• About
  • Workout Routines

Daily Ramblings…

~ Thoughts on Productivity, Health, Writing, Job Hunting, and many other topics…

Daily Ramblings…

Tag Archives: Writing

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Done is Better Than Perfect

06 Monday Feb 2023

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

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 – Free Writing Friday – Introduction

06 Friday Jan 2023

Posted by Dave Gardner in Free Writing Friday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Freedom, Gaming, Learning, motivation, Overview, Reading, Spiritual, Ted Talk, Topics, Watching, wisdom, Writing, Writing Schedule

It’s so nice to be back at my desk and creating content. I love to write, and this medium allows me to express myself in specific ways on a daily schedule. Over time, however, I began to get the nudge to write about anything and when you’re on a tight schedule like my blog requires it takes away a little freedom, which I crave. So, from now on, Fridays will be my free writing days. I’ll write about popular topics, but don’t be surprised if I go off on a tangent into other topics just to keep things fresh and interesting. Over the last 4 years, I’ve gotten very good at finding interesting topic areas that I enjoy that many of you have enjoyed too.

Today, I just wanted to explain what Fridays would bring, so you would not be surprised that my funny Friday postings had disappeared. I will still inject some humor or may drop a Youtube video here that I find funny, but wanted to have an opportunity to write about anything that comes to mind on Friday.

For those of you who are new to my blog, here is my weekly schedule of writing. If you see any topic that is interesting, feel free to visit me on those days.

Monday Motivation

Ted Talk Tuesday

Wisdom Wednesday

Reading, Watching, and Learning (Thursdays)

Free Writing Friday

Gaming Saturday

Spiritual Sunday

Well, that’s it for today. I hope all of you have a great Friday and have some nice plans set for the weekend. For me, it’ll be running some errands, going to the gym, reading my books, and GAMING! I’ll be exploring the DMZ this weekend on Call of Duty MWII. It’ll be great fun!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Announcement

18 Friday Nov 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Bonus Content

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

free writing, Freedom, Funny Friday, inspiration, Interests, Thursday, Writing

All, I’ve decided to alter my postings on Thursday. I’ve been posting what I’m reading, what I’m learning, and what I’m watching, but frankly it bores me to tears. I imagine it bores many of you too, so I’m going to leave Thursday a free writing day, where I write about whatever comes to mind. I’m going to call Thursday my “Free Writing Day”.

I hope all of you like what I come up with and have a great weekend!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Reading, Watching, Learning – Deep Time, Crash Course World History, Udemy Excel, Canva, and Discord

13 Thursday Oct 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Reading, Watching, and Learning

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Canva, Crash Course, Curiosity Stream, Deep Time, Discord, Excel, Learning, Reading, Udemy, Writing

So, it’s been a busy week. I took advantage of the holiday to do some research on some courses I need to take and found a great Canva course and Discord course on Udemy. There was a sale, so they only cost me $12 a piece. I just started Discord a bit ago and will start the Canva course today as well.

I’m still watching the Crash Course World History course. It is really great. The host, Tom Green, is hilarious, and the format for these videos is about 10 minutes, so it’s an easy watch and doesn’t eat up much of the day. It is part of Curiosity Stream so if you want to watch it, you’ll have to pay your $19 for the year, which to me is an absolute steal.

I’m still in the Deep Time book. Currently the Marines are storming the Glothr orbiting space station to rescue some humans that were captured. On the surface of Invectus, one of the pilots is being rescued after being downed. Admiral Gray is still in charge and running the show from the space carrier America.

Oh! This weekend, I’ll be watching the second Venom movie called Carnage. It should be a great flick. My sister bought it and we’ll be watching it as part of my birthday weekend. I’ll be 59.

Well, that’s it for now, folks. Have a great Thursday!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Dyslexia

30 Tuesday Aug 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Ted Talk

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

brain, Communicaiton, Dyslexia, Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Mom, Reading, Spelling, Ted Talk, TedEd, Wife, Writing

I hope you enjoy this video. It’s an important topic to me, because both my wife and mother have it. It is tough for them to read, to write, and even communicate, because of the wiring of their brains. Enjoy!

