I love the visual impact of Covey’s gallon-sized mason jar example. He first adds large rocks, then layers in smaller stones between them, followed by gravel, sand and finally filling any remaining space with water. He uses the demonstration to illustrate the importance of beginning with the biggest pieces. If he filled the container with sand, there wouldn’t be room for the rocks.

I use this principle when I am planning out my weekly and daily agendas. The important rocks, my non-negotiables I need to advance my goals, I arrange first. Often these big rocs may require several days or weeks of work. Once I organize the rocks, I plot successively smaller components from my list. I fill the spaces in between with sand and water. These are nice to finish but there is no penalty if they remain undone.

By approaching my organizer in this manner, I ensure I complete essential tasks. Should I find myself at an impasse, or with a task finished sooner than the allotted time, I’m not left wondering what to work on next. Instead, I move to the less significant stones addressing each one in turn until they are complete. If an important task requires more time, I bump everything down the line.

How do you schedule your day?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

What images does the word discipline conjure in your mind?

Did you picture arduous work, late nights at the office with the daily grind required to reach your goals eliminating fun from your life? They say success’ biggest enemy is the path of least resistance. They say you must choose what is hard and necessary, forsaking what is fun and easy.

But does it really need to be that way? What if discipline was as natural as breathing? The key is in determining your core values. What are your important and non-negotiable principals? Are your goals aligned with your beliefs? Chances are if they are not in alignment you will struggle on the journey. Life is an adventure which we are supposed to enjoy. After all, reaching a goal is a fleeting moment compared to the time we invest in getting there.

How will you find fun in discipline?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

They say character is who we are when no one is watching. There are mornings when it comes in handy. Character spur us to act and commit. Being committed is doing what you promise you will do when others would quit. It is staying the course and continuing on the chosen path, even when the going is tough. We might slip and fall but we get up and try again

To become successful, we need to roll discipline into the mix. Discipline is a tool that allows us to conquer ourselves by obeying a code of behavior, enforcing prescribed conduct and imposing self-control. Mastering ourselves frees us from bad habits, laziness, and lethargy. Self-discipline helps access delayed gratification which improves our progress towards large goals with future payoffs.

The three-musketeer package of character, commitment and discipline aids in removing distractions, making decisions and powering through the tough jobs. We can prioritize our agenda according to the biggest ROI. When we realize the difficulties of those tasks, we tackle them first. We work within our personal clocks playing to our strengths as a morning person or not fighting our night owl tendencies and we schedule our day. It is not all toil, we also reward the progress we make towards achieving our goals.

How will you harness your musketeers?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Walking life’s balance beam is a never-ending struggle. To keep your poise on the girder, requires vigilance, checking your footing and making tiny adjustments. The first step is to identify your basic needs. Do you depend on your weekly Mani/Pedi or can you skip it? How much sleep, exercise, and family time do you need? These key components ensure you maintain your stamina. With these keys on your calendar and your task list current, you won’t miss events, double book yourself or have to pull all-nighters to hit your deadlines, which helps to relieve stress. Still, you can’t control everything, and you will run into challenges.

However, a detailed timetable illuminates pressure points. These are areas where you expect failure. Knowing these situations exists allows you to devise backup plans and identify who might help you. Give yourself permission to say no or defer an activity to a later date. Then commit to your promise and honor it with a spot on your agenda. By optimizing priorities, you gain insight into your key productive hours and provides you the opportunity to experiment with your workflow. Don’t forget to schedule fun time, as you organize your week. It may not be spontaneous, but it gives you something to look forward to and can act as a reward for getting onerous tasks finished.

What is the cupcake in your day?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

We regret to inform you the escalator to success is out of order, please use the stairs. In case you missed the memo there is no fast track to your dreams. Here is where most stumble. We live in a world of instant gratification, dopamine-fueled pleasure-seeking addictions to social media likes, tweet, and notifications. With those chemicals coursing through our systems what chance do we have of meeting a goal which will need not days, but weeks or months or years to reach?

