Year end systems check. Check. Check, is this thing on?
 

Systems. Methods. Routines.

Our daily behavior. What we do with our time. NOW is the time of the year we settle up and look forward to the next year, 2022. What will it bring? What will you make it bring?

What your personal outcomes and results for 2022 will be...as of today...is a reflection of what you have done in 2021.

This is the time to check HOW our systems have done for us individually. The populace, the masses, faced difficulties this past year and for some of us it has been gut wrenching heart breaking terrible year.

But today, lets discuss SYSTEMS or whatever you want to call what you do day after day after day until another year has rolled by.

I'll offer my opinion.

I think most people's systems:

1) either don't exist.

2) are broken.

And sadly the vast majority end up spinning their wheels, being stuck in place and not making any forward progress.

Maybe your opinion differs. Feel free to express it if you want.

I think THEIR (using this as a general statement for the majority) systems are ill conceived, wrongly motivated and without direction or ADJUSTMENT.

Chaos. Scattered. Too many projects. Too many WANTS. Trying to do it all. Thinking they have a lot of time.

UN focused.

So in the last month of the year, it is a good time to review our systems, what we have been doing and go over our "game films" from the last 11 months to see where we failed, and try to correct it, or when we succeeded and try to replicate that.

We set goals, top ones for a New Year are weight loss, fitness, and MORE money, less stress, more health, better relations.

Worthy goals. Seldom reached.

Why? First is the goal itself, and how it is chosen, and WHY, because most choose goals which contain the failure built into them.

Second is the SYSTEM used, first to choose and second to IMPLEMENT. Any plan of action started in Jan. usually gets abandoned by April. Why?

A lot of reasons, but mainly because we use bad systems to help us get there.

More later. gordon

My "systems" were thrown into chaos...
 

Thanks Gordon,

I'll admit something...

The pandemic, combined with having a young child, has really thrown me for a loop...

My systems that worked before... were thrown into chaos...

One "system" I had (which I've written about on the forum from time to time) was working on my laptop in various locations... Cafes, five-star hotel lobbies (for the price of a cup of coffee), and so on...

The "change of scenery" away from my own home was stimulating... (Might be related to ADD/ADHD...)

Just sitting at home, in the same room, with the same four walls, doesn't "stimulate" me the same way (everyone's different)...

But, because of the pandemic, I didn't really want to spend time in those places any more, mingling with everyone!

On top of that, having a VERY ACTIVE (yet charming) young child (now almost 1½ years old), while being stuck at home, was very distracting!

Basically... Lots of interruptions...

More chaos!

But... finally... I think I'm learning how to deal with these things... :)

It's still not as good (from a "focusing" point of view) as before, but getting slightly better... :)

Best wishes,

Dien

How my writing system is now "bass ackwards"...
 

I've managed to improve some of my systems...

For example, when writing longer pieces... I write them "bass ackwards!"

I used to always start at the start, and write till the end... Keeping everything in my head...

The problem with that is when you get interrupted, it really throws you, because you lose all the stuff in your head...

Now, I break a longer piece into sections...

And... I write the sections in (roughly) backwards order... Starting at the last section...

Also, I'm happy just to jot down notes (to be fleshed out later)...

Writing in this "nonlinear" way somehow seems more "robust" to interruptions... They don't throw me as much any more...

Also, it means I write the introduction last. That's often a good thing, because I can "mull it over" in the back of my mind while I'm writing the other sections, so I'll (probably) end up with a much stronger introduction, which will "grab" people... :)

Best wishes,

Dien

Why more people should adopt this.
 

Thanks Dien,

I often start at the finish line, not only with writing, but with all planning.

In fact, it is a piece of the foundation of the SQ1, the whole BACKWARD CHAINING concept. Also, a keystone of Harvey Brody's view from the rooftop and steps down the ladder.

But, as you relate it, I often do this with scripts, and with the last 5 years of heavy study (meaning I've streamed a ton of TV/Movies), I often try to guess the end or twist from the first few minutes. Writers love to end where they started. So this is some dang fine advice here. Hope to see some of the results of your methods.

Gordon

It sounds wild, but...
 

Hi Gordon,

Thanks for your further insights!

I know some people will think... "Write backwards? That's a bit too wild for me!"

But, for me anyway, somehow, it seems to work...

While I don't really understand why, I also find that, if I'm interrupted. it's a lot easier to pick up where I left off...

Anyway, it solves the problem I have now (of being interrupted a lot by a very active baby)...

Best wishes,

Dien