Mindsets.

[thesubtleknife]

I thought I would pose a question here which has given me a good bit of difficulty.

Context: Lately I've been trying to focus completely in the present. That is, no contemplation of the past, no analysis of the future. Everything seems great about this philosophy up to the point where I have to plan things, which breaks me out of the present

Comments

[freegina]

Oh, I am the wrong person to be asked. I am so future-focused, it sometimes interferes with my present.

[thesubtleknife]

Thanks for the response :) Good to know I'm not alone on this. Present thinking is not really a proclivity of mine, still figuring it out...

[flat_hat]

Indeed, let me know when you figure this out... Personally, I keep putting off being in the present based on these chunks of my life that seemed to be organized around planning for the future (for instance, grad school). Well, in five or six years I'll have the time to appreciate what's going on and have a garden and meditate and blah blah blah... This seems especially complicated since as a researcher I am obsessed with the past

[thesubtleknife]

Haha. Yeah. There seem to be at least a few schools of thought on this too... one belief says it's fine to dream all the time and then act on it, and then dream some more. Another says then the whole of your mind is occupied with dreaming and you aren't appreciating who/what/where you actually are

[okb]

What I usually try to do is do all the planning as quickly and thoroughly as possible, so that I can get through the "glancing up" period and move onto the next stage of consistency and present-thinking. In other words, I try to compartmentalize future planning.

This might not be that helpful to you, though, because I don't mean that I don't think about the future a lot. I think about the future all the time, and sort of wonder about it and make vague or abortive plans for gradual change. But what I try to compartmentalize is the actual decisions, the explicit planning of "okay, the next chunk of my life will be this".

[thesubtleknife]

Hmm, that's interesting. You kind of put into words the thing I have ended up doing, getting most of the planning over with in one brief period: in my case, making a list of things for the month, then logging the most important things in my planner so I don't forget. Has this worked out well for you?

Thinking about and planning for the future are strongly linked for me... if I don't need to plan something, I am less likely to feel the need to look ahead (unless I feel like my priorities somehow need a change, but that's another matter).

I sometimes feel like I'm addicted to looking into the future to see how my present decisions must surely be affecting it for the better, and it's not healthy, because I get lost there. The best decisions I've made seem to stem from when I was able to get into the opposite mindset... there is no future. Now is all there is. Do you think humanity's concept of time is a blessing or a curse?

[susoeffl]

I have been told that in the book "the power of now" the author suggests that one can be fully present in the activity of planning.

My friend told me this, i have not read the book. But she highly reccomends it. It might be a good source

[thesubtleknife]

Cool, I'll have to check that out! I've read a couple other books which concern themselves with similar stuff, but they never really explain how you stay in the present while dreaming up new and crazy schemes. They all seem to fall either into the "don't plan" category or the "plan a lot and look into the future a lot" category.

Sanku! :D What about you, what's your strategy?

[susoeffl]

whenever I get stressed or worried, I say my mantra. Some things you HAVE to plan for, or they won't happen. like I need to get a visa, but I don't have to focus my energies on that visa very much to get it. I only need to focus enough energy to go through the application. I don't know... now's not te best time to ask me. THe clouds are causing me to be less than cheery.

[susoeffl]

ok that's not the whole answer. I plan what I need to, (or try to only plan ahead as much as I need to) and then leave the rest to god. I don't mention that part often as I hang around with lots of athiests. I don't want them to feel I'm pressuring them to believe in something. Also I still fear the judgements of them. It shouldn't but I'm human and subject to fear of social stigma.

But I find when I rest my burdens with god solutions present themselves and everything works out. My mantra helps remind me of this I think. This may not be helpful to you since I don't know your beliefs.

keep the goals in mind and check once in awhile that you're on track, otherwise just live

[blu3n3k0boiy]

That is, no contemplation of the past, no analysis of the future. wait... isn't that supposed to be the other way around

Ack, forgot to say this

[blu3n3k0boiy]

I forgot, What i was going to say is I make a bunch of things to do goals for the day and try my best at them in a hit and miss style. That way if i get some things done, atleats i'll feel happy about the little things, I'll just make sure i'm still directed at finishing my main goal, whatever it is. ^^ also

Breyers ice cream and coffee help teehee

Re: keep the goals in mind and check once in awhile that you're on track, otherwise just live

[thesubtleknife]

Yeah, I definitely think allowing yourself not to finish is a good thing. Actually... just accepting the notion that you will never be finished, and maybe discarding the idea of needing to feel done, is probably what I need to do.

A certain degree of spontaneous action is required to get by in this world ;P And oh! One thing at a time is also a really, really good strategy. It leads, weirdly, to me being more productive than multiple things at a time, because I finish each task faster, and with less stress.

Yay for Breyers ice creams! :)