Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Slights

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bad days, Charles R Swindoll, Compassion, Empathy, motivation, Reaction, Resilient, slight-proof, Slights

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

Charles R. Swindoll

This quote is so true. Have you ever reacted to a potential slight that just wrecked your day? Maybe someone cut you off in traffic on your morning commute. Maybe you had a voicemail that rubbed you wrong. The point is that many times we are slighted by something and the other person is totally unaware of what they did. But we know, right? Then we are fuming and pissed off the whole day, and what was supposed to be a productive day turns into a mediocre one at best.

Motivation is a fickle thing. When you’re on fire, there’s nothing you can’t do or get done. When something happens that throws us for a loop, that motivation dissipates. I realize it is hard to ignore a slight or some other bad thing that occurs, but if we practice staying level-headed, these occurrences will have less impact.

Think about all the people you know. I’ll bet there’s one in there whose motivation is impacted by the weather, the office coffee machine being down, or their pen doesn’t work. The slightest thing will throw these people out of whack. You have empathize with them, but man, why let something so small destroy your whole day.

Believe it or not, I use video games to work on a whole host of things. Two of the most important are anger and patience. I am a sore loser. I admit it. I love to win. I hate to lose. There’s an option at the end of each game to give a thumbs up to the your opponents if they won. I give a thumbs up to all three of the top players in the game because it helps me get the ego out of the way and be decent human being. Patience comes into play when I am working on game challenges or weapon camouflages. It takes time, daily effort, and focus to get a weapon from gold to diamond.

You could find some similar tricks to bolster your defense against these small annoyances. Give the other person the benefit of the doubt? Maybe they didn’t see you in traffic. Perhaps the person leaving that voicemail has a loaded schedule and they could not wordcraft it the way they really wanted to. There are numerous reasons why people slight us and are ignorant of what they did. So give them the benefit of the doubt and shrug it off. You’ll find if you can be more resilient or slight-proof, you’re motivation will remain high, and you’ll tackle the day as you planned.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope you have a great Monday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Mother’s Day

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challenging tasks, drudgery, easy tasks, Excitement, momentum, Monday, motivation, New book, Stephen Guise

I hope all of my readers who are Mothers had a great Mother’s Day. We are pretty low-key here, but Mom got to do all she likes to do and my sister made dinner. It was a nice day.

So, here we are! It’s Monday. What do you have planned this week? Anything exciting? Anything you dread doing?

I’ve found during retirement that doing the exciting things first is a good way of building momentum. Then you can use that momentum to take on the more difficult tasks that you do not like to do, but must. Must tasks fall into employer, health, and other important categories. We don’t like doing them, but we must. Speaking of momentum, Stephen Guise just came out with a new book he wrote discussing momentum. I’ll be getting that and reading it. Here’s the link if any of you are interested: https://smile.amazon.com/Magic-Momentum-Winning-Streaks-Trajectory-ebook/dp/B09XL9VQ2C/ref=sr_1_8?crid=6HUYOXUBACEA&keywords=momentum&qid=1652071880&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=momentum%2Caps%2C931&sr=1-8

The book is $6 on Amazon for the e-book version and $15 if you still read paperbacks. There’s also an audible version for those of you who like to listen to books in your car or other device. I’m not an affiliate, but highly recommend any of Stephen’s work. It is terrific.

Well, folks, that’s it for today. I hope you all have a great Monday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Tools and Keeping it Simple

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Apps, KISS, Monday, motivation, Resistance, simplicity, Simplify, tasks, Techniques, Tools

Have you ever found yourself using an app or some other tool to add some efficiency to your day? What happens when you find out that the app or tool is much less efficient than you initially thought?

There are some great apps and tools out there to help us become more efficient at what we do. Calendars, to-do lists, time-tracking, you name it. But sometimes these apps cause more work for us. I used to use an app called Any.do. Initially, it was terrific. My tasks were laid out each day and I check them off as I go. Then, suddenly, the app stopped working with Chrome and I could only access my to-do list through my phone or iPad. You already know where this is going. I dropped the app.

