Comments for Gretchen Wegner

Comment on What To Do When You Think Your Teacher Hates You by Lisette

Lisette — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:31:59 +0000

This is GREAT way to handle these kinds of feelings – because sometimes, if the feelings go on too long, they become self fulfilling prophecies! I love how Jose phrased his question… very productive!

Comment on Why Independence Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be by V

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:02:07 +0000

Hello, Gretchen

It was very nice to read these perspectives to think about “Freedom.” As a full-time worker and a student of distance learning, I find it real hard to prioritize.

Reading these ideas helped me think differently about my thought processes.

Thank you!

Comment on 3 Simple Questions That Unlock Hidden Brilliance by Gretchen

Gretchen — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:44:22 +0000

Jim, that is so helpful. Thanks! A friend once suggested that I think of feelings as dials/indicators on an airplane, signaling what’s actually happening inside me. When I’m angry, the anger is not the “end” but rather the “beginning”, a signal that a need is not being met, and an invitation to become conscious about this need so that I can work to meet it. I love that you extend this metaphor into intellectual content, not just personal content. Feelings that come up when I’m engaging with content — both the “good” feelings of excitement & stimulation as well as the “bad” feelings of repulsion and numbness/tiredness — might just be indicators of my own brilliance waiting to be noticed and articulated. In fact, it occurs to me that this is the “R” in “ORID”, isn’t it? Haven’t thought about that in a while.

Comment on 3 Simple Questions That Unlock Hidden Brilliance by Gretchen

Gretchen — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:36:32 +0000

Thanks, Lisette. Isn’t it fascinating how often we “settle” for regurgitation? I’ve encountered the same problem when looking for book reviews. It does take a little more brain power, though, to push through the resistance to coming up with our own unique ideas. And that extra push is where many people fall short. Yay you, for noticing that you could stand to push yourself a bit in your own writing!

Comment on 3 Simple Questions That Unlock Hidden Brilliance by Jim Wiegel

Jim Wiegel — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:31:08 +0000

A help in bridging from level 1 to level 2 is to ask, what happened to me as I encountered the factual? When you take time to notice the emotions, memories of past experiences, associations, feelings that come up in you, you get clues to what is significant for you. In working on the best paper I wrote while in college, I got about one page into it, and I was stuck. Falling asleep at it, avoiding it, going for snacks . . . Then I noticed how strongly I was avoiding it. When I asked myself what was going on with that, a whole new possibility opened up for me. I saw many significant connections and patterns (what you call level 2). And implications for my real life (level 3). I would like to say that the paper then wrote itself, but that was not true, there was still work to do, but I felt myself driving to get it done. Got an A-.

Comment on 3 Simple Questions That Unlock Hidden Brilliance by Lisette

Lisette — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:56:18 +0000

I love this post! I just finished reading a book this weekend, and when I went to read reviews of what others had thought about the book, I found them to be mostly regurgitation of information already in the book. I had been hoping to read about what people THOUGHT of the book, and instead I got a lot of “CliffsNotes”.

I also noticed that I had been doing this myself in my own writing – so it’s a great reminder to think more carefully and critically!

Comment on A Surprising New Way to Think About Procrastination by Gretchen

Gretchen — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:38:00 +0000

@Kate I love that your end product was amazing! How great to know that the final push really worked. There’s something to be said about having finite resources, like time. It seems that the big problem with procrastination is the stress that it causes, not the procrastination in and of itself. Reframing certainly helps take away some of the stress, as some of the comments above reveal. And it sounds as if, in regards to teamwork, some conversations about process might be in order, including what each person needs to pull of the project in as healthy a way as possible, (including an agreement about how — if procrastination is inevitable — to structure it so that the nonprocrastinators don’t feel too stressed. I’d love an update as to how the next project goes!

Comment on A Surprising New Way to Think About Procrastination by Steve

Steve — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:33:38 +0000

In college, I learned that waiting until the last moment was sometimes the only way to garner adequate motivation. 20 years later, I went to work at a software company for a guy who was 15 year my junior and who was on the fast track to becoming a VP. Several times I helped him prepare an important report and presentation the night before it was due. From him I learned that it’s possible to do outstanding work at the very last minute in what appears to be way too little time. Since then, I define procrastination as “waiting until it’s overdue or past due.” Anything else is just doing things at the most appropriate time. ::grin::

Comment on A Surprising New Way to Think About Procrastination by Kate

Kate — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 03:12:32 +0000

I find that when I am working on a project that is similar to projects I have done before, I am much more comfortable with the ripening process than when I am doing something for the first time.

I just came off a team project where amazing things were accomplished at the last minute. I had no worked with most of the people before and was devastated by the amount of procrastination I saw happening. The process ended up being exceedingly stressful for the team because some team members were more comfortable procrastinating than others.

There was a palpable moment when the whole group shifted into action together, when those who were most comfortable delaying knew that they could delay no longer.

This was the first time this group of people worked together and the same team is going to be working together on a similar project in a few months. I am curious to see if the group timetable shifts for the next project or whether the folks who were less comfortable delaying become more comfortable with the timetable that worked before.

The end result was amazing, so the procrastination did not affect the product. It is quite possible that the group will find a comfort with a degree of putting things off til the last minute based on what has worked in the past.

Kate

Comment on A Surprising New Way to Think About Procrastination by Gretchen

Gretchen — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:30:51 +0000

On my facebook page, Caroline made a comment I wanted to share with the world:

“Just read this, Gretchen – most awesome! I have thought this way about the “P” word for some time now. Hating oneself and one’s actions is just wasted energy and becomes its own enemy – that energy can be recouped and redirected if we recognize that our bodies are wise teachers, and there are gifts in all our choices and actions if only we can “reframe” our thinking. Noticing, internal authority, affirmation = discovering our own best body wisdom practices, which may differ from what the world tells us they should be.”

Thanks, for your comment, Caroline! Both you and Celia seem to have found the gifts in reframing procrastination.