Archive for the Productivity Category

Day 1of 30 - No complaining

My first day of no complaining went well. My mood was especially chipper. I wasn’t surprised by this because I could tell that I was on a mission. I wasn’t going to succumb to the temptation of whining/complaining.

I only noticed myself complain when I was interrupted in the middle of an email. My boss wanted me to work on a different project and a little complaint came out. I whined that I wasn’t able to finish my thought. I didn’t let my boss hear my complaint, it was just under my breath, but alas it was still there.

Internal Complaining

 

I could feel my internal whine begin to come out on my way home. Traffic wasn’t too bad, but it’s a weak spot for me. I think this was due to my low blood sugar levels. I usually stop snacking around 3pm, so as not to fill myself up before dinner. I’m going to keep an eye on this because I might be able to reduce my complaining by keeping my blood sugar at a tolerable level or actually learning to deal with less food and not let my body dictate my happiness. This will be fun.

Before I allowed the usual commuting to rage come out, I decided to nip it in the bud with a book on tape. By occupying my mind I was able to relax pretty much my whole way home. I’ve tried this before, but my ADD usually kicks in and I forget to stay focused. I made up my mind to listen to the book and I stayed with it.

My wife was at night school so I was stuck walking the dog and cooking a meal. We usually trade off, so a little sigh came out. I considered it a complaint. I’m trying to be tough on myself in the beginning so I’ll improve as the 30 days progress.

By Product of the No Complaining 30 day trial

 

My face was very relaxed today. Most days I have some tension in my forehead, lower back and jaw. This tension was non existent. I’m not sure if it was a lucky day or not, but I’m going to keep an eye on this too.

Because I’m not allowed to complain I’m noticing that my thoughts are trying to find something positive in the situation. I think all my personal development work over these past ten years has really helped me to reach this level.  Not too bad (a little pat on the back. My mini celebration - Yes!)

I can feel that it’s easier to access positive thoughts because I’ve been planting positive seeds that are really flourishing.

I’ve decided I’m not going to write about No Complaining every day. I think my next post on the no complaining trial will be this time next week, unless some brilliant breakthrough occurs.

 

If you liked this article I bet you will probably like these too:

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Image courtesy of Traffic Sounds
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6 Exercise Hacks While You Are At Work

Your blood needs to flow freely and at times quickly. Fast moving blood will help clean out the plaque that’s been building up inside your arteries. Sometimes our jobs just don’t provide that excitement that gets the blood flowing. So we need to create it for ourselves.

I don’t want you to strip down to your underwear and streak through the office. Well I think that would be cool, but not very good for your career.

Exercise is a vital component to feeling good while we are working throughout the day. People who exercise at least 20 minutes a day see a significant increase in energy compared to people who don’t exercise at all.
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Filed under: Motivation, Productivity, Stress ReliefTags: , ,
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Havi of the Fluent Self and Her Duck Selma - Interview

 

I’ve been blessed to do an interview with Havi of Fluent Self and her sidekick (Selma, her duck). Don’t tell Selma that I called her a sidekick.

Havi is an expert in patterns, procrastination, and calming techniques – all qualities that many of us are looking to improve. Selma is an expert in floating in the tub. Both of them make a great team. Let’s welcome Havi and Selma.

Thanks for joining me in this interview. Let’s get right into it.

 

Work Happy Now: After reading Procrastination Dissolve-o-matic (Havi’s procrastination program for people who want to work on their internal blockage so they can get their projects done) I learned some fantastic techniques, but I’m curious - can you describe the technique that works best for you when you are putting something off?

Havi: Lately I’ve mostly been using the focusing yoga mudra that I teach in the book to turn my attention inward, and then I actively let myself NOT WANT to do the thing I think I have to be doing. 

Once I’ve softened some of that internal resistance, I check in and find out if there’s something I can do differently. I also give myself five minutes to NOT do the thing and to not want to do it at all. 

 

WHN: The perfectionism syndrome that you described in your book really resonated with me. I too want my projects to be perfect and it keeps me from actually doing the work. How did you overcome this?

Havi: Oh boy. Lots of practice. Lots of reminding myself that everything you do is in flux. Things can always be improved upon, so it’s a matter of finding out: when are you going to just let things be the way they are right now? 

Also, one of the things I’ve learned from teaching is that I actually teach much better when it’s spontaneous than when I’m fabulously over-prepared. So that’s helped me get better at releasing the need for ridiculously intense hard-core preparation

 

WHN: The idea of actually enjoying the work is a difficult concept. Many of us were raised to push ourselves to get the work done, not actually enjoy it. It’s the “work for the weekend” attitude. How do we overcome such deeply ingrained resistance?

Havi: Well, you want to make sure you’re also not guilting yourself here with the whole “how come I can’t enjoy it” thing … it’s important to figure out which parts or aspect of the work trigger your resistance so you can shift your focus. 