Whenever a tool becomes more of a chore than the actual doing of a task, it’s time for that tool to be gone. Take some time to reevaluate the tools you use. Do you suffer from the same thing, but didn’t realize it? It’s easy to do.

Keeping things simple is another aspect of motivation. When things become too complex or difficult to deal with, we tend to shy away from the doing. We resist it. This resistance can cause us to procrastinate or avoid the task altogether. Whenever this occurs in my life, I simply look at what the task involves and begin picking it apart for smaller things to do. The key to tackling this resistance is simplification. Simply reduce the complexity and you’ll find like I have that the resistance dissipates.

Another way to simplify a task is to take some time to learn more. Each month I have a report I have to kick into my organization. This report is in an MS Excel format. I decided that I needed to relearn MS Excel so I could put together better charts, create a better presentation, and take less time putting these together. I simplified the task by learning the tool I was using. Yet another way to simplify what you are doing. Simple translates into less resistance.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope all of you have a terrific Monday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Spring is Upon Us

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Attitude, demotivators, dig in, motivation, Motivation Monday, Push Through, Resilience, weather

Weather can be a real demotivator. Do you know anyone that is impacted adversely by the weather. My Mother get’s migraines when it get’s stormy. My sister’s mood is impacted by the “dark” months during Michigan’s Winters, because of the heavy cloud cover we have most of the time. Weather can be a real drag if you are impacted this way.

How do you overcome it? Mom just deals with it. My sister has a sun lamp she uses to help her get more sun. It is interesting to learn how everyone learns to accept and deal with their ailments.

For me, weather was a demotivator in the military. Why? Because I lived in it. I had no ability to escape the elements, other than wear the issued gear we were provided with. But, that did not stop the freezing rain, snow storms, or the mud we dealt with. I turned my dislike of bad weather around psychologically, by digging in even more when the elements were against us. It also prompted me to buy a portable butane stove, sold by a military store. What a godsend. Hot coffee will always take away the chill.

Many authors I have read suggest we take our good weather with us. Despite the rain, the snow, or whatever else, we take our good mood with us. So make the best of your circumstances and dig in. The bad weather will pass and you’ll have accomplished a great deal in the meantime.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – I Won’t Give Up

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Ben Lionel Scott, Get at it, Get to it, Monday, motivation, speech, Video, YouTube

I haven’t posted a motivational video in a while, and figured why not? I hope you enjoy this one. I like the short videos because most of us do not have the time to set and watch anything longer than that with our crazy schedules.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday –

Tags

Energy, Interest, Meaning, Monday, motivation, Overwhelm, Simple, Simplify, time

There are so many ways and tools to plan and work your day. I’ve used Todo, Toodledo, and Todoist. After my Todo app began crashing (Google wouldn’t allow me to visit their web-version of the app, I decided to digress to Google Docs, Calendar, and Sheets. For me, this was a god send.

There’s also the To-do list itself or the daily recurring tasks that I always have, so I stay focused on what I want to accomplish each day. My big four are Reading, Writing, Learning, and Spirituality. One area I also consider important, but not as much any more is Socializing. I used to include this in my daily to-dos, but have lost interest in Facebook, and many of the social platforms. I still wish my friends happy birthday, enjoy looking at the pictures my friends post, and such, but I enjoy interacting with the community here much more.

Recurring tasks and checklists are awesome. I use these all the time. The problem: I tend to keep adding things until my schedule is an absolute mess. So, today’s article is about simplifying.

If you open your calendar up and it is literally filled with things to do, appointments, and tasks, it can be quite overwhelming. The key to motivation is setting up your day so you can actually get something done and not be immediately overwhelmed by the very tools you chose to improve your productivity. Have you ever seen a colleague spend hours planning their next day to only not do anything on their list? Much of this has to do with what I’m talking about. In my opinion, it is much better to get a few things completed than a bunch of stuff not completed. So stick to simple. Don’t put more on your plate than you can handle. This is particularly important for those of you who still work. One of the biggest considerations all of us have to make is not just the time we have, but the energy we have. If you have a laundry list of stuff to do on your personal calendar after you’ve been working all day, it is highly likely you will blow most of it off. You just won’t have the energy to accomplish all of it.

I enjoy doing little things each day that build toward my goals. Reading is one of the things I enjoy doing each day. I only have to read one chapter to check it off of my list. Do I tend to read more than that? You bet, but I only have to read one chapter. All of my tasks are set up like this. There’s a minimal threshold I have to achieve each day to check items off of my list. Writing involves writing to my wife daily, blogging, working on my book, and my journaling (dreams, gratitude, and another section I started this year, where I record my spiritual experiences and other ah-ha moments). All of this writing typically takes about an hour. Sometimes more, but typically one hour or so. When I’m motivated, I’ll write longer.

I do this with every task I have. If I open my calendar up and feel overwhelm immediately, I know it’s time to simplify it again. Pay attention how you react to your calendar and your daily tasks. If you feel overwhelm or resistance to doing anything on the list, get it off. There’s no sense in having a task on your list that you either blow off or continue to avoid. Get it off the list.

Well, that’s all I have for today. Remember that motivation depends on meaning, interest, time, and energy. A task has to mean something to you for you to want to do it. You have to have interest in it. You have to have time to do it. And you have to have the energy reserves available to accomplish it.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Rigid, Flexible, and Hybrid Scheduling

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Daily Tasks, Flexible, Hybrid, motivation, Rigid, Schedule, Scheduling, Self-Awareness, To-do Lists

Well, it’s about 1:45 am and I am getting this post done early as I’ve changed my schedule to take advantage of the peace and quiet. One of my fellow bloggers mentioned she could do the same as I do, but has an “early bird” husband, so she has to keep a different schedule. I get that. I’m lucky to be retired as young as I did, and have a little more freedom than most.

What is the topic for today? Schedules. Some folks are very rigid in their schedule, while others are more flexible. I tend to be on the flexible side. I list out my tasks daily (recurring on Google Calendar) and knock them out. Sometimes, I do my writing early in the morning like today. Other times, I don’t begin my work until I get up around 2 or 3 pm (sometimes earlier). It literally depends on how well I sleep or what’s going on. As most of you know I retired early to help out my folks. My Dad suffers from Dementia, and needs someone around him all the time. If my Mom has an errand to run, I need to get up. Sometimes, earlier than I like, but it must be done. So, I get up, get some coffee, and hang out with Dad while he sleeps in his chair (most of the time). When Mom gets back, I take a nap. Subsequently, my flexible schedule of doing things everyday is just that–flexible. I get all of my stuff done, but not at a specific time each day.

I’m not locked into any type of writing schedule, learning schedule, or exercise schedule. I do my daily meditation at a fixed time (5 PM daily), but that is flexible too, particularly if something comes up, like an appointment, going out to dinner, or what have you. I do, however, get all of the things I have slotted for the day completed.

You may not be wired that way. Some of my writing friends, for example, have to write at a given time each day for a set amount of time. It’s their process. I have no problem with the rigid schedule or my flex schedule. The key to this is to identify if you are rigid, flexible, or a hybrid. Hybrids will be flexible sometimes, and rigid at other times. Once you identify which one of these categories you are most aligned with, you can plan out your days, tasks, and schedules as you see fit. For those hybrids out there, you may have periods of a few weeks or months where you have to have a rigid schedule, and then get the nudge to be more flexible. Self awareness is the trick here.

So pay attention to what’s going on internally. What is easiest to achieve? Are you resisting your schedule and missing start and end times, or are you missing some of your tasks because your schedule is too loose? Only you know the answer to those questions. Either way, follow your gut. You’re in charge of your schedule outside of work. What works? When you find that–stick to it. You’ll get more done, and you won’t feel hemmed in by your calendar and to-do list. Who wouldn’t be motivated by a schedule that aligns with the way they are?

Well, folks, have a great Monday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Monday Motivation – Learning New Skills

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Books, Do it yourself videos, how-to manuals, Learning, manuals, Monday, motivation, Tools, Udemy, YouTube

One of the biggest pitfalls to gain motivation is an inability to do something, particularly when we don’t know how to do what we are tasked to do by someone else or decide to do something. What do we do?

One of the steps we may need to take is to actually get out there and learn something about what we are tackling by learning from someone else who has already done it. Makes sense right? Why reinvent the wheel, when someone has already done it?

