Dealing with Frustrating Things Outside Your Control

We all have things that really frustrate us. I can definitely speak to this. One of the reasons things can be so frustrating is because every they are out of our control. That makes things extremely frustrating. A very common example that most can relate to is traffic and travel delays. Anything to slow you down from getting from one place to another is usually out of your control and is very frustrating. Another example is dealing with something that just doesn’t work. Perhaps you are using outdated technology that frequently goes down and has several limitations, maybe you are dealing with a printer that won’t print (we have all been there), or maybe you have an employee or a co-worker that doesn’t want to work. No matter what your situation is, the quickest path to frustration is doing something and expecting a result, but then not getting the desired result. Here are just a few ways that can help your deal with frustrations from causes outside of your control and to stop wasting time getting frustrated and angry and spend more time towards reaching your goal.

1. Accept it. This is something that you can’t control. The best thing you can do is accept it as reality and don’t get too worked up.

2. Talk to someone. When it is a situation outside of your control, as long as it is in someone’s control somewhere, you can find a way to tell them. You can talk to your boss or at least email with a concern that you have. Even when a product fails, you can contact support, and even write a review if it makes you feel better.

3. Be positive and helpful. Since getting frustrated and angry will not help you or those around you, it does you a lot of good to maintain a positive attitude and be helpful. Even in the case where the problem isn’t going to be fixed any time soon, you and those around will at least feel better. This is definitely advice I need to remember myself.

4. Be hopeful. In addition to being positive regarding the situation, be hopeful that it will get better and get fixed. We all have situations that are annoying and frustrating in our life and we will continue to have situations like this. It is a fact of life so we might as well be the most productive by hoping for the best yet still preparing for the worst.

5. Take a break and return to it later. Sometimes we can get stressed and overwhelmed by something and all we really need to do is to take a break from that frustrating activity and returning to it later. If you well rested and relaxed enough, you will return with a fresh mind and be able to tackle the task better. Even if it is outside your control, you can manage better with another try.

As we all have frustrating events in our lives that are out of control, we benefit greatly by calming down our minds and focusing on what we can do. Most of what we fear is out of our control and that can paralyze you to the point that you wont be getting anything done that you need to. I’ve been there also, I am speaking from experience on this and hope that you can relate as well. As always, thanks for reading.

Summer Productivity

Summer has historically been my favorite season. It has always meant not having to go to school and going on vacation, to the beach, and other fun activities. Ultimately, it means more of what I liked to do and less of what I didn’t like to do. While there are so many reasons to love summer (I do know a few people who would certainly disagree), there are definitely advantages to the other seasons (or time of year if you live in an area without seasons). There are also disadvantages to different times of the year as well. In this post I will focus on how to maximize your productivity with the summer coming up. The coming of summer can mean several different things for you. It can mean the end of a semester or school year, it could mean having kids around since they don't have school, or it could mean that nothing in your routine or life really changes. Since this time of the year is likely to bring changes and opportunities to do something the different, there are several different things we can do to ensure we can stay on track while the summer season is approaching.

1. Keep a Standard Routine. I frequently mention having a regular routine. This is a routine that should rarely change. The more you stick to the routine, the better off you are in terms of keeping it.

2. Try doing things differently. Whenever there are a lot of changes happening, it is a good time to do things differently and see if you can get better results  improve your routine.

3. Make new goals. This can be a good time to start something new also. If you find yourself coming across more free time, it is a great time to start a new project, do some cleaning, take on a new hobby, etc.

4. Enjoy yourself. Even if you don't like the summer, you can still take a change in routine and pace can be enlightening. 

I hope you are able to enjoy the coming of summer and have a lot of fun, relaxation, and yet still be productive. Just because you may be having more fun, does not mean you have to be less productive. This is an excellent time to work hard and play hard.

Starting a New Momentum

    We all find ourselves caught up in a routine where we are stuck, sort of like on autopilot. We get comfortable doing what we are doing and it is easy to stay on the same path. The vast majority of people don't like change and will only change when necessary. Personally, I do like change and have even been guilty of changing something just to change. Just like anything else there is both good and bad change. Regardless of what momentum we have going on, there is always a need to work towards a better momentum. Here are just a few examples of how to develop a new momentum.

1. Life Changes. We all have changes in our life that outside of our control and our momentum is changed for us. This is the most common form of momentum change as several people will only change when they need to be.

2. Take Inventory and then Action. Take an inventory of your current momentum, patterns, and tendencies. Check to see which areas of your schedule and routine are working and which ones aren't.

3. Set regular goals. To keep any momentum going it is important to ensure that you have regular goals in place and that you regularly review them. 

4. Establish a regular routine. I do encourage this frequently, and I do stand by the importance of having a regular routine. Just make sure that you don't go too far with it.

5. Get yourself motivated. You may have been motivated at one point, but it is easy to lose the motivation once the excitement of reaching for a fresh goal wears off. It is important to keep motivated so that you keep your momentum going. 

It is important to keep a good momentum going. Your momentum can be key to achieving goals and being as productive as you can be. We can all struggle with momentum at times but remember that the longer you keep a momentum going, the stronger it can become.

You May Not Need to be Scheduling Everything

Today marks three years since I officially decided to make Google Calendar my main calendar. Before that I had several methods dating back to PDAs, Pocket PC’s, paper planners, and Apple’s calendar. When I switched to Google Calendar, I was able to sync between every device and it synced very well. While I still use Google Calendar today, my method has changed durastically. At the time, I had every task, even the one minute tasks on Google Calendar. I later switched to using an app called TimeTune for smaller tasks and Google Calendar only for main events, typically ones that require to physically be at. Since then, I have dialed back on the tasks on TimeTune as well. I also use Nozbe for my to do list so I now have a method that doesn’t involve duplication of scheduling like before. I am able to connect these apps to TimeTune to view all of them in one place. I say all of this to say that I have come to a system that seems to be working very well for me and this is a great process for you to do as well. I also want to emphasize that it is better that I don’t have a rigid minute by minute schedule like in the times past. If you do schedule every minute of your day and it is working great for you, continue to do it. I think that works well for a season, but for most people there is definitely value in having a more fluid schedule that has a lot of flexibility in it. Below are a few reasons why you don’t need to be scheduling every single thing that you do.

1. To be more flexible. You are more flexible when you have unscheduled time. Life is unpredictable and can require a significant shift of priorities in a short amount of time.

2. To save time. It is possible to spend to much time scheduling and planning. If it gets to the point where the costs outweighs the benefits, it is much better to seek an less intensive alternative.

3. To be more sane. If you are stressing too much trying to perfect a routine and schedule, then you are probably doing more harm than good. Loosen up and find a healthy balance.

4. To be more productive. I am a huge proponent of doing something different for a better result. You can’t do the same thing over and over and expect a better result. I recommend trying a few different scheduling styles to see which one works best. Maybe the extremely detailed works the best now, but do check on some periodic basis to see if it still the best results later on.

5. To be less annoying. I used to be inflexible and obsessed with detailed schedules and some found it annoying. By loosening up it will do yourself and those around you a favor.

I know from experience of the costs and benefits of both a very detailed schedule and also having no schedule, and several points in between. My findings are that somewhere in between is ideal, and will shift from different times in your life. There are times when it is beneficial to be more scheduled than others. I would definitely recommend some kind of regular evaluation (i.e quarterly, annually) to ensure that you’re using the best method of scheduling for your situation. All the best in your scheduling and please let me know your thoughts on what scheduling methods work best for you.

Don’t Let the Small Things Take You Down

Have you ever been caught up with so many little things that you don’t know what you should be doing next? It is easy to get bogged down by a huge to do list that you can be paralyzed. I have been in that trap several times. I see a list of over 50 things and get distracted just by wondering what I should be doing next. This is a trap that anyone can fall into, whether or not you keep a to do list and can happen if you are not that busy. Your perception also plays a large role in this. However, it is generally agreed upon that a high quantity of to dos can easily bog you down. Here are a few ways on how to limit them from taking you down with them.

1. Have a to do list. First step to not getting overwhelmed by small tasks is awareness of them. You should have some kind of to do list or other system that will help you stay aware of what needs to be done.

2. Have a steady routine and schedule. When you have a regular routine and schedule in place, it is easier to not get overwhelmed. This will only work if you are able to have a steady some routine. Also take note, that some people are much better at this than others. 

3. Take a step back and look at the big picture. We can all get caught up in the weeds sometimes. When we get overwhelmed, it does us well to look at the big picture and why we are working for what you are working towards.

4. Keep Moving Forward. One thing to keep in mind when you have a hundred little things to do, is to keep moving forward. You must accept that you won’t get everything done, but you can get a good number of small things done to shrink the list. 

