216 - JANUARY 5, 2010 Pretty solid day today. Made some great progress on my videos, and I gathered a BUNCH of great note-taking and studying tips which will prove to be helpful with what I've already got. Still, my Friday plans to fetch transcripts may be in trouble...my mom got into a car wreck while she was leaving her friend's house today. (She is fine, thankfully.) Her insurance will cover it all, but we'll have to see how this affects things, and what I might have to do next to follow through on my goal. Well, until then, I'll just work on videos. Since my latest installment of SQ5 is almost done, I'm going to put in double the time to finish it. I also need to take care of these lingering batch tasks.