I’ve been talking to myself in a whole new way lately, and it’s working. It’s a new spin on self-discipline for me.
I recently started a very daunting project: completely overhauling my home office. (When I get done, finally, I’ll post the before-and-after pictures.) Talk about overwhelming! To get it done, I had to put myself into a place where there was no backing out. So while my husband was visiting his parents in California, I hauled everything but the furniture out of the room. I then had until he returned to get it all sorted out – trash vs. Goodwill vs. keep – and back in there.
Talk about stressed and exhausted! But I had to keep going. What did I do when I just wanted to quit? Or started to get distracted? Or couldn’t decide what to do next? Order my self around, out loud. Yes, bossy in a way I would never talk to anyone else. And boy-howdy, was it effective. Who knew?
The good part is, I’m still doing it when I need that extra kick-in-the-behind to keep moving. And it’s still working. It’s exactly the tool I need right now.
In case you’re wondering, I did get 98% done before he got home, and my home office is about 8000 times better than it was. I just have a few more things that aren’t quite settled yet. But it’s close.