Don’t let procrastination take over your life. Here, I will share my personal steps which I use to overcome procrastination with great success. These 6 steps will definitely apply to you too:
1. Break your work into little steps. Part of the reason why we procrastinate is because subconsciously, we find the work too overwhelming for us. Break it down into little parts, then focus on one part at the time. If you still procrastinate on the task after breaking it down, thenbreak it down even further. Soon, your task will be so simple that you will be thinking “gee, this is so simple that I might as well just do it now!”.
2. Change your environment. Different environments have different impact on our productivity. Look at your work desk and your room. Do they make you want to work or do they make you want to snuggle and sleep? If it’s the latter, you should look into changing your workspace. One thing to note is that an environment that makes us feel inspired before may lose its effect after a period of time.
3. Create a detailed timeline with specific deadlines. Having just 1 deadline for your work is like an invitation to procrastinate. That’s because we get the impression that we have time and keep pushing everything back, until it’s too late. Break down your project (see tip #1), then create an overall timeline with specific deadlines for each small task. This way, you know you have to finish each task by a certain date. Your timelines must be robust, too – i.e. if you don’t finish this by today, it’s going to jeopardize everything else you have planned after that. This way it creates the urgency to act. My goals are broken down into monthly, weekly, right down to the daily task lists, and the list is a call to action that I must accomplish this by the specified date, else my goals will be put off.
4. Eliminate your procrastination pit-stops. If you are procrastinating a little too much, maybe that’s because you make it easy to procrastinate. Identify your browser bookmarks that take up a lot of your time and shift them into a separate folder that is less accessible. Disable the automatic notification option in your email client. Get rid of the distractions around you. I know some people will out of the way and delete/deactivate their facebook accounts. I think it’s a little drastic/extreme as addressing procrastination is more about being conscious of our actions than counteracting via self-binding methods, but if you feel that’s what’s needed, go for it.
5. Hang out with people who inspire you to take action. I’m pretty sure if you spend just 10 minutes talking to Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, you’ll be more inspired to act than if you spent the 10 minutes doing nothing. The people we are with influence our behaviors. Of course spending time with Steve Jobs/Bill Gates every day is probably not a feasible method, but the principle applies. Identify the people/friends/colleagues who trigger you – most likely the go-getters and hard workers – and hang out with them more often. Soon you will inculcate their drive and spirit too.
6. Get a buddy.Having a companion makes the whole process much more fun. Ideally, your buddy should be someone who has his/her own set of goals. Both of you will hold each other accountable to your goals and plans. While it’s not necessary for both of you to have the same goals, it’ll be even better if that’s the case, so you can learn from each other.
It struck me that the person he had described fit the profile of much more than merely a star employee. In all aspects of life — personal fulfillment, relationships, work, or fitness — it is the go-getters who will ultimately prevail.
So what makes a go-getter tick?
1. They have dreams and aspirations.
Ticking goals off of a list is meaningless if one is not enjoying the process. However, so long as one is appreciating one’s journey, goals and dreams can serve as lanterns upon the horizon, guiding us in a direction that is in line with our bliss, our souls. Go-getters have a guiding vision.
2. They show up every day
Even when they don’t feel the best. Even when it seems like a great day to skip out. Go-getters have to be disciplined. They put in time (even if it’s just a wee bit) each day to move closer to their long-term goals. They understand that mastery of any craft entails daily practice.
3. They count their victories
They don’t motivate themselves by focusing on some magical celebration at the end of the road. They pat themselves on the back each day for small achievements.
4. They do what they love
No one has ever realized greatness doing something that didn’t fire them up. Go-getters are passionate about what they do and are excited to work on something they care about.
5. They possess an iron resolve
Quitting is never an option when the go-getter is pursuing something he or she really loves. Even on days when motivation runs low or pessimism creeps in, they put their heads down and get their hands dirty. They know the real work begins the first time you’re tempted to throw in the towel.
Bonus: They learn from their mistakes
Failure is the best form of feedback for the go-getter. The go-getter doesn’t fear mistakes. He or she knows mistakes are inevitable, so he welcomes them and learns as much as possible from each one.
Unfortunately, Panama is not known internationally for it’s cuisine. That’s a shame because the food is actually very delicious and made with fresh local ingredients and flavors.
Fresh ingredients are a keystone of Panama's cuisine
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what Panamanian cuisine is because like the Panamanian people, it is very diverse. Panamanians are a healthy mix of latinos, afro-antilleans, asians and indigenous. Of course, each ethnic group brings its own blend of spices, recipes, ingredients and cooking methods.
Along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, the diet consists of mainly coconut, seafood, root vegetables, and tropical fruits. The Caribbean coast has mainly indigenous and afro-antillean communities. This lends to more traditional methods of cooking, such as over fire and with all natural ingredients. The afro-antillean influence has also brought in more spicy food in some areas.
The interior communities of Panamá are majority latino communities based in agriculture, so they enjoy mainly root vegetables, starchy fruits, livestock (cows and pigs), chicken, beans and rice. The style of cooking can also be rustic over an open fire, though typically they use propane gas-powered stoves. They tend to use more sauces and condiments as well.
Don’t be surprised to find very little green food in their diet. Maybe you will find some cilantro and that’s about it! They eat a lot of starches and have a tendency to prefer fried foods over boiled. They also don’t typically eat fresh fruit except for in a smoothie. It’s not exactly the “healthiest” cuisine (what really is ‘healthy’, anyway?), but please don’t let that stop you from enjoying it during your Spanish immersion program.
