Getting Life in order.

Sunday is a day to rest and reflect. So no 8 ideas today.

So on February 7th I laid out a road map that I am trying to follow:

1. Get life in order and generate 100 practical ideas (right now I only have 3!).
2. Choose one idea and devote 1 hour a day to making it a reality.
3. Gradually increase the time I devote to it as it begins to pay for our lifestyle and my tuition.
4. Graduate and either go full-time or sell it to begin the next project somewhere else.

As of Tuesday evening I will have completed my list of 100 ideas. It has required a fair amount of work coming up with this list but I think that the time hasn't been wasted. I think that I have been forced to adopt a certain way of thinking that might be worth practicing. And it has helped me better understand the incredible magnitude of the array of options that are open to us. It has also allowed me to test my ability to give a little time and a fair amount of thought to this endeavor on a daily basis in something of a gradual and nonthreatening way. So far there are several ideas that would be worth pursuing and at least two that need to happen like a child needs to be born. Since I can't handle twins I will need to sell one of the concepts to a good parent. And I have some possible parents in mind.

But this post is meant to be a reflection on the first part of requirement number 1, which is getting my life in order. Daily investments are going well. Exercise, planning, sleep, scripture study, time with the kids and helping around the house, time to talk and laugh with Gina, deep study time for physics, time to work on my current research project (Quantum lithography. Right now it can beat the diffraction limit N photons at a time where N is up to 4 or 5. I need to see if the process can be sped up by a factor of about 10^18 without losing the improved resolution and visibility.), journal writing, work with the young men's program, etc. Really there are 3 things that I need to build into my way of life more and more solidly:

• Planning by installation. Many projects take overseeing over an extended period of time. That requires regular attention. However, attention is my most scarce resource. I need to continue to develop a system that will allow me to give the required regular attention but keep my mind free to work on other things in the interim. Let me say that better. When I was about 5 my father promised on a Wednesday evening that he would buy an Atari for us to use if I would remind him on the weekend. That evening as I went to sleep I said to myself over and over again "Remember to tell Dad to buy the Atari. Remember to tell Dad to buy the Atari. Remember to tell Dad to buy the Atari . . ." I continued saying that to myself over and over until the weekend came and I was ready to remind him. When I went to see him on Friday I knew what to say. I said it but he had already bought the machine. I can't afford to use that method to keep track of my tasks and obligations because there are too many now. And the time scale is one of months rather than days. I need to become very adept at planning to invest in an event or in a goal by installation. Take plants. Maybe one needs to be checked and watered weekly. I need to be able to check and water the plant weekly and not think very much about the plant for the rest of the week.
• Execution. I can plan to water that plant once a week. I also need to water it. Execution has to be simultaneously tough and flexible. Tough so that when I plan I can trust myself to perform the required action at the required time, and flexible so that if something truly important comes up (someone needs a blessing, one of the kids is really struggling, Gina is sick in bed, a friend is in need) I can reprioritize and act immediately.
• Delegation: this is a crucial skill that I really need to develop. Here is a neat little list that my wife showed me from a book called "If you want it done right you don't have to do it yourself."

1. Prepare beforehand.
2. Clearly define the task to be completed. Be specific. Ask the person to whom you are delegating to repeat the information back to you to ensure that he or she fully understands.
3. Clearly outline the time frame within which the delegated task must be completed.
4. Define the level of authority he or she is to use with this task: authority to recommend, authority to inform and initiate, or authority to act.
5. Identify checkpoints when you will meet with the delegatee to review progress and offer guidance if needed. Schedule these meetings frequently at first, taper off as you see the task being mastered.
6. Hold a debriefing session to discuss what went well, what could have been improved, and what has been learned.

Finally there is one principle that is going to be crucial: grace. "It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means." (LDS Bible dictionary under Grace) I believe that I am out to do good. I believe that as I exercise faith and repent I can receive strength and assistance to do that good. I believe that I will be helped by God and by man and will only succeed with that help. I believe that I will receive that help in abundance and will therefor succeed.