Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Music Playlists

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Billy Joel, Deadmau5, Evanescence, Gladiator, Jim Brickman, Monday, motivation, Music, Playlists, Sting, The Police

Have you ever created a playlist on your streaming music platform? I came up with the idea so I could hear my favorite songs each morning when I start my routine. Here’s mine:

Monophobia (Deadmau5)

This Is What It Feels Like (Armin Van Buuren)

Bring Me to Life (Evanescence)

Fields of Gold (Sting)

When We Dance (Sting)

Piano Man (Billy Joel)

She’s Always a Woman to Me (Billy Joel)

King of Pain (The Police)

Now We Are Free (Gladiator)

Picture This (Jim Brickman)

Kiss From a Rose (Seal)

I listen to this each morning when I wake up to get me going. Each of us has a favorite song or album. Or, if you’re like me, your favorite songs span multiple genres and artists. If you’ve never tried this, it’s easy to set up if you have Google Play, Spotify, or Apple Music. Give it a whirl. Music is a great way to get you going in the morning and put you into a great mood for the day.

I hope you have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Done is Better Than Perfect

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creativity, Genius, Goals, ideas, Monday, motivation, Muse, Scott Allen, Writing

For anyone that writes a blog, you know that some days you just don’t have any idea what to write. For me, I just have a way of coming up with something to offer here that is meaningful to me and others.

Ideas for writing are the same as ideas for goals and projects. Some folks are overwhelmed because they have too many ideas. Others are on the other side of that spectrum–they have no idea. This can lead to being paralyzed, not knowing where to go, what to do, or what to write.

Scott Allen is known for the quote: “Done is better than perfect.” Perfectionism is paralyzing. It is one of the leading causes of procrastination. Keeping in alignment with Scott’s quote, it is better to do something, rather than nothing.

I like writing every day because it builds a habit. It also gives me the opportunity to get that great article now and then. Think about all the great work you missed out on because you either had too many choices or not enough. So, toss aside that perfectionist inside of you. You’ll give yourself the opportunity to do something great, even if you have days where you didn’t hit that mark. The key is to do something–anything, so you don’t miss out on those opportunities when the stars align, and you tap into your inner genius or muse.

Well, I’ll end here for now. I hope all of you have a great Monday. Remember: “Done is better than perfect.”

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Checklists

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Checklists, daily progression, Goals, Monday, motivation, Small Steps, To-do Lists

My daily routine is nothing more than a checklist that constantly repeats. It basically allows me to knock out all my important tasks each day on “autopilot”. I don’t think. I don’t worry. I don’t forget. I knock out my tasks and when I’m done, I do what I want. It’s a great system, because it doesn’t require motivation once I’ve worked through it for a few days.

Each year, I evaluate what I did during the year. What worked? What didn’t work? What do I want to accomplish this year? What did I want to accomplish last year that didn’t get done? Then I go about putting down daily tasks that will help me achieve what I want to get done.

For those of you who have goals you want to achieve, try setting up a checklist for all of your goals. The key is to do one or more things each day that build momentum toward your goal. If you’re writing a book, you probably want to put that as a checklist item each day, right? The same goes for exercise, journaling, and all the rest.

Once you start your first day, do everything on your list. When you’re done, you get an award, like watching movies, playing games, or whatever you enjoy. This is how I operate every day and boy, you can get a lot done in a year, if you do something each day consistently.

Well, that’s all I have for now. I hope each of you has a terrific Monday! Try checklists out. They really are easy to do, once you put together your list.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Happy 2023!

Tags

December, Happy New Year, Monday, motivation, Relax, Time off

All, it was a great December! I had a great time during the holidays, got in plenty of gaming, spent time with friends and family, and just enjoyed the hell out of my month off.

For those of you who recently followed me, each year I take December off. I started this last year, and I will continue this going forward. It’s so nice to just not have to do anything. It is a great way to start your new year, because after a month of doing what you want, you are really anxious to get back at it.

I missed all of you. I got caught up on my comments just now, so if you wondered what the heck I was doing, that’s what I was doing. Nothing, but what I wanted to.

I wish all of you a terrific 2023! I have so many things to do this year. It’s going to be great!

Well, I’ll keep this short, because I have a lot to get done today. Here’s to 2023!

I wish all of you great success, happiness, good health, and the time to do the things you enjoy.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Drivers

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driver, Enjoyment, habit, Hobby, Joy, Monday, motivation, motivator, self-preservation

I was reading a few days ago about what drives people to do what they do. For some a drive comes from serious loss or pain. For others they are inspired by someone. There is no way to categorize or analyze this because there are just too many reasons for people to do what they do. So, it’s best to stick with learning about what drives you.

What drives you to do what you do? Do you like to exercise? Do you like your hobby? Do you enjoy your work? Do you enjoy companionship? General Grant, who had throat cancer late in life, wrote his memoir to support his family when he was gone. His driver was family and responsibility.

One of my drivers is competence. I like to know how to do things. I like to learn new things. Then, I like to apply those things to what I am doing every day. If there’s a new technology or app I can use to make my life easier or more efficient–I’m there. One of the things I’ve learned over time is how much better it is to know where something is, rather than memorize it. There is so much information out there. If you can’t remember how to do something, simply know where to learn how to do it.