It’s Tuesday, folks and I hope you have a great one.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Little Things Add up to Big Things

27 Monday Jun 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Battle Royale, Big Things, CODM, Exercise, Legendary, Little Things, momentum, Reading, Writing

I’m a little wiped today, as I ground the last few days on CODM to attain Legendary status in ranked play. I got it last night, after a week worth of heavy game play. Grinding by the way, is a term in gaming for playing and playing and playing until you reach a goal. I grind to get diamond camo and I grind to get Legendary. I still have 3 days to get Legendary again in Battle Royale and knock out the season’s last challenge.

The reason I ended up grinding the last few days to get Legendary status in CODM is because I did not plan out the season well. I only had 6 days left in the season when I started, and now I’m down to two days to finish out the Battle Royale. So, what’s the lesson. It would be much easier moving through a single rank area in the progression than trying to do multiple levels in a short period of time.

It’s easier to get in shape if you work out each day. It’s easier reading 50+ books a year if you read a little each day. It’s easier to write a book if you write a little each day. This little consistent actions each day will be bring Big results. Subsequently, when season 6 starts in 2 days, it’ll be working on both Battle Royal and Ranked Multiplayer each day to attain Legendary status in both within the first few weeks. This will be much less stressful, and a heck of a lot more enjoyable. I do not want to do this again.

So, if there’s a goal you have, like reading so many books, posting so many blog posts, or working on a book, do a little each day. These little actions build momentum, build habits, and make attaining big results easy–almost subconsciously. Once you learn this anything is within reach.

Well, that’s it for today.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Know Thyself

20 Monday Jun 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Exercise, habits, Learning, Monday, motivation, Self-Knowledge, Social activities, Spiritual things, Writing

Happy Monday, all!

Whenever we look at adding something to our day or creating a new habit, we have to know what makes us tick. For me, habits are only formed when I do something every day. When it comes to exercise, I have to do it first thing in the morning and I have to go to the gym every day. If I take a day off, that day off turns into a few days, and before you know it, I’m not going at all. Not a good solution.

So, I do the same things each day. I write by working on my blog, my book, my journaling, my letters. Another habit that will fall to the wayside for me if I do not do this each day. Make sense?

Perhaps many of you are not wired this way. That’s ok. The key to being motivated and getting things done is about self-knowledge and regulation. Know thyself. Know what makes you tick. Learn some tricks to help you attain the goals you want to achieve and the habits you want to establish for yourself.

I hope all of you have a great Monday. It’s rainy and cold here in Michigan. A perfect day for writing, learning, and reading and drinking coffee.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Your Environment Can Be Motivating

07 Monday Mar 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Coffee, Comfort, Environment, family, Friends, K.M. Allan, Music, Snacks, Snow, Work, Writing

It’s snowing in my hometown. What a great way to wake up! Snow is such a nice thing to wake up to. I’m drinking my coffee, sitting in my favorite chair in my home office, and I’m listening to some of my favorite instrumental music. I find my environment motivating, which is the topic of today’s Motivation Monday edition.

One of my writer friends in Australia, K.M. Allan, author of the Blackbirch series, has a laptop, her cats, a whiteboard, and typically a cup of tea and some goodies to snack on. This is her environment to write. Mine is a cup of coffee, a comfortable chair, my laptop, and some music I listen to through my airpods. The point is that your environment can be motivating or demotivating.

What do you like to drink? Tea, Coffee, energy drink? Do you have a comfortable office chair? Do you like to listen to music while you work? Do you have any specific gear you like to work with? These are all questions to ask when you are going to work. Your work environment can be a huge source of motivation, particularly when you’ve found the right combination of things to make your work interesting and fun.