Here I’ll share with you the most traditional dishes for breakfast, snacks, lunch/dinner and drinks. If you are coming tostudy Spanish with us and stay with a host family, be prepared to be WELL fed!
BREAKFAST
Hojaldras (o-hal-dras) (fried simple dough, not sweet)
Tortillas de maíz con queso fresco (tor-tee-yahs deh my-eez kohn kay-so fres-co) (corn tortilla with bland locally-made white cheese on top)
Bollos (boh-yos) (corn dough, traditionally rolled in a banana leaf, and boiled)
Patacones (pat-ah-cone-es) (fried green plantain discs)
Carne o salchicha guisada (car-neh oh sal-chie-chah gih-sah-dah) (beef strips or hotdog in a tomato sauce served with any of the above)
SNACKS & APPETIZERS
Platanitos (plah-tah-nee-toes) (thin slices of fried plantain)
According to the American Music Therapy Association, “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”
Simply put, we use music to make your life better. Whether you need help socially, cognitively, physically, emotionally, or developmentally, music can help you get better…and music therapists are well-trained on how to do that.
What’s more interesting, though, is why it works. When used properly, music can be an incredibly powerful treatment tool. And not just because it’s fun, relaxing, and motivating, but because music has a profound impact on our brains and our bodies.
So here are the top 10 brain-based reasons why music works in therapy:
Music is a core function in our brain. Our brain is primed early on to respond to and process music. Research has shown that day-old infants are able to detect differences in rhythmic patterns. Mothers across cultures and throughout time have used lullabies and rhythmic rocking to calm crying babies. From an evolutionary standpoint, music precedes language. We don’t yet know why, but our brains are wired to respond to music, even though it’s not “essential” for our survival.
Our bodies entrain to rhythm. Have you ever walked down the street, humming a song in your head, and noticed that your walking to the beat? That’s called entrainment. Our motor systems naturally entrain, or match, to a rhythmic beat. When a musical input enters our central nervous system via the auditory nerve, most of the input goes to the brain for processing. But some of it heads straight to motor nerves in our spinal cord. This allows our muscles to move to the rhythm without our having to think about it or “try.” It’s how we dance to music, tap our foot to a rhythm, and walk in time to a beat. This is also why music therapists can help a person who’s had a stroke re-learn how to walk and develop strength.
We have physiologic responses to music. Every time your breathing quickens, your heart-rate increases, or you feel a shiver down your spine, that’s your body responding physiologically to music. Qualified music therapists can use this to help stimulate a person in a coma or use music to effectively help someone relax.
Children (even infants) respond readily to music. Any parent knows that it’s natural for a child to begin dancing and singing at an early age. My kids both started rocking to music before they turned one. And have you seen the YouTube video of the baby dancing to Beyonce? Children learn through music, art, and play, so it’s important (even necessary) to use those mediums when working with children in therapy.
5. Music taps into our emotions. Have you ever listened to a piece of music and smiled? Or felt sad? Whether from the music itself, or from our associations with the music, music taps into our emotional systems. Many people use this in a “therapeutic” way, listening to certain music that makes them feel a certain way. The ability for music to easily access our emotions is very beneficial for music therapists.
6. Music helps improve our attention skills. I was once working with a 4-year-old in the hospital. Her 10-month-old twin sisters were visiting, playing with Grandma on the bed. As soon as I started singing to the older sister, the twins stopped playing and stared at me, for a full 3 minutes. Even from an early age, music can grab and hold our attention. This allows music therapists to target attention and impulse control goals, both basic skills we need to function and succeed.
7. Music uses shared neural circuits as speech. This is almost a no-brainer (no pun intended), but listening to or singing music with lyrics uses shared neural circuits as listening to and expressing speech. Music therapists can use this ability to help a child learn to communicate or help someone who’s had a stroke re-learn how to talk again.
8. Music enhances learning. Do you remember how you learned your ABCs? Through a song! The inherent structure and emotional pull of music makes it an easy tool for teaching concepts, ideas, and information. Music is an effective mnemonic device and can “tag” information, not only making it easy to learn, but also easy to later recall.
9. Music taps into our memories. Have you ever been driving, heard a song on the radio, then immediately been taken to a certain place, a specific time in your life, or a particular person? Music is second only to smell for it’s ability to stimulate our memory in a very powerful way. Music therapists who work with older adults with dementia have countless stories of how music stimulates their clients to reminisce about their life
10. Music is a social experience. Our ancestors bonded and passed on their stories and knowledge through song, stories, and dance. Even today, many of our music experiences are shared with a group, whether playing in band or an elementary music class, listening to jazz at a restaurant, or singing in church choir. Music makes it easy for music therapists to structure and facilitate a group process.
It's a girl, not a guy that's going to fart and belch all the time.
2. Girls are typically said to be cleaner than guys.
3. She'll bring around other girlfriends.
4. She may cook, which could be nice.
5. Girls are rumored to be more organized to pay bills, etc. (Also something I don't totally believe.
Disadvantages
1. It's a girl, so no guy to talk to about women 2. If you're into video games some girls will hate it and annoy you about it.
3.She may insist on cooking all the time even though her food tastes like rocks.
4.Just because she's a girl don't expect anything from her, i. e. anything sexual, for her to actually cook and clean for you. 5.If she has a boyfriend or gets a boyfriend, you better hope he likes you. 6.Women are drama (I admit this openly) we will whine about every little thing until we get our way, we will want to talk about our day and the rude guy at the gas station and the creeper at Wal-Mart.
7.You won't have much of an escape from her. It would pretty much be like having a girlfriend, without the sexual benefits.