Drivers are what get us up in the morning. Hobbies, responsibilities, passions, whatever you label them, drivers are very motivating. Sometimes we need to take a little time and really think through what drives us. Once I discovered my true drivers, it made it easier for me to find the motivation to do the things I wanted to do and the ones I needed to do.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Intuition

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habits, ideas, insight, Intuition, Monday, motivation, Nudge, Prompting, schedules, To-dos

Have you ever gotten an inner prompting to change things in your schedule? I get these all the time. I finally came upon a really cool way to run through the things I need to do each day by using mini-days and categories of tasks so I can concentrate on one facet of my day at a time, 4 times a day. Let me explain.

I learn, read, write, exercise, and do a whole lot of other things each day. To be more efficient, I came up with the idea of using mini-days so I could do more activities in each of my high-priority tasks each day by doing something in each category 4 times a day instead of just once. Subsequently, I read 4 x each day, exercise my body 4 x each day, work on multiple writing projects each day, and so on.

You may have a different insight. This is one of the things I’ve discovered during my productivity journey. How we do things is staggeringly individual. We may get our ideas from various self-help books, but in the end, it is really about what works for each of us. So pay attention to your intuition–those inner nudges you get from time-to-time. They are usually great ideas. I’ve discovered that the more I listen to the inner promptings, the more I get. Take action on those promptings that make sense. You’ll discover as I have that your intuition can be worked out just like your body. Over time, your inner nudges will become better, and you’ll be able to trust them more. You will learn to discriminate better so you make better choices amongst all the inner prompts you receive.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. If something isn’t right, contemplate it. Think about it. You’ll start getting ideas on how to improve your current situation. They won’t come all at once. They’ll trickle in. When you get one, try it out. If it doesn’t work, wait for the next one. At some point, you’ll get the exact solution you need to improve the way you organize yourself and knock out your daily tasks, whatever they are.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Mini days

Tags

4-hour increments, Efficiency, Mini day, Monday, motivation, Productivity, Variety

All, I read a book about 10-15 years ago. I can’t remember the name of it, but my brother passed it along. Anyway, it discussed a topic called mini day. What is a mini day, you ask? A mini day is section of your calendar dedicated to something you typically do as part of your job or personal day.

Here’s how my day looks in a nutshell:

Mini day 1: reading, writing, learning, spiritual disciplines, physical exercise, socializing, eating, 20-minute nap.

Mini day 2: reading, writing, learning, spiritual disciplines, physical exercise, socializing, eating, 20-minute nap.

Mini day 3: reading, writing, learning, spiritual disciplines, physical exercise, socializing, eating, 20-minute nap.

Mini day 4: reading, writing, learning, spiritual disciplines, physical exercise, socializing, eating, 20-minute nap.

Each part of my four mini days involves reading one of my books, watching some courses, reading the Bible, Spiritual Journaling, exercising a particular body part (legs, abs, shoulders, arms, chest, or back), socializing here and on my other social networks, writing for my blog, my book, and anything else I want to write for the day, etc.

I run each mini day for four hours. So, 16 hours of effort across a myriad of activities. I just started it, and I’m pretty happy with the results. I was prompted to do this because I was falling behind on my reading and wanted a way to keep all of my goals moving forward in bite-sized chunks.

If your calendar or to-do list is getting stale, try this out. How you break out your mini days is up to you. You may want to have a writing mini day, drawing mini day, learning mini day, and an exercise mini day. I enjoy the variety of tasks in each mini day because I don’t get bored, and I also get a lot of little things done. These little things pile up to big things, which I’ve learned since retirement.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. Have a great Monday!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Holiday

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Chill out, Gaming, Holiday, Monday, motivation, Movies, Reading, Relax

Today’s a national holiday, so I’m taking the day. Have a great one, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Learning While Commuting

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Commute, Learning, lunchtime, Monday, motivation, project, traveling, Waiting, Work

I’ve mentioned this in other posts, but it bears repeating again. If you are still working at an office, you are commuting. Whether you have to negotiate the freeways, drive across the country, or catch a bus or subway, you’ve got time to burn on these treks each day. Why not put that time to good use?

Learning is a great way build your motivation because it helps us build our skill set. This skill set can be used to improve something we do at work, start a new hobby, or used for a home project we’ve been trying to figure out.

For those of you that drive, I’d recommend Audible, so you can listen to a book while you are driving. If you are not driving, I’d recommend watching YouTube or an educational video you get from Udemy or some other educational resource you enjoy.

Think about it. How many of you have the energy to take a learning course or something like this when you get home after a hard day’s work? Probably not that many. You may intend to, but family responsibilities may not allow that, particularly if you have kids, who have been waiting for you all day.

When I worked, I always listened to something educational or uplifting. All the news that was on, was reporting numerous accidents, bad news, or some silly duo who talked about frivolous stuff that had nothing to do with educating me. Yes, we all want to be entertained, but there is so much to learn that I tried to incorporate some type of learning each day on my way in.

You may have other times you can do this. Maybe listen to an audiobook or watch a video while you are eating your lunch, at the dentist or doctor, or on a long trip on a plane, bus, or train. All these are excellent opportunities to improve yourself, while you are just sitting somewhere biding your time.

I hope you have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Motivational Music

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Inspiring, Legendary, Monday, motivation, Music, Powerful, Visionary, YouTube

I think you’ll agree with me when I say that music can inspire us. This is a music track that lasts about an hour, but you only have to listen to this for a few minutes. Try it out. This pumped me up after about 2 minutes.

I wanted to change it up a bit today, so enjoy!

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave