thinkythink

Getting TO the workout

As promised, some of the ways I get the workout done. This time: getting to the workout. Literally, getting to the workout- that's my strategy.

My job is to get to the door with my gear in hand, or on my body.
That's my job.
That's my only responsibility.

The whole driving-to-the-gym-changing-using-machines-then-the-elliptical-then-stretching-then-showering?
That's my future self's responsibility. Right now, while I'm trying to get my exercise happening? Just get to the door.

Then once I get to the door... well, time to drive to the gym. That's all. Just drive there.
Revise as appropriate for the workout (just walk down the street for your warmup. Just stretch. etc. etc.)

The point is to stop getting in my own way by thinking too much. If I think through the whole workout process, I do it in my head, but somehow I'm still sitting there, thinking about doing it. And talking myself out of it. And back into it. And. back. out. of. it. I'm a one-woman debate team. Debate teams aren't about action. Debate teams don't get me sweating. So I put the interpretation of whether/when/why/where I should work out on hold and just get to the front door.

Learning styles aren't just for kids.

I just found this post over at the about.com ADD blog. It gives a good summary of some basics about learning styles from Rory Stern. Here's my gut reaction/rant: why is this information framed as being about kids?

I know kids are the ones in school. But we all have learning styles and it gives a lot of leverage to understand them. Making it just about kids must push some button for me- I do know that a lot of clients learn a lot (as do I) when they think about what worked when they were students. So rather than go off about that- let me just recommend that anyone think about the way they learn. The post in question talks about auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles. Do you learn by hearing, by seeing, or by doing/feeling physically?

But let me ask it a different way:
Which classes worked for you? Which didn't?
What aspects of those classes' material/teaching style worked or didn't?
When you studied, how did you study best?

And at that point I want you to drop the notion of having one style. The post does say these aren't the only learning styles... so let me broaden it for you. To be fair, this isn't just learning style, but also learning environment, but I think that's equally important.

For example, I read theory best while listening to loud music.
I listen best while doodling.

I learn well kinesthetically, like learning a dance step by doing it, but only in conjunction with reading about it or hearing it described several times. Showing me does nothing.

And not learning- but more a concentration style - I cook best while listening to good radio programs (NPR et al)

Now consider this: if you understand that YOU learn best in certain ways, you'll understand this in your kid, too.

 

Microboredom redux

After posting about boredom and its romanticization, I've been doing some thinking, and talking to some people, and I want to split out some things about boredom. It's such an exciting topic. Hah.

types of boredom:

• Boredom that keeps you from engaging in anything. It drags you under. It might feel sad, or like it deadens your thinking. This is a good time to take a break and do something silly or dumb, for a limited time, that gets you out of the mindset, so you can go on to doing something else. It may also be a good time to do something fun that isn't "productive" necessarily, again, to get the brain going, and then decide what else to do. But, it may be hard to get yourself focused on the fun stuff, because your mind is in inertial spin, in which case, the dumb crap like a game of solitaire or a tv show, or a sudoku puzzle may be great as a break from the boredom.
• Boredom because you're done being occupied with/ excited by whatever you were doing. This is a time people jump into endless solitaire games. And oh, they keep playing them. Or, when people start hopping around online between endless "important" sites and information, or getting sucked into details of designing a flyer or website or whatnot. This is a type of boredom that might be ok in the micromoment; it's a part of transitioning between activities, and it may be hard to to take that space between things, or to occupy the mindset of figuring out what to do next. Be cautious of getting sucked into things, including the stuff that helps in other kinds of boredom. Feel the moment of flux. Then pick something simple to do, to stay in action, and avoid getting stuck in no-focus land.

Boredom isn't the same as nothing to do. It can happen when you're unengaged in something to do, not engaged in something interesting.

Boredom can happen to me when I'm just tired! Perhaps not focused because I'm tired, and then I get bored. But it's hard to navigate my way to being focused.

Please comment and help me refine this!