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How To Stay Motivated Through Federal Prison Camp

5 Strategies To Stay Motivated Through Federal Prison Camp

1: Stay Connected To Why You Are Preparing In Federal Prison Camp

As I wrote in Lessons From Prison it can become easy to get disconnected from the outside world. After all, the federal prisoner controls the communication. It can be quite easy to shut down. I will admit there were a couple of times during my stay at Taft Federal Prison Camp I shut down. Prison is not easy, after all. Regret and frustration are inevitable. Still, on those days we must remember what is most important to us, and what it is we are after. I was motivated to rebuild my reputation and to demonstrate how I was working to make amends. That WHY kept me going on days I was struggling.

2: Learn How To Prioritize In Federal Prison Camp

It is exciting to manage projects from federal prison camp. It is a surefire way to make your time inside fly by. Find a way to distinguish what is important versus what is just noise or a distraction. When I was Taft Federal Prison Camp I wrote out a daily list (I still do). I followed the list and found pleasure checking completed items off it. Follow my lead!

How To Stay Motivated Through Federal Prison Camp

How To Stay Motivated Through Federal Prison Camp

3: Learn To Avoid Distraction In Federal Prison Camp

Whether you find yourself distracted by other federal prisoners or people at home, it is impossible to stay motivated if you are constantly distracted. A benefit to being in federal prison camp is there is no social media. There are fewer things to get in our way of progress. Don’t get distracted and fulfill someone else’s agenda.

4: Advance At Your Own Pace In Federal Prison Camp

Early in my career as a federal prison consultant, I was so determined to teach I would overwhelm and give too much into too quick. That didn’t work. I have learned that sometimes we struggle when we try to take in too much information at once. Advance at a pace that suits you. The key is being able to measure the progress. You should be able to defend your routine to your friends and family, as slow as the progress might me. Without metrics and accountability, you will never know if you are on track and when you need to pivot.

5: Own Your Mornings In Federal Prison Camp

As I wrote in my mornings in prison blog, if you win the morning and get off to a great start, the rest of the day is just better. You get more done. You are happier. Why? Easy…You feel pride from having accomplished something. Own the morning and you will never lack motivation.

I hope you found these tips useful.

Justin Paperny

P.S. If you want to prepare your wife, girlfriend or fiance for your absence, watch this video 10 Things You Have To Know If Your Husband Is Going To Prison.

Read Our New York Times Article

And Lessons From Prison, Free!

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