The work is really just a reflection of your own relationship with yourself … and as you work on that relationship, it gets easier to be a bit more playful with the work. But the truth is that sometimes work does suck. It’s not always going to be fun. The question is, how can you meet yourself where you are when you’re not getting what you need from the work, and give yourself comfort and caring and better options.

 

WHN: Learning to be a detective with your patterns is a fantastic idea. I think it will help me avoid getting too caught up in my emotions. Can you explain why it’s helpful to become a detective with your patterns?

Havi: If you’re “fighting” your patterns, you get too involved in mastering them and kicking them. But when you’re noticing them, studying and learning from them, picking up clues like a detective — you have some emotional distance from your pain. 

This (paradoxically) allows you to get closer to what’s really going on with your patterns — so you can start giving yourself what you need.

 

WHN: Many of us are hard on ourselves. I’m my own worst critic. I’m learning to become more of a inspiring coach to myself, but it’s tough. How does someone cultivate as you put it “the lover” within themselves?

Havi: Well, as I think the point I tried to get across in the book is that this is really the advanced practice. You don’t start there. No one does. 

Instead you start with noticing where you’re hard on yourself  and asking yourself whether it’s possible to maybe eventually be able to stand being around yourself some day, despite the fact that you think you’re a mess and it’s all so miserable. That is absolutely step one. 

I don’t think we need to rush into pushing towards inspiration, since that often just triggers more resistance. I think it’s all about figuring out where you are and then meeting yourself there. 

 

WHN: I thought your blog post about Planting Clues was a great tool to stay on top of our stuff. You talk about this in your book. How does someone plant clues that will encourage them to do their project or task?

Havi: I have one client who has been putting off working on her new website. She decided that she needed reminders of how meaningful her actual work is for her and how much it grounds her. So we had her take a pebble from her garden and keep it in her pocket. It’s her “meaning and grounding” pebble. It may be a bit cheesy, but it totally makes her feel better. It’s a steady reminder of why she’s doing this work to put what she does out there into the world. 

 

WHN: I grew up looking at a mountain and only seeing more mountains. It creates resistance due to futility. When you are consulting with a person with this attitude, what do you recommend that they do to reduce their avoidance and get their stuff done?

Havi: Yeah, that’s really hard and frustrating. Sometimes it seems like there’s nothing but more horrible ahead, so you just do what you can to meet yourself where you are with that. 

Notice the avoidance. Notice what triggers resistance. Allow yourself to NOT WANT to do the thing, whatever it is. You’re entitled to not want to do it. Allowing yourself to feel like it’s all a big waste of time is part of the process of getting back to the point where you can get excited about where you’re going. 

That’s what’s going to help you find some of the playfulness and … who knows, maybe even a little adventure. 

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Thank to Havi for such a great interview. I know that this will help many of my readers overcome their procrastination. If my readers want to take their career to the next level I recommend Havi and Selma’s program. It’s worth every penny. Havi also does consultations if anyone ever needs to work through any roadblocks to optimal potential.

Click here to check out my review or Procrastination Dissolve-o-matic.

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Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic Program Review

 

Havi from the Fluent Self and her sidekick (Selma, her duck) have put together a fantastic “get your stuff done and stop beating yourself up about it when you don’t” program. I would give it four thumbs up if I had four thumbs. Four thumbs? I’ll just borrow yours. Believe me you’ll give this program two thumbs up.

 

The Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic covers internal blocks and tried and true productivity techniques. As we all know the only way to get stuff done is to understand why we avoid it in the first place. We don’t avoid meeting our best friend at the local coffee shop. So why do we avoid that email or report?

 

We usually procrastinate the stuff that brings up uncomfortable feelings that we want to avoid. This program helps break these patterns down so we can change our habits.

 

Three A’s

 

Havi describes it as:

-        Acknowledge

-        Allow

-        Act

 

The three A’s that help us overcome our emotional baggage.

 

We beat ourselves up when we don’t get our stuff done. We look back on the day and wonder where the time went. We know where the time went. It was sucked up by email, the phone, and meetings. It’s important to acknowledge these failures and stop trying to whip ourselves into shape.

 

If all we do is whip our asses into shape then we’ll just end up with sore asses.

 

We think that if we are hard on ourselves then eventually it will sink in and we’ll start knocking out the work. How naïve can we be? If our ass kicking hasn’t worked to this point then it probably won’t ever work.

 

We must feel these blockages, understand why the resistance is there, and figure out how to overcome them.

 

Gathering this self knowledge will lead you to make decisions that will help you use your patterns to overcome procrastination. Once you come to these informed decisions, all that’s left to do is act on them.

 

It Really is Up to You

 

It’s up to you to put yourself in a winning situation, that’s what the last half of the book is all about. This program gives you seven productivity techniques that will help you take action. My favorite was number #4 – Apply Pam’s Algorithm. Chopping down projects into smaller tasks and making them so digestible that it almost doesn’t seem like work. You can accomplish quick amounts of work and know exactly what to do next.

 

The program is a bit pricey at $108, but in my mind worth the effort, especially if you try these techniques and implement them. I’ve created a little preparation ritual to help me finish my ebook. It has done wonders for me. That’s all you can ask for in any knowledge based program - a few concrete ideas that you can apply to your life.

 

There is no magic fairy dust that will end your procrastination, although Havi does have a fairy dust method that has helped me calm my anxiety before I begin a project. I digress… It’s up to you to keep adding to your tool chest of good habits. Hopefully over time you stop beating yourself up about the stuff you don’t get done (You need some “me time” too) and appreciate all the hard work that you do for your family, your projects and your own happiness.

 

If you want a little sample of Havi’s program click this link here and you’ll get a little taste of her skills that will leave you wanting more.

 

When do you procrastinate? Why do you think you hold yourself back from just doing it?

 

Do you want more reviews like this? Then help me out and subscribe to my RSS feed and help me spread the Work Happy Now cause.

 

Check back on Sunday and I’ll have an Interview with Havi that will delight your senses. So much so that you’ll feel like floating away from your computer and doing some great work. You’ll laugh in the face of procrastination.

 

Related Articles that Will get Your Work Happiness Mojo Rising:

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A Cold, My Focus, Shout Out to My Wife and Lucy

I’ve had a cold all last week and I’m still struggling to keep my head above my work. Every time work tries to drown me I find this reserve of energy that pushes me back up. Looking back on the week I’ve gotten almost as much done as a normal week when I’m healthy and I can breathe without blowing my nose every five minutes.

I worked on the most important stuff first and everything else waited. We’ve all heard that we need to do our most important stuff first then bother with the knick-knack crap. It actually works.

My work isn’t as high quality, as you can see from my last post. I caved in. I wrote a quick piece, hoping to create reader interaction. It sputtered and tripped over itself. I forgave myself and hopefully you’ll forgive me too.

But besides that sub par post I got a lot done and only working at about 50% capacity. Yes, I know only 50% capacity! You’re wondering how I’ve found the strength.

Focused Mindset

I’ve been forced to focus as hard as I can without letting my ADD kick in and take over. Usually it takes me ten to fifteen minutes to get started on anything. I’m the work happy now guy, not the get it done fast guy. During my cold my start-up time has been reduced to ninety seconds. I created a little exercise to help me jump right in to my work. It really helped me avoid my procrastination. I’ll explain what I did in a little bit.

My cold has bottomed out and I’m on the mend, but my strength is only at 60% and I’m still working my full time job and pumping out some entertaining and informative posts. That was a little pat on the back from myself, but that’s what I needed and I gave it to myself. You should be patting yourself on the back too. Sometimes we just don’t get it from other people, so we need to fill in the gaps ourselves.

Making sure that you stay motivated helps keep your focus on task.

You can find this “focused” mindset too. Next time your energy is waning try this little technique:

Step 1: Take sixty seconds to feel everything that is going on within yourself. Do a body scan and check for weak spots and possible pockets of hidden energy.

Step 2: Gently pull on the bottom of both earlobes for five deep breaths. Remember to keep your eyes open, otherwise this might make you sleepy. This will have a calming effect and should help softly rise that energy back up.

Step 3: Then with that last deep breath decide what you want to get done and just do it for ten minutes. Promise yourself to work for ten straight minutes before you stop.

Once I got going I didn’t want to stop.

Shout Out to My Wife

My loving wife has taken care of me during this crisis. All right it wasn’t really a crisis, but I really appreciate her love and compassion. Even though she still made me wash the dishes after dinner. Our trade was that she would edit a few of my next posts. Believe me you wouldn’t want to read my writing without her help.

Lucy

I met Lucy at Blockbuster while renting “Iron Man.” Shh. Don’t tell me what happened I’m staying in tonight and watching it with my wife. A sick man needs his rest.

Lucy was working happy at it’s best. She asked me how my day was. Complimented my movie choice and tried to offer me an up sell, but not in a pushy way.

Great Article - Rock Your Day

I read this excellent article How To Get Through Damn Near Anything from Rock Your Day. Dave has such high energy. It’s a must read if you want to get your stuff done.

Wrap-up

Still enjoying my work while having a cold is a new experience. Usually I’m a big grump. It goes to show what passion (Work Happy Now) will do to find a little energy when you thought you were drained.

Sometimes we need to have a wrench thrown in the mix to mess everything up. It shows us that we can still be happy if everything isn’t perfect. This cold gives me another piece to my happiness puzzle. The next time I’m tired from a long day of work and I still need to post an article for all of you I’m going to do my “focused mindset” relaxation then jump right into my work, no hesitation, knocking it out for all of you.

How has your week been? Anything crazy? Any little pieces to the puzzle to help you see a more clear picture of your personal development?

An Uncle, Cousin or any other Related Family Member to Productivity is Right Below:

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Images courtesy of Pescod, Jiva, and Serrator

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