There are many things to keep in mind when you are working towards a goal. It is important to stay focused on that goal and not get too caught up in little things that every day life throws to us. Life gets crazy for all of us, but with a good system in place, we can stay on top of it all.

When to Give Up

I thought I’d title this post with a somewhat shocking title. Don't take this the wrong way, I am not in some crazy mood and I am not ready to "give up" on anything important. I value and encourage consistency, persistence, and trying your hardest until there is absolutely no other option. In a previous post last September, I have written a post on why you should not give up. I described what you should do when it does get difficult and how to avoid giving up. This is the case when you know that you should be doing what you are doing and that it is an non-negotiable goal of yours. There is another side of the coin. There comes a time when you either know or will know that what you are doing isn't working. I have been there with jobs, classes, and personal tasks. It is officially time to give up. I do not encourage quitting, but here are some times when you should consider throwing in the towel.

1. You absolutely can't stand what you are doing. If what you are doing makes you completely miserable, you may consider that this may not be the thing for you. I understand that most situations do not have an immediate exit, so it is even better to avoid getting too deep into a terrible situation before it gets too bad.

2. You are extremely stressed out and your health is affected. If you are stressed out to the point that your health is affected, you are in the wrong situation and should seek a way out. Again, not all situations have an immediate exit, so use caution in working out the appropriate timing.

3. You don't have passion or interest. I get that we can't always be doing something we love doing. However, that does not mean that we have to pursue a career path that will leave us empty for our entire time we are in it. Life is relatively short and time flies by, don't spend it doing something you don't really want to do. There is a balance in life that we should find something to do that is still profitable, but yet usually enjoy doing and can be done well.

4. You made a mistake. We all make mistakes, we may have picked a class that is too hard in school or is not in an interest for you, or ended up in a job they were a poor fit with. 

5. You are in situation that ended and you don't have any control over it. There are many things in life that are out of our control and they are over. For example, if you got laid off, then you are in a situation that is beyond your control. It is time to just keep going with the things in your life that are in action.

As you can see, there are several reasons to quit something that is no longer profitable or no longer existent in your life. As I said in an earlier post last year, it is time to stop blowing up a popped balloon. I understand that situations like this can be difficult, so if this is the case for you, I wish all the best on whatever comes next.

Feeling Stuck, Try This

We all end up stuck at times. It could happen for many different reasons. Maybe we feel stuck because we have been in the same place for a long time. Maybe you have doing something the same way for far too long. Maybe you are just bored. Maybe you haven't reached or even started a new goal in a long time. Whatever the reason, we all can and will feel stuck where we are at times. While there are many causes to feel like this, there are also many ways can break free from being stuck. Here are just a few.

1. Do Something Different. You can't expect a different result if you keep doing the same thing. Unfortunately, this is far too common and it happens with all of us. In fact, a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. In reality, we will rarely see a different result by continuing the same path, so don't gamble on odds that can be considered insane.

2. Do more of what you need to. When you do the things that you need to do be doing, the more likely you will develop a habit of these positive actions. Not only will you have more of what you are looking for, but you will also have less of what you don't want. When you say yes to something, you say no to something else.

3. Do less of what you don't need to be doing. Just like doing more of what you should be doing will improve, doing less of what you don't need to do will help also. As a rule of thumb, what you need to be doing is whatever is going to bring you towards your goals, and anything that doesn't help you or even bring you further from your goals.

4. Stay consistent. Whatever momentum that you do have towards your goal, will only improve if you stay consistent. The worst thing to do when you have momentum going is to stop. Once you stop and lose momentum, it is only that much harder to get back into it

5. Tweak or pivot your goal. It may be time to make changes to your goal. If you have had the same goal for a long time and have not achieved the results you are looking for, it may be time to make changes to make it more obtainable. We need to have a goal that is attainable, when we don't we may be trying to do something that just isn't working. 

Whenever, we are doing something that isn't working, we get stuck. The longer we feel stuck, the less motivation we have and more likely we are to give up. Life is not easy, and you should strive to reach for challenging and difficult goals. However, if we are in a situation where are going too long without substantial results, then we may be stuck. When you are stuck, it is time to get unstuck and back on track!

When to Pick up the Pace

Last week I discussed how dangerous it can to be rushing all of the time. When you rush around too much, you do not end up getting more done. You get caught up in a lifestyle of frustration, aggravation, and stress. While you see that rushing around can be detrimental, it is also important to understand the downfalls of moving too slowly. It is like going bowling, the closest to the middle is the best shot you can take and you get a gutter ball on either side. You may have mastered not rushing too much, and maybe you are too good at it! It's time to explore the other side of the coin, for the times you are not moving quickly enough. There are many ways we can move too slowly on something. Below are just a few examples and how you can avoid them.

