michaelrobb Notecards

Explore, catalogue, and consolidate notecards 12.10.2016

The date in my title is a bit presumptuous, but I think it’s reasonable presumption. I think it is very likely that I will “Explore, catalogue, and consolidate notecards” again. When I do, I’ll be glad for the date (or I’ll change it).

Stickies:

  • Texts to research/respond to concerning a proposed call to bi-vocational ministry (and rejection of the full-time pastorate).
    • 1 Corinthians 4:11-20; 9:15-27
    • 2 Corinthians 11:7-13; 12:11-19
    • 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12
    • 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
  • Attributes of a ‘man’ that is good to marry (I should spend time developing these)
    • Tender, quiet, resolute, care for the weak, pray with, talk about loving God, physically strong    -not sure where I got these ideas…
  • Studying Successfully:
    • practice tests are the greatest
    • consistent work
    • spaced/interval training for specific facts – study the notecard/data:
      • Everyday, every other day, weekly, every fortnight, before the test
  • “Specialized” or “well rounded/a Jack-of-all-trades”
    • Skills/intelligences/aptitudes:
      • language, math/logic, music, spacial, kinesthetic, fine motor, interpersonal/communication/leadership, intra-personal/spiritual, naturalist, pedagogical/teaching, existential/philosophical
  • Pursuit of: health, wealth, love, and happiness
  • Concepts for church giving – graph and finalize
  • Programs of the church:
    • Required for elders:
      • Salvation/Basics of the Faith, Church history/Development of Doctrine and Worship, Money/Personal Responsibility, Biblical Literacy, Romance/Marriage/Dating/Sexuality, Spiritual Disciplines, Prayer/Christian Mysticism/Hearing from the Spirit, Friendship/Accountability/Relational Evangelism
    • Other Offerings:
      • Biblical Languages, Shop and Service: auto, Shop and Service: home, Health/Nutrition/Exercise, Music: Choir, Music: Band/Orchestra, Music: Piano Class, Parenting: Newborns, Parenting: Preteens and teens, Parenting: homeschooling, Prison Ministries, Homeless Ministries, Widows and Single Parent ministry, Divorce Care, Grief Share, Promise Keepers, After school homework help, ESL/TESOL, Bookstore, CoffeeShop
  • Stop owning; start stewarding
    • Every thought, word, deed, attitude, motive
  • Thoughts on happiness and purpose:
    • Happiness is not a second order event premised on something else occurring first. It’s a first order event that happens when you live your truth.
    • The end of man is to glorify God and/by enjoy/enjoying Him forever.
      • God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied by Him
      • I suspect a person is happiest when seeking the glory of God.
    • Therefore, to make much of God is to seek my enjoyment and is to fulfill my purpose
  • Time well spent:
    • “You multiply time when you give yourself emotional permission to spend time on things today that will give you more time tomorrow.”
    • Therefore, when making To-Do lists, the question is not, “what’s the most important thing I can do today?”, but rather it ought to be, “What can I do today that will make tomorrow better?”
    • “There is a difference between waiting to do something you know you should be doing and waiting to do something because now is not the right time. It’s the difference between [negative] procrastination and patience.”
      • Related to delegation: “Permission of temporary imperfect.”
  • Sitting Tree – (how can I get involved and help other people get involved… do I want to? probably not yet, but it’s on a notecard for a reason.)
  • List of clothing that will at some point need replacing:
    • black shoes, canvas shoes, At-home shorts, out-and-about shorts (in 3 months or more), underwear, undershirts, socks.
  • Project 333 – clothing selections
  • Proposed schedule for full-time student life
  • Habits for living:
    • At least 60 minutes at least 4 days a week – exercise body
    • At least 45 minutes at least 4 days a week – exercise imagination/creativity
    • At least 45 minutes at least 4 days a week – exercise gratitude/slow down
    • At least 90 minutes at least 4 days a week – exercise biblical literacy

So, there we have it: 15 notecards that have captured ideas/calls to action. Hopefully I will respond to them eat in turn. The only scary part is that this list of 15 things is the subset of my actual to-do list set for time off. But for today, I’ve spent enough time on the notecards. I fully understand what is here and will come back to them at a later date.

