Playing Catchup
The difference between targets and deadlines...
In my Circle Method, I teach that external dates are better considered targets rather than deadlines. The names we call things are important and a target you’re shooting for is just better than a line where when you cross it you get shot (the word comes from the US Civil War with exactly that context). It’s more productive and healthy taking action against a future target rather than running to get ahead of a terrifying deadline. No one likes deadlines!
That said, sometimes targets feel like deadlines whether or not you’d like them to. This is where I found myself after several weeks of being off my game due to the various health-related things that have been coming up. This is where having a set of processes - and practice implementing them - is really useful. I managed to get the March Planner, February Monthly Rite (A Helios Caput Draconis Remediation Rite composed for the North Node Cazimi on the 27th), two Cycle Mapping Lessons, and the deep dive video including March overview out into the world. I could do that because I have the habits in place to follow my processes, even when I’m feeling some pressure.
That said, I’ve been considering the sheer number of external targets I’ve given myself and which ones might be more or less beneficial for me and my members. It’s one of the reasons I changes up this substack… to give myself more temporal flexibility without losing the context that I think readers will find useful.
Consider the external dates that you feel beholden to. Are they targets you are shooting for or deadlines you are racing against? Here are some sigil statements you might consider for when it feels like the calendar is oppressing you.
I have all the time I need
I make great use of my time
I have time to work, rest, and create
I hit the targets I’m shooting for
I embrace the future I’m drawing to me
I move gracefully with the cycles of time and place
I always know where and when I am
I am efficient and effective