1. Taking too long to make a decision. If you take too long to make a decision, you can miss out on making a right decision. You can best improve this by developing a decision making process to expedite your decision, like a pros and cons list. I have written a post about making decisions.

2. Accomplishing a task too slowly. While it is great to be careful and ensure that a task is completed with accuracy, it is not beneficial if it is done too slowly and not done by the deadline assigned to it. In this case, the more experience you have doing any task, the more quickly it can be completed.

3. Getting to places to late. We can be late for many different reasons. One of them is that we simply take too long to do what we need to do to get going on time. I have written a post regarding being on time in the past, and I went to continue about the reasons we are late to things. If taking too long to complete tasks when getting ready is holding you back, then it will benefit to re-evaluate your routine for when you are getting ready to go where you need to get to on time.

4. Taking too much time to reach a goal. While I do agree that we should not rush into any trying to achieve any big goal, we also should not be taking forever to reach a goal. We can do this because of fear, doubt, or even just plain laziness. We are all guilty of this, and I know that I am at times. If there is something you really want to do, and it is 5 years later and it is still not done, it's time to get going!

It is beneficial to understand when it is time to get going and pick up the pace. Let's remember the benefits of being as close to the middle as possible. While there is a saying "slow and steady wins the race", I don't believe that is entirely true. I prefer to say "steady and consistent." 

The Perils of Rushing

Have you ever been in a hurry to get something done? You may be against a tight deadline or maybe you want to just get it done. There is a difference between rushing and doing something efficiently. When something is done efficiently, it is done thoroughly and completely and still quickly. Rushing through something will often lead to mistakes, and can often prolong the total amount of time to get something done overall. Here are just a few reasons not to rush through what you are doing.

1. You can make mistakes and errors. It is much easier to make mistakes when you are in a rush. It is not worth the time and frustration to correct the mistakes.

2. Rushing will make you frustrated and flustered. You are not in a good mood when you are rushing around. It is common to lash out at someone because you are rushing to get something done or to get somewhere. It is worth planning ahead and leaving on time if possible.

3. Rushing can become a habit. If you experience with rushing isn’t bad enough to deter you from doing it again, you will possibly make it a habit. More often than not, this could be subconsciously and before you know it, you may be rushing to more places than you want to.

4. Even worse, rushing can become a lifestyle. It is possible to end up with a lifestyle where you rush everywhere and to get everything done. We all rush from time to time, but if we get into the habit of waiting to the last minute all of the time long enough, it becomes normal for us.

Now I do understand that we are all going to have urgent situations in our life that arise or we are given an project or assignment with just not enough time to complete well. It may also be beneficial if there is enough urgency that we have created to so we can maximize our efficiency. Just like anything else, there are gray areas and not cut and dry. If you are rushing and you are completely happy and feel you are at your most productive, then keep up the pace!

Spring Cleaning for Your Goals

Spring is an excellent time to do something new. It is not the only time of year that is great for starting something new, and I don’t think you need to wait until a certain time to do something new anyway. However, since we are beginning to see the weather improve, flowers and grass bloom (and allergies for many), this does make a good time to review our goals and start new goals. It is a good practice to review your goals regularly and update them. Here are just a few things to look at this spring season concerning your goals.

1. Take inventory of your current goals. The first step to cleaning up or getting anything in order is to first take a look at your current situation. What do your goals look like? Do you have any goals at all?

2. Make the necessary adjustments. This would involve either making goals or adjusting goals to a situation that would work better for you. While planning isn't the only thing you should do regarding goals, it important that you do set goals.

3. Act on the plan to complete your goals. Now is the time to take action on your new goals. Make sure that your steps are attainable. There is nothing worse than trying to accomplish too much at once and then getting overwhelmed and end up achieving nothing.

4. Continue to adjust as needed. As much fun as it could be to start a new system and do a lot of cleaning up (if this is something that you enjoy doing), it is even better if you can stay on top of it. The more you stay on top of your goals, the better off you are and the less time you need to spend on a whole new goal system.

As we enter this spring season, it is time to embrace our goals and where we want to go next. Regardless of where we are in life, we need to understand that there is always room for improvement and we can become a better version of ourselves.