Happ-Y-Ness Factor News — 5
The Happ-Y-Ness Factor News — 5
How has your month been? I had planned on releasing #5 in May and then life happened….I traveled to two conferences and sat down at the computer and then…. June was here…
The month of May is known for its holidays from May Day (May 1st) to Mother’s Day (May 14th) to Memorial Day (May 29th). As I was planning the newsletter, I had thought about the end of Spring topics to share with everyone. Now the month is June and we are about to experience the end of the year for schools, Father’s Day, and Summer Solstice (June 21st at 10:57 a.m.).
Would you call my delay in publication procrastination? Or would you call the delay as what happens with life events?
How did you enjoy the last part of our Spring? How are you planning to enjoy your summer? Let’s take a walk…
Let’s chat a bit about taking a walk with our planning and keeping our mind clear as we plan our projects.
I obviously did not plan as well as I had liked since I did not publish the 5th edition in May. As many of you know I am involved with many passion projects so I find I am planning a great deal in order to have time for myself (and family) as well as to provide solutions to those I am helping as well as to complete the projects I care about. However, sometimes even with the best intentions, things do not go as planned…
Also, as we know, not all of our ideas need to happen immediately. We have to be able to know how to go with the ebb and flow of the day to be able to achieve our timelines. Sometimes we will find events occur and our timeline changes. Or, we have a block and we just need to stop for the day and start fresh the next morning. When I find I have reached a block I will take a walk or go into my garden to weed to clear my mind. What do you do to clear your mind?
When we multi-task, we might not call our shifting of projects as procras- tination, but it can be. We will often choose to do tasks we like first and put off what we might not enjoy as much. I am no different than anyone else. I often procrastinate. I also recognize when I am procrastinating so I am realistic on my options. Always be truthful with yourself. It’s definitely OK to procrastinate. Have no guilt! We are living and sometimes we need the space to procrastinate. If you do procrastinate just be aware of your deadlines so you can adjust for the internal pressure you might feel.
Also, ask yourself why are your procrastinating? Is it that you really don’t want to do something? Or you don’t know how to do something? Or you just need to create more time to do the project?
Let’s see what Oprah shares about procrastination..
How many of us have more than one list? I know I have many lists. I use my lists to help me find peace of mind so I can take the talk in my mind and put it on paper.
My question for all of us to answer is the following…. How do we organize that list so we plan and don’t procrastinate? I think I might have mentioned in an earlier blog, I use the 1–2–3 method. The top priority I classify as 1, next priority is 2, and the lower priority is 3.
Over the past 2 months I really had to focus on using this system since I attended two major conferences in May (Bitcoin 2023 and The Future of Money, Governance & Law). I needed to finish writing my book for the Bitcoin 2023 conference in time for delivery to the conference. At the second conference, I needed to plan the logistics for interviewing attendees for both the GBA Talk Show as well as the CryptoMom2 Talk Show.
When I plan I do what is called back mapping. For those not familiar with back mapping, it is just as it sounds. You start at the end result you want and decide the date needed. Then, you track each month, week, and day on a calendar to future plan how to get to the desired result. The only thing to remember when back mapping is to create enough space (time) for the unexpected that can impact your timeline (e.g. if you get sick or something else happens) so you can still make your deadline.
For each conference (or major project) I start to plan about 3 to 4 months prior to the events. I am not sure how your office is structured so you might have to adjust how I do my planning to work for your tasks and your office. When I have a major project, I put up chart paper on my walls so I can create visual timelines and lists. I like to see my flow charts so I can adjust as my plans either stay on course or change.
As a Certified Travel Agent, I always book my own travel. As soon as I know I am attending an event, I start looking for air prices and book my hotel. I am also a firm believer in travel insurance. The unexpected can happen during an event as well as before. Travel insurance creates more peace of mind (email me at jcoopertravels@gmail.com for details). So, in addition to my conference chart, I create a travel list to ensure I have my travel details in order (to include what I will be packing). I like to travel light so I assess my luggage to pack as tight as possible. Travel Tip — I also always print my travel documents for quick reference.