And that’s the goal: Patience over Procrastination. Joy over Stress.

michaelrobb Accountability, Notecards

How I use notecards

I’ve been keeping notecards for quiet some time – I think I started in late middle school, I would want to remember to do or research something something and therefore, I would write it on my hand. So many agenda/calendars/notebooks had been lost that I didn’t trust myself to have anything but my hand on me. Then I discovered that I could use 3×5 notecards and keep in my pocket. And like my hand, I could re-write as often as needed with a new card. Also, it allowed me to keep longer lists, so I switched and have never regretted the habit. They make for excellent bookmarks, drawing tools and portable memory sticks. Plus you can play games on them and use them creatively to solve certain mechanical problems that arise.

In college, I began keeping a weekly and daily schedule on notecards with me at all times. Someday I want to go through those and catalogue how I spent my time as a reference to the person I actually was: my values and priorities.

In recent months though, I’ve been using them exclusively to capture things to do and to research. Every couple of weeks/months I catalogue and consolidate my notecards. I try to push the call to actions that I ultimately end up on notecards (and the thoughts like them) through a paradigm I learned from “Procrastinate on Purpose” by Rory Vaden.

  • Ignore the call to action/task (and forget about it)
  • Eliminate the call to action (and forget about it)
  • Automate the call to action (and check up on it, by putting it on a notecard)
  • Delegate the call to action (and forget about it)
  • Procrastinate the call to action (by putting on a notecard and thereby looping to the top and back through until a change in status)
  • Concentrate on the call to action (and address it now!)

Going from top to bottom, you attempt to Ignore and then only if that fails, you attempt to Eliminate, and then only if that would be wrong, you attempt to Automate, and only if that fails, you attempt to Delegate, and only if that also fails, you Procrastinate, and only if all of those have proven unsuccessful, then you concentrate on the call to action and complete it.

So, I use notecards to capture initial thoughts that are a call to action, as well as a tool to preserve the looping call to actions. Here are the posts where I explore, catalogue, and consolidate notecards:

michaelrobb Considerations, Life Transitions/Summaries

Considering full time school

I want to capture my thoughts on this past semester (it was my first full-time semester), especially in relationship to the semester prior where I was a part time student and full time employee of Whirlpool.

Some obvious differences are the commute for school is much smaller (since I’m an online student), the schedule much more flexible, there’s less accountability (read: school is easier to not do during the time you should be doing it), there’s less upfront (maybe total) reward, and its less social interaction (I don’t have desk neighbors doing the same type of work).

Some things that stayed the same are my screen usage, my posture (I still sit most the day), it’s mentally engaging/strenuous, it takes about the same amount of time.

This semester was full. I think the greatest challenge was figuring out what it took to be married and full time in school. Let me share a little about the path I took in another post. For now, my feelings are that full time work and part time student provides more reward, less financial and overall stress, while giving accountability and social interaction that is valuable. It is only inferior to full time school and part time work if finances and supporting relationships allow you to choose school and school is on a tight schedule so that part time degree completion is drastically inferior to full time degree completion (in duration of studies/length of enrollment).

I suspect I will stay full time, because I do have the financial and relational assets that enable me to choose school and the difference in degree completion time is drastic enough to warrant sacrificing the gains of full time employment and accepting the losses of full time school.

michaelrobb Michael Robb's favorites, Post for...

Post for Dec 4, 2016

It seems redundant to list the date of posting, when it will surely be included in the time stamp when I publish. But I wanted to include it for two reasons: 1) just in case I don’t finish before the turn of the last minute of the day 2) because it seems to important to publish often.

That last one probably has to do with where I am in the process of blogging. But it really seems to me that writing consistently is the most important of blogging habits to develop in this season. Good news, there’s little risk as no one is reading yet, but give it time… and until then, its a good habit to be writing.

I’m writing first for my own sake. More on that will surely be provided. For now though, to my dear friends holding me accountable for my days spending. I assure you it has been well spent yesterday and today: decorating the church with friends, working on school work, leading worship, helping with children’s activities, and working on school work.

May Christ be with you and guard your hearts.