When I was a corporate recruiter, the work could be very monotonous. Most days it was terrific, but there were some days it was absolute drudgery. So, I started at looking at ways to flair up my workspace. I bought a chair and replaced my employer-issued one. I bought some new pens, pen holder, new legal pads, and I also got a few big jars of pretzels, licorice, and assorted nuts. I brought in a picture of my family. I also brought in my Bose bluetooth speaker. Once I had this set up, the drudgery days became less so. I could see my family and this motivated me to grind through my calls. I had snacks within easy reach so I wouldn’t have to get up from my desk until my calls were done. Oh, I even bought a Keurig coffee maker so I could have coffee on demand. You see, I learned early on that the environment I worked in made a huge difference between drudgery and adventure, discomfort and comfort, and meaning and meaningless. You can do the same.

What can you add to your environment to make it more comfortable? What can you add to your environment to soothe the mind? What can you add to your environment to overcome the drudgery in your work? What can you change in your environment to add meaning to your work?

Happy Monday, folks! I wish all of you a great day!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Here we are–again!

06 Monday Dec 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Adventure, Books, Boredom, Cycles, Excitement, Games, Gaming, Monotony, Movies, Reading, Writing

Sometimes life seems to be a little dull. We get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, we relax, go to bed, and then up again to start the whole cycle again. The days are the same, the weeks are the same, the months are the same, and so on. What can we do to break the cycle?

Many folks break up this cycle by doing what they enjoy. Maybe it’s quilting, writing, having an adventure in a local forest, or taking a long drive. For others, like me, it’s gaming, writing, and reading. Reading really helps me a lot. There are so many books and so many places to visit.

I read a book by Stephen King, titled On Writing. He wrote this book while he was in the hospital recovering from an accident, where he was hit by a delivery van while on his daily walk. In the book he described himself as more of an archaeologist. He “uncovers” stories that are already there. Each chapter strips away a little more dirt.

It’s a great analogy for story telling. Initially the story starts out at the surface level. We get to meet the main characters, the place they call home, and told about a problem these characters are involved in. As the story unfolds, we learn more about our characters. We learn how they react to stress, how they think, and what they do to solve the overarching problem. In the end, depending on the story type, the characters win or lose. If they win the story is a comedy. If they lose the story is a tragedy.

Reading can break up the monotony of day-to-day living. It takes us to far away places, and lets us explore another world “discovered” by the author. I truly enjoy reading a great book, regardless of where it takes place, what time period it is in, or what the characters are doing. Each book is an adventure waiting to be had.

One of the key lessons I’ve learned in retirement is the need for structure, and something to look forward to. I look forward to reading every day, writing this blog and working on my book. I also look forward to my game sessions, which are a lot of fun for me. Games have become so realistic that they act like books for me. They transport me to a war torn city, an outer space battle, or an adventure with friends who are part of my adventurers party.

As far as structure goes, I tend to chunk my time. One chunk I do my morning routine, the next chunk I read, followed by another chunk which is writing and the chunk I am in right now. After I have done all of my daily chunks, it’s game time. Even when I game, I have goals for each gaming session. It could be to finish a challenge or solve a particular problem to get to the next part of a story. This is what I do in a game I’m playing now called Far Cry 6. Far Cry 6 is set on an imaginary island, where a dictator uses his people to manufacture a cure for cancer. The problem-the chemical used to add to its chemical crop kills those who work in the tobacco fields.

In another game I play, Call of Duty Vanguard and Mobile (two different games), I work predominantly on leveling up weapons. Call of Duty uses camouflage to designate what level a gun is at. For example, when you complete all weapon challenges, the gold camouflage is opened up. When you get gold camouflage for all of your weapons in a particular class of weapons, you have access to the platinum (mobile) camouflage, or diamond camouflage in the version of Call of Duty for consoles or personal computer (PC).

Every game has these types of challenges or goals. It’s great fun for me to try and finish all of them, which can take quite a long time. I’m currently working on gold camouflage for the assault rifle class on Call of Duty Mobile. I’m not playing Call of Duty on console yet, because the next year’s season does not start again until December 8, 2021. That will be a great day!!