Consistency applied daily with incremental improvements can help form habits that move you toward your goal. Consider the preparations, Sir Edmund Hillary needed to summit Mount Everest in 1953. He had years of training climbing other mountains, the cooperation of hundreds of people before he ever set foot at base camp. Imagine his struggles, the fortitude, persistence and his consistent pursuit of his goal.

Do you consistently pursue your goal?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Recent press has covered the trend of working a side hustle. For me, it is my world. Others question how I have accomplished huge goals given my busy life. They dislike my answer. I work hard and I get shit done. I lean in and embrace my strategy. My secret weapon is multiple checklists, one for the day job, another for the side hustle and a few for various projects. I cram them to overflowing, designing them to be impossible to complete. People complain, telling me they are bored. With my extensive lists, boredom is not an option I can afford to entertain. Even while binge-watching tv, I occupy myself with simple chores which don’t require my full attention. When I remove an item, crossing it from the list, I often add five more.

How do I manage the whole enchilada? First, I give myself permission to fail. My agendas are impossible, and I expect tasks will remain undone. I celebrate the things I finish and leave the rest for tomorrow. Second, I schedule every waking hour. I have set hours for work, writing, sleep, major commitments and assign items to time holes. To squeeze everything into my day, I eliminate distractions and I am not afraid to say no. Others think this is harsh, but what they call dreams, I realize is my future. Today’s dream is my reality next week, in six months, or years from now.

Are you ready to hustle?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It seems I am always writing. I have written in doctor offices, hospital rooms, coffee shops, during quiet time as babies napped, while standing in countless lines, waiting for a mechanic to fix my car, while the family watches tv, as I cook dinner and eat and while I listen to blaring music. None of those situations impede my ability to concentrate on constructing sentences, forming paragraphs and reaching for unique word combinations. In fact, the more distractions the more I write. My mind focuses to block the cacophony.

Reading, however, requires solitude and silence. Early Sunday morning quietude, a steaming cup of coffee, and my current book provides a blissful indulgence. Time stretches as the pages turn. Thoughts surge, forming deep whirlpools of unconnected facts, and the well of inspiration fills.

Does reading fill your creativity tank?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

A good story is better than life. It allows us access to our hero’s thoughts and motivations. While real people often hide behind carefully crafted facades. Exciting stories don’t waste time with boring and mundane aspects of our daily routines. If a character takes a shower, you can count on a shocking development ensuing. When the antagonist confronts our beloved protagonist, our hero always has the best responses.

Well-written tales are laser-focused, they revolve around a major theme, and present a satisfying resolution, we seldom experience outside of a novel. The scenery is richer. Men are handsome, women are beautiful, and the plot pushes them along a prescribed path. It betrays the uncertainty we face. A good story resembles our favorite meal, complete with cake for dessert.

Will your story serve cake?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Being a writer is difficult. It doesn’t look hard. You just type words. A monkey can do it, right? Ahem, well no, not really. The story matters, it is personal, and you are putting yourself at risk. Deep down writers dream of telling tales that connect human beings. Stories people love. Books which readers will read past their bedtime to finish and recommended it to both friends and strangers.

Authors shoulder a heavy burden, of high expectations with each blank page they face.  Why do we wonder when we crumble from the pressure? Storytellers can’t help themselves. They see scenes playing in their mind, their characters are real, almost human. The story drives them to create, making their visions tangible allows them to present a gift with the world. They hope the audience will laugh and cry, that they will cheer the hero onward, curse the villain and demand more when the drama comes to its end. They believe they must share the creation they carry.

Do you believe?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

We’ve all experienced the stark terror of staring at a blank page. While we may have an intended topic or a brilliant idea, the empty space mocks us and we freeze.

Sheet physical willpower is my answer. I force my fingers to move, ignore the panic and type whatever words reach my fingertips. No matter how crazy it sounds, or banal, or weird the phrases seem, I let them flow. I push negative thoughts from my mind, shush the critic and turn off my editor. With each successive word, the process becomes less forced and I can feel a trickle that promises the flood. As I relax, sentences emerge, which quickly spin into paragraphs. Hours pass, and the once barren page, now overflows, leaking across multiple sheets with a story.

How do you address a blank page?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer