T is for Thinking. Before you start any project, or anything you want to accomplish, you have to think about it, right? Why’d you get up this morning? What is fun about what you do? What is your desired end result by doing this thing you’re currently doing? Reflect for a moment. Have an idea of what you’d like? It doesn’t have to be monumental. Just choose something to work on. Your life, your body, is your canvas. Choose a fun project and figure out what needs to be done, working backwards in your mind, to get to that point. Maybe the point is the journey, but you can still find ways to setup your environment to create a really fun journey, so that counts as a project too.

E is for Energy. Everything you do requires energy. Energy management IS time management, and you can have it by sleeping well, eating healthy balanced meals, drinking lots of water, and moving your body around daily. All of this will help you deal with stress and give you the energy you need to design and live a life worth living.

G is for Goals. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you get there? It’s very important to set goals. Goals keep you motivated and on track. Have your goals written and review them at night and in the morning. You may not know what you want to do in life, but setting goals for projects is a lot easier and doesn’t involve gazing at your navel. So choose a project that’s fun or practical or whatever, and work backwards in your mind from the end result to know what needs to be done first, second, etc.

A is for Action. If you don’t take action and do what has to be done, then you are still a dreamer. You must take action even if you don’t feel like it; even if you are afraid, you must do the action.

T is for Time. Time is the most important asset you possess, And health. But right now we’re talking about productivity. It’s best to manage your time into 90 minute increments, then take a break. If you need more time to do an activity then add another 15-90 minutes. Here’s a question to be asking yourself all the time: “What is the highest and best use of my time right now?” (thanks, Brian Tracy). When you are about to set out on your project, always know how much time you’ll spend on it, or at least guess how much time each activity will take and stick to it, if possible.

O is for Obstacles. You must do whatever it takes to get your goal accomplished. If you have to jump over, go under, go through, go around, climb over, or blast though your obstacle or obstacles (and no matter how many times you’ve accomplished a goal you will always be faced with obstacles) — if you can do this, then you are an unstoppable force. Or, at least you’re a force.

Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich looks at one of the secrets of the brain’s incredible power: its ability to re-wire itself. He’s researching ways to harness this plasticity to enhance our skills and recover lost function. (Recorded at TED2004, February 2004, in Monterey, California. Duration: 23:07.)

I like understanding that things are always evolving, and while there are many things that could be better where I am, it is not really a problem because “where I am” is constantly changing to something better. I like knowing that as I look for the best things around me where I am, those things become more prevalent in my experience.

It is fun to know that things are always working out for me, and as I watch for the evidence of that . . . I see more evidence of that every day.

Whatever you’re thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you’re worrying, you are planning. When you are appreciating, you are planning…

What are you planning?

Abraham-Hicks, Excerpted from the workshop in Silver Spring, MD on Saturday, April 19th, 1997