The key to keeping your life exciting in retirement is to have a structure to your day, along with some things that really excite you. Each day is a grand adventure for me. If you need some ideas on what to

read or what to play on a game console, here is what I’m up to in both areas:

Books:

Delta Force: A Memoir by the Founder of the U.S. Military’s Most Secretive Special-Operations Unit

Deep Space: Star Carrier: Book Four

The Silent Wife

Games:

Far Cry 6

Call of Duty Mobile (iPad)

Call of Duty Vanguard

Mafia City (iPad)

Movies:

Apocalypse Now

Well, that’s it folks. Break up the drudgery of your day. There are many who blog who have all kinds of ideas for travel, crafting, writing, and all the rest. Use them. They are a great resource. Life is short. Make every day your best day, by doing things to break up the patterns or cycles in your life. You’ll look forward to each day. You’ll be excited to get up and get at it.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Filling in a Gap

08 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Book, decisions, Gaps, intrinsic, Meaning, motivation, Writing

Have you ever completed a project and then, not know what to fill that gap in your schedule with? That’s me right now. School kept me busy, but now that school’s over with, I have to figure out what to replace the hours I put into that with something else. I know working on my books will take up some of the time, but what to do with the rest?

Well, I decided to get back out in the world. I’ve created two days in my schedule where I will do my work in one of our terrific coffee shops and another day in my local library. Getting out will do me good, and I am never one to turn down a terrific cup of coffee.

What has this got to do with motivation? Well, motivation is about getting up and doing something. For me, the type of motivation for school was a mix of both intrinsic motivation (I wanted another degree) and extrinsic motivation (deadlines for assignments). Now, it’s all on me. That is the change. There is no one telling me what to do. It’s all me.

So, here we go!

If you have a unexpected gap in your schedule like me, think about what you want to do, have time to do, and fill in the gap. Anybody can take that extra time and binge watch Netflix, play endless hours of video games, or just do nothing, but if you’re like me, you like having things to do that has meaning. I enjoy the creativity in writing, and have always wanted to write a book. So, I’m back at it again. I’ve got a lot of ideas, and I’m looking forward to getting to work.

Until next time…

Dave

← Older posts

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017

Categories

  • Accomplishment
  • Announcement
  • Annual Goals Posting
  • Birthday
  • Bonus Content
    • Update
  • Book Review
  • change
  • Christmas
  • Easter
  • Father's Day
  • Four Dimensions of Life
  • Fourth of July
  • Free Writing Friday
  • Funny Friday
  • Gaming Saturday
  • Gaming, Reading,, Watching, and Learning
  • Goal Setting
  • Halloween
  • Happiness
  • Happy New Year
  • Helpful Articles
  • Hobbies, Games, and Movies
  • Holidays
  • Illness
  • Independence Day
  • Insight Mars Lander
  • Journaling Series
  • Labor Day
  • Las Vegas
  • Life Happens
  • Martin Luther King Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Merry Christmas
  • Milestone
  • Mother's Day
  • Motivation Monday
  • Online Course Review
  • Politics
  • Procrastination
  • Productivity
  • Quotes
  • Reading, Watching, and Learning
  • rituals
  • self-improvement
  • Series Sunday
  • Service
  • Spiritual
  • Spiritual Saturday
  • Spiritual Sunday
  • Spread Your Wings
  • St. Patrick's Day
  • Success
  • Super Bowl
  • Tactics Tuesday
  • Ted Talk
  • Thank you
  • Thankful Thursdays
  • Thanksgiving
  • Thinking Thursdays
  • Thinking Tuesday
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Valentine's Day
  • Veteran's Day
  • Visualization
  • Weekly Review
  • Wisdom Wednesday
  • Workout Routine
  • Writing

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Daily Ramblings...
    • Join 1,342 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Daily Ramblings...
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar