Procrastinating

Ok, so I wrote about procrastinating in my Resolutions post.

What I have noticed subsequently is a remarkable increase in the work that I am doing, but it's not something that I'm happy with. For it doesn't seem to be any work of value that I am doing. I made a list of very specific actions that I would do when I realised that I was procrastinating. This is the list:

• Make more Videos
  
• Listen to more lectures.
  
• Make more Artwork
  
• Learn more surahs and duas
  
• properly organise my posessions, trim waste.
  
• write my will.
  
• Journal more.
  
• read more books
  
• do more exercise.
  
• Start a new sport.
  
• Think more. The deep stuff, y'know?
  
• Study extra, above what is necessary.
  

Right.

What I have found myself doing is just a few on those list, but doing them quite well. For example:

• I have started, not only listening to lectures by taking copious notes as well. This has made me retain them better, as I have not just listened to them but written them as well.
  
• Making more artwork. I'm on a roll with art, having made quite an unusually large number within the space of a few days. The ideas I have for more arts have also increased, so I have noted them, and have quite enough to keep me going for a while,
  
• Properly organise my possessions, trim waste. Here I have mixed success. I went through a lot, and got rid of quite a few books, as well as a few kilograms of paper. And I organised quite a bit, especially my working environment, my desk. But thats about it. Its not complete, and there is more waste to trim.
  
• Read more books. Yes I have. They were good books as well.
  

But that's it. I'm not doing as much as I want of the other stuff. I don't think the idea itself is flawed, though maybe the execution is. It's like the ratios are wrong, and so I'm spending too much doing the above, and not enough of the other. It's like now that I have identified what I wanted to do, but without forcing myself to follow a prescribed path, I end up taking the path of least resistance. It's like there's levels of procrastination, and of productivity. And in this case, I'm doing stuff of value, but I should be doing other stuff of more value instead.

And the solution? Either dedicate ratios for each of the categories, and stick rigidly to them, or, order the list in priority. A lazier response is to divide the list in two, and give one group priority over the other. I think I'm going for the second option. So here is the list, now in order.

• Study extra, over and above what is necessary.
  
• Write my will
  
• properly organise my posessions, trim waste.
  
• do more exercise.
  
• Learn more surahs and duas
  
• Listen to more lectures.
  
• Think more. The deep stuff, y'know?
  
• read more books
  
• Journal more
  
• Make more Artwork
  
• Make more Videos
  
• Start a new sport.
  

Lets see what happens now...

EDIT: Yes, I did also get rid of my fb.

The 40 day challenge

On my sig in the ShiaChat, AIM and cyc forums, I have a quote. It is a hadith, which I have taken from the book sayr wa suluk, a really, really short treatise on irfan. The quote goes:

Whoever dedicates himself to God for forty days, will find springs of wisdom sprout out of his heart and flow on his tongue
- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
For some reason, I have this in my mind as "Islam's very own 40 day challenge" (hence the title). Odd, but its a way of looking at it that is actually true, just worded differently to what anyone else might think. I have always failed, before I have even started, for I know that it will not be possible for me to do this, at least not anytime soon. As it happens, I don't know many people for whom "springs of wisdom sprout out of the heart and flow on the tongue", so maybe its hard for everyone, or at least, everyone i know.

But maybe its in the trying. In the constant trying and renewal of this challenge, one may hope to be able to progress, and be able to stay serving Allah for longer and longer periods of time, and eventually one may hopefully be able to reach the goal of forty continuous days. All with the help of Allah, of course. Perhaps arfter trying for one's whole life, one may get this station in old age. Khayr, Allah knows best.

It is Muharram now. We shia are blessed. We have two periods, in which the spirituality gets boosted. The first is the gradual, progressive ramping up that happens in Rajab, Shaban, and the holy month of Ramadhan, where one can actually feel the buzz in the air, if one looks for it. The second is the months of Muharram and Safar, where one has the opportunity to reflect on the glorious sacrifice of Imam Husayn (as), and focus on the huge disparity between our own characters and the characters of the companions of the Imam, never mind the actual Bani Hashim.

I have decided that my next challenge will start on the symbolic date of Ashura, and end, InshaAllah, on the day of Arbaeen, as part of my own personal commemoration of Ashura.

One day, inshaAllah, I will do this challenge properly

Resolutions

My main new year's resolutions is to work on my piety, which I think needs attention.

Secondary to this, is to kill my procrastination habit. So I've decided I will do any of these when I realise I am procrastinating.

• Make more Videos
  
• Listen to more lectures.
  
• Make more Artwork
  
• Learn more surahs and duas
  
• properly organise my posessions, trim waste.
  
• write my will.
  
• Journal more.
  
• read more books
  
• do more exercise.
  
• Start a new sport.
  
• Think more. The deep stuff, y'know?
  
• Study extra, above what is necessary.

Also, this wasn't part of the list, but I think im going to deactivate my fb. Awesome.