Hey everyone, you can use this thread to explore and unpack your experiences with our live practice sessions. Let us know what’s coming up for you!
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Hi everyone,
I have been struggling with procrastination for a long time. I have been avoiding completing personal projects, writing books/novels or learning programming for instance. Due to these projects being complex non-career projects, it means there is no enforced deadline or external accountability for me. (i understand that there are apps that have paid accountability as a form a service, but i wonder if the technique is sustainable) Despite practicing mindfulness and lots of willpower techniques, my procrastination feels like somewhat intractable at times. What do you do to overcome procrastination? What aspects of AQAL, ILP you have found helped you overcome the resistance to do your project? I would love to hear some of the techniques or books that you have used to help you avoid shirking off completion of complex and challenging project.
thank you
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Hi. I’ve struggled with similar but only when I make commitments to myself. Commitments that I make to others has never been an issue. I deliver. I’m a 2 on the enneagram and I’m sure that plays a role. Anyway, I’ve hacked myself a bit to resolve this and it seems to work for me. So i’m offering here for you to consider…
Basically, I shift myself into autopilot, positioning my self as a VERY distant observer. I do what needs to get done and ignore any resistance. As a distant observer, I’m able to do that. It’s just a state shift, or like an alter personality for a while. One that is very detached. Its a dramatic shift for me. I literally blur away discomfort, voices, resistance, etc.
When I’m done with said task/goal, I move back into my body. I take a deep breath and I’m back. I can still feel the resistance energy lingering in my body, the one I held at bay, but I also feel pride and relief.
When I started this practice, I began with small personal goals. I believe I’m building a muscle with this… we shall see.
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thank you for your response. It is helpful. I definitely agree that willpower is a form of muscle. the more you exercise it, the better it becomes. I read a book called “Willpower Instinct” years ago, the techniques described in the book have definitely helped. Chunking is an often cited technique, though at times, I also find that it is actually not always so easy to know HOW to chunk. There are also times when chunking to simpler tasks kind of make the tasks seem too boring, or mechanical, and hence can kind of kill the passion to work on the project. It is always a tough scale to balance—a task being boring-mechanical but doable, vs. challenging and interesting vs. being overly challenging and overwhelming.
Complex projects that are self-directed seem to require a vast variety of skills in order to overcome so many psychological barriers. Mindfulness definitely helps nearly all of them, but it is one of those necessary but not sufficient skill, —though presumably, if one’s mindfulness skill is advanced enough, then the urge to procrastinate “cognitively recognized priorities” and waste time on other things will drastically diminish.
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Joined in on Embodied Awareness with Ryan, 09/28/20 session. Lovely to practice with a live group. Nice to refocus midday. I’ve been a daily meditator for years and I love connecting with other Integral people. Thanks for the generous inclusion of the new Integral Practice Sessions for current members. Really excited to join in on more!
Well done session and good explanation of the process.
Joined Nate’s session on Intuition odyssey.
I enjoyed the interaction with others and the “spaciousness” the facilitator brought in.
I hope the facilitators will talk more about their own techniques that they employ on a regular basis and how these techniques or frameworks helped the their own struggles in life; Or they can relate to the integral life practice or integral theory or some other comprehensive life framework in some way.
I also joined 4 other sessions last week. I think for most people, it is definitely the sense of community —interacting with like-minded people or kindred spirits (in a world gone slightly mad)—that is the real perk of these Zoom practice sessions.
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I did two live sessions with Tyko Granberger. It helped me to find out my shadows within me and help to ingrate them. This Big Mind Process is an exploration of the voices within me and this awesome. To use this method myself with the voices I discover and to integrate them will the Best Healing I could ask for. Thank you Integral Life. Thank you Corey-devos.
Just took part in the live session of Awaken the Leader within and it was awesome. Loved it. Thank you very much Mike Herzog.
Hi. Like IndraniMeier I took part in Mike Herzog’s Awaken the Leader session and found it very worthwhile. I tried to copy the link for the evaluation page, but got this page instead. If someone could post the link, I would be happy to fill out that page.
Thanks. Marci
Thank you Corey! I felt thoroughly inspired by Lee’s session today, Unleashing Your Talents. The meditation helped me get in touch with my already full and contributory life. As a 4, sometimes I lose my way as I look inside for guidance when it’s the external world that gives me an inspiration to re-connect to myself. This mornings practice was just was I needed to reconnect with my - Self. Much love and gratitude, Barb
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Here’s something I’ve done three times that really helped me get things done.
Hi, a very simple technique I use and recommend to my dissertation students is to say to yourself “just get the file out for five minutes and have a look”. Whether it’s on the laptop or indeed hard copy it often piques one’s interest to still be there an hour later. And if you get too depressed about it then watch “Procrastination” Tales Of Mere Existence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P785j15Tzk a 1.20 min video to make you laugh. Best wishes, Mike
I tried to access Lee’s ILP session today, but the link takes me to the Exhale session from 11/7/2020. Here’s the info. Wanted to make sure Lee knew why no one could get on. I also emailed him.
Uncovering the Wisdom Within
November 30 at 10:30 am - 11:00 am CST
No link for Keith’s session. Can someone add?
@corey-devos
Hi Sheila, it looks like the zoom link was there — is it possible you were not logged into your member account?
My bad. I saved these sessions a while back when this was going to be at 8 pst instead of 8:30 pst. I didn’t check the practice site to verify the time. Thanks for getting back to me though.
I really wanted to attend the session yesterday January 2nd on developing a 4 quadrant vision for 2021. I was unable to due to other commitments. Is there a transcript of the teaching in that session?
Alternatively is there anyone who did attend that session that would find value in meeting with me to share their process so that I too can do this work? I’m thinking along the lines of, ‘we teach what we most need to learn’, and if you can teach and/or review something soon after learning it yourself more of it will ‘stick’.
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So I am not sure where else to write but I sent an email 2 weeks ago and a post last week with no response. So last week I can’t get into the live practice for the fourth time in about 3 weeks. I can get in about 2/3 of the time…
Very frustrating as it says host is in another meeting.
Class was GUS, but I was 2 minutes early and had been waiting for over 20,again.
Basically I missed it.
To try to keep an IL prescience, I tried a taped practice but not what I felt I needed that day.
Thank you for any feedback…
Jim Bruns