At my first conference, The Bitcoin 2023 event, I was both an exhibitor as well as a volunteer. I had the privilege of volunteering at the Marathon Desk where the event was live streamed and commented upon. As part of the planning needed for this event, I coordinated the publication of my newest book, shipping of the book to the warehouse, and then delivery of the books to the booth. As many of you might know to write a book takes both time and research. I began researching bitcoin mining, bitcoin’s history and the other elements I needed for my new book, The Bitcoin Cinderella & The 7 Dwarves, in September 2022.
Planning Tips: When you plan are you using paper & pen? Or are you using electronic tools? As I have mentioned prior, I use both. I will use google documents to type my daily lists. I also use google slides or google sheets to embed the links I want to refer to quickly. One trick I have used is to create monthly tabs with daily notes. Again, think about what works best to save you time as you work on different projects and have to refer to different contact points.
At my exhibit booth, CleanSpark sponsored the give away of 1000 books at this event. Using the tips above, I collected the contacts both electronically as well as through business cards for future references.
I am grateful for Sarson Funds and The American Crypto Academy for both sponsoring my booth at the Bitcoin Bazaar as well as providing volunteers to speak with attendees while I was volunteering at the Marathon desk.
When I was at the Bitcoin 2023 event in South Beach, I looked for a hotel that was near the beach to enjoy the water as well as relatively close to the convention center.
I selected well. The hotel was clean and accessible. The staff was very helpful. The hotel was most definitely close to the beach. By car the hotel was close to the convention center. However, since I decided to walk each day I discovered I had not truly calculated the distance from the hotel to the conference (:)). I found I walked about 45 minutes daily to the conference from the hotel and the same back from the conference. I actually looked forward to this walk since it was forcing me to go to my destinations and I could not make an excuse that I could not exercise. I walked early enough (or late enough) in the day so the weather was cool. I did make sure I had water as I walked to stay hydrated. I often find when I travel I do more walking than I do at home. If you decide you want to change your exercise routine, think about doing this the next time you take a trip. As I walked the neighborhood, I discovered a cafe to obtain my morning coffee and on my return I was able to explore different restaurants for dinner.
By experiencing two conferences in May I felt as if I was on mini-vacations. The first conference was in South Beach Miami and the second conference was in Washington D.C.
Although I have been to both locations before, I decided on these trips to view each place as if I had just landed and never seen the sights before. As travelers in life, I often find that to shift my perspective and emotions I need to think of looking at my environment with fresh eyes. It is amazing how a small shift can help with perspective.
This beautiful tree is outside the Miami Beach Convention Center. I was amazed at how it has grown and the strength it shows. I took this picture to share to remind myself how to stay rooted as life events unfold. (Trust me — this lesson is constantly testing me! :))
How many times have we walked down a street and not really looked at the art around us? I do this all the time. I know when I travel I look at the neighborhoods differently. I promised myself upon my return home I would continue to look around with a new perspective… What is new in your own neighborhood you have not noticed before? Please share…
Or looked really closely at the materials our buildings are made with to appreciate how intricate the designs can be? I love architecture. When I travel I am always looking at the art built within buildings.
I also love history so in looking at this building and reading the description shared on its walls I was able to learn more about its past.
Whether you are staying home, visiting a conference, or taking a trip, we are at the halfway part of our year with the Summer Solstice upon us. Think of the gifts you have been given this year. Think of the people in your life. Think of how you would like to enjoy the balance of the year.
As always, I appreciate your being part of my online family. Enjoy the beginning of summer! Continue to message me with your questions and comments..
Happy travels… As I always share at the end of my talk shows… Be kind to yourself…Be kind to others.. We are all connected… We are all in one world..
Much love & support.. Until our next month..
Jacqui (Aka CryptoMom2)
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