dreamline/action list confusion

[calmtechcoach]

Hi I've read 4hww twice since I bought it Friday but am stuck on getting started on a few things so appreciate comments.

Re the dreamlines:-

If we have two - and focus on the 6mth one how/when do we get to the 12 month version?
As an aside b4 I read the book for a NY resolution I was actually thinking of this year having one 'dream' or goal per month - doing something different/fun/exciting.... so I was really pleased to find such good 'steps' in Tim's book. Would it work to do a monthly dreamline?

Secondly - as per the instructions if we list 'up to five things of having/being/doing' that could be 15 but we only select the most important four. What do we do with the others?
Does this mean that we always have a perpetual list of 12 tasks - three for each of the four dreams and each day we keep adding to the 'day after tomorrow'? I know this sounds like micro-managing but it's so what I'm used to and I'm trying to get my head around this different way of task management!

Thirdly... are the two mission critical tasks bigger than the short 5-minute ones that we make above? Could they be included in the 12 above or are they in addition?

Fourthly... what happens to all the other 'stuff' on your existing to do lists - things you are committed to but aren't on your dream line - projects, family commitments etc.... ? Do you just make sure you get your 4 mini-tasks done each day to keep rolling and then do the day-to-day?

I'll probably have more questions and I'm trying to not get paralysed by analysis (i'm way too analytical for my own good as you can see) but I'm really looking forward to comments and suggestions....

cheers
Helen

ps I'm self-employed luckily... mother of two teenagers ... bit of flexibility but have been far too distracted by email/research/general faffing about so am over the moon about all this

[Sven]

Don't be tempted to have 15 todo's. Keeping the list short makes it easier to complete all of them. Having 15 blurs the focus. If one or more from the 10 minor todo's are really important they will make it to the top five at some point. Also, having 15 may tempt you to start on the 6th after the first 5 have been completed... NO, STOP! Enjoy yourself, spend time with the kids ;-)

Sven

[getmoney]

lots of good questions there! :)

my input is that from my understanding;

1. the 15 be/do/have things are merely to help brainstorm what you most desire. it's the 4 (or however many you pick) that you desire most that are most important. the rest can be discarded or stored for future reference

2. I believe the 6 month and 12 month thing is just to give people a shorter and longer timeframe. adhust to your needs (Tim himself says he usually does 3 month dreamlines)

3. I think above all else, the dreamline concept is just a guideline to help you decide, take action towards and achieve your dreams. adapt it as you see fit.

best of luck! :)

[final_id]

Ya know, I've really been honest with myself in this phase of the 4HWW project and I have to say, my "dreams" are really weird. I hope to have a small and almost empty apartment; a decent internet set-up; and a few very expensive items, like the nice smoking pipes and fountain pens that I collect. Otherwise, I don't want stuff (which I guess fits with the vagabond lifestyle that Tim recommends) and I REALLY don't want hassles. I want books. I guess I could value traveling ...

But in the long run, I am not a thrill seeker. I don't want to bungee jump; I am not excited about seeing Antarctica; I really can't stand having to pack up my things into bags, and smaller bags, and then sub-sub bags of stuff (ever seen that George Carlin skit?).

That's it. That's all I can come up with for a dream-line. I don't fit the book, I guess. :(

[Marcie]

I think you do! Everyone's dreamline is different, good for you for choosing less clutter & simplicity, that's what it's all about, to me :)

[Sven]

A Dutch interior designer once said "throw half your stuff away and you have redecorated" What's keeping you? A small apartment should be easy, getting rid of stuff should be easy too.

Don't be affraid to have weird dreams, those are the ones worth living and the most inspiring to other people!
Sven

[MariaG]

I think simplicity is your friend at all times, but especially in this case.

Lately I've really moved away from linear goal planning and started to focus more on setting a general direction for progress. This process is called using a compass, not a map. If you're interested, you can read about it at my blog (http://www.blog.neverthesamerivertwice.com/2008/01/02/having-goals-will-make-you-blind/).

[final_id]

What's keeping me from doing all this is my current living arrangement. I live "in city" with mom and dad out of suitcases; and "at home" in a rural area four hours from here I have an apartment's worth of "stuff" (full kitchen, bedroom furniture, etc. -- all fits in one smallest-sized U-Haul truck) which is itself inside a larger furnished home. My stuff versus my mom and dad's stuff is roughly an equal battle. I basically don't have access to the "right" to throw things away, and yet my folks are total pack-rats and utterly against either the spare-down-your-life movement or the 4HWW concept, either. I'm "stuck" with them because of Katrina, unemployment, etc. I'm "in transition". I intend to start law school in the Fall -- don't know where, yet! -- at which point, during the big law-school move, I'll deliberately pick and choose what items to unpack, and what items to simply leave in boxes and ... erm ... jettison.

Problem with jettisoning ... I look around at my mom and dad's crap and I realize, some time in the future I'll be responsible for all THIS as well. What a drag. I gotta get to know a really good estate agent right away. :( Daily my mother has fits about "can't find it" things -- glasses, keys, the normal stuff; but also all her underwear; the microwave; the clothes detergent she just bought ... It's really horrific.