Introduction, and a note about time

We have ducks in our family. They give us eggs, keep down the snail population, and entertain us endlessly. I get a chuckle whenever I call them to go up to the front yard- they dash madly across the yard, but even in their eagerness they stay in a raggedy row.

Ducks just love being lined up in rows. Mother ducks lead their babies in a row when traveling over land or water, and they continue with that habit as adults. Ducks also fly in V-formation rows to enjoy less wind resistance.

We use the term "Get your ducks in a row" to mean getting all of one's ideas, or resources, or team members lined up; to be efficient, organized, and prepared. But anyone who has seen a row of ducks running (waddling), flapping, and quacking chaotically across a yard knows that the actual process is fluid, erratic, noisy, and comical!

Life is like a bunch of goofy ducks - the order is there, but it often manifests in a humorous way.

This is a book of habits. I have always enjoyed reading those books that offer you one step at a time for how to improve your life: Today you will balance your check book. Tomorrow you will organize your sock drawer... This methodical method works for me, but the books very seldom offer me the habits I really need.

What I need are practices that help me to think and act with persistence and imagination, grow wiser and more loving, have greater integrity, inspiration, and passion in my lifestyle, and be efficient, organized, and prepared - habits that move me (flapping and quacking) towards my best life. 

The world needs us to act effectively, creatively, and compassionately - but we are often stuck in a repeating loop of ineffective routines and careless choices. We start a project but don't finish, or start the wrong project, or have great ideas but don't start at all. We let our personality take over and sabotage our interactions and our ambitions, or we get over-committed and can't serve at our best.

We are frustrated with the world as it is, but have no idea how to change our relationship with it, or with each other.

Get Your Ducks in a Row offers you one new habit each week. You will get daily suggestions for how to manifest the new habit: Some of these are practical and organizational, and some are creative, and will open you to inspiration and vision.

The habits build week by week, so by the end you will have started 8 new habits, and worked them into your daily life. You can start any time you like- the first of the year or first of the month, or at the new moon, or the day you pick up this book. 

You will need at least 20-minutes each day to practice the habits. The cycle goes like this:

·      On the first day of each week: Read the introduction, and do the preparatory journal brainstorming practice.

·      For the next five days: Follow through with the daily habit-building suggestions: Writing assignments, organizational tips, meditations, and creative activities. These will take a minimum of 20-minutes each morning, plus sometimes extra effort during the day (I'll mark these in red).

·      On the last day of each cycle: Review and plan for how you might include the new habit in your life going forward.

At the end of the book you will find a calendar and suggestions for how to integrate the 8 habits into your year, months, weeks, and days.

A note about time:

Stop right now and look at your schedule. Can you schedule or reserve 20 - 30 minutes every morning or evening for this work of building new habits?

Time is an infinite subject. We all have the same amount of it, but we utilize it in vastly different ways. For some of you, reflecting and writing for 20-30 minutes a day will seem peachy, and you will extend it to an hour; for others it will seem like an eternity and you will resist it, or skip it. Some of you might have a harder time with remembering to make the extra effort during the day, to practice new habits.

If you already feel that time is going to be a problem for you, ask yourself why: 

Are you simply too busy, sick, or depressed at this point in your life?

Is your habit of staying in bed to the last possible moment too deeply rooted to change?

Is sitting still the difficulty?

Some of us have very full lives, that is a fact. You can do most of the daily suggestions in 20-30 minutes, but of course more time invested will yield bigger prizes. Still, I think if 20 minutes is all you can manage, and you are willing to commit to that every day, then you will see good results. Or, maybe you will need to take it at half speed and stretch one week out to two. 

Also, if sitting still is a problem, it's okay to take your journal for a walk and dictate it!

And if you are afraid you might skim through the exercises quickly, with not enough time for real growth, I would suggest that you go ahead and skim - then repeat. Commit to working through the book twice in a row! This is the work of the rest of your life - to get your ducks in a row - so don't let time stand in the way.

When you take persistent action with intention, with intelligence, and with kindness, you will generate an outlet for love in your life and in the world, and move into more creativity, better health, and right relationship with the planet.

Getting started:

This is your first creativity assignment: Figure out the best way to fit these practices into your schedule. 

First, choose a day of the week to be Day One each week: For me that is Sunday, but it can be any day you like. Day One will always be the day to read about the new habit for the week, and to brainstorm in your journal, and Day 7 will always be the review day.

Next, if you have a planner or calendar, reserve a time every day (preferably the same time) for your daily 20-30 minutes of practices.

And next, gather the supplies listed below.

Week One Needs:

·        A journal notebook

·        Instrumental music - Native American flute, or Shamanic drumming (for the trance).

·        Some colored pens and largish piece of paper (for the Base Map).

·        A 3-ring binder and hole punch (for the Map Book).