Some of the things I have had to learn are Microsoft Office. I needed to learn how Word works so I could write all the papers I had to write in school, and now as part of my official duties for the missionary role I hold for the Michigan Satsang Society. I also needed to learn Excel so I could complete the necessary monthly and semi-annual reports that are due to my boss. Besides these things I’ve had take course on graphic design, digital marketing, and statistics. I haven’t finished all of these courses, but these are the ones I’ve purchased. I’m going through an Excel course now.

What is holding you back? Is it typing? Is it reading more quickly? Or is it something that requires you to do some research and learning before you tackle that new thing you are about to work on. When you have the skills to do something, it is much more easy to be motivated to get that thing done. When you are struggling or resisting something, it is likely there is a little fear involved. I don’t know how to start. I don’t know how to do x, y, or z. Make it easy on yourself and get out there and learn what you need to know before you kick off that project. You’ll pick up a new skill(s) and it’ll be much easier to tackle that project when you have all the tools you need.

Well, folks, I hope all of you are having a great week so far. We got snow over the weekend, but today its in the high 40s and most of the snow we got is all melted away. This is common this type of year. There are probably a few more snow storms coming, but they tend to melt away very quickly.

Happy Monday, all!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Gamifying

Tags

Games, Gamify, Monday, motivation, tasks, To-do

Have you ever heard the term gamify? It’s turning something into a game. As you know, I love games, particularly video games. One of the things that keeps me going back to many of the games I enjoy, are the challenges. Gamifying something involves turning real-world tasks into games.

When I find myself losing motivation for something, I question it. Am I done with this particular thing for now, or do I need change how I approach it? Gamifying something adds a fresh take on whatever I am doing. Here’s how I do it.

We play games because they’re fun, they are challenging, and they result in a reward if we win. So, you take a task and you do the same thing with it. Let’s say I want to write so many chapters this week. Well, each chapter is an achievement that I can award myself for completing. If I want to write 5 chapters this week, I’ll get an individual reward for each chapter and a bigger individual reward for completing the weekly task. I like to eat, so my rewards are typically food, like a cookie, piece of candy, or a cup of coffee from one of our terrific coffee houses.

You can do this with everything, and your reward doesn’t have to be related to food. It could be a reward of reading something in your favorite book, watching an episode of one of your shows on Netflix, or even taking some time to listen to a great song on a streaming music service. The key to this is that the challenge must relate to something you have to do anyway. The rewards you give yourself depend on what you like.

So, here is yet another technique you can use to get what you need to get done, and have fun while you’re doing it. Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Consistency

Tags

Consistency, Exercise, Goals, Goodreads, Monday, motivation, Reading, Routine

Good morning! Happy President’s Day!

How do you stay motivated for your daily tasks and goals when it’s a holiday? I follow a pretty rigid schedule of Monday – Friday, even while retired. There are certain things I do everyday, regardless of what holiday falls on Monday. The caveat to that is during the month of December, I pretty much take the whole month off.

I find consistency is the key to getting anything done that requires more than a day’s work. Take reading, for example. I use Goodreads to track all of my reading. I set a goal of roughly 60 books a year. If I read 5 books simultaneously each month (5 chapters a day), I will typically meet or exceed the 60 book goal I set. A lot of that depends on how big the books are. During those years I am reading a lot of history or non-fiction books, the number I hit tends to be lower. Most of these books (at least the ones I am interested in) tend to be quite long (400 or more pages). Subsequently, it’s harder to knock those ones down compared to a 200-250 page novel, which tends to move along more quickly. Anyway, for me it is better to do the same things each day on a schedule than just wing it. By doing a little each day, you can achieve quite a lot by year’s end.

For exercise this week, I’ll be doing some home workouts. I’m not a huge fan of driving in the snow or in inclimate weather. Here’s my workout:

Monday (Quads and Calves)

Tuesday (Hams and Abs)

Wednesday (Back and Biceps)

Thursday (Chest and Triceps)

Friday (Shoulders)

Each day I’ll do 50 reps for each body part.

I hope each of you has a great Monday!

Until next time…

Dave