Learn to love your to-do list.
Seriously.
Make a conscious effort to love your to do lists and the wonderful freeing sensation you get when you have every task you need to do written down in one place. You know, if it is written down, you don’t have to take up valuable thinking space trying to remember them!
Some people think having a to-do list is a huge burden. It is a full list of tasks, and actions you HAVE to do; long overdue projects, mundane household chores that you have to write down otherwise you forget them – yet you still manage to put off.
Continue readingSo, a huge shout out goes to Greg McKeown in this post, His book on Essentialism helped me in the past deal with difficult coworkers, especially the ones who love to dump stuff on you at the last minute. I think at some point in life, we all have an experience of one of those, and they can make us or break us.
Continue reading
Dead.
Self-doubt gives me the opportunity to step back and evaluate choices before I take action;
Self-doubt provides the opportunity of a pause, to change plans to better fit with needs,
Self-doubt provides the thrilling sweetness of success when I achieve something despite having previous self-doubt.
Why would I want rid of that?
What about you?
I read a twitter thread the other day about reading books, that they are essential to growth and how much of a good habit it is to get into. I really agree with this. Spending time in another world, discovering hidden characters and gems within works of fiction takes me to magical places and away from the humdrum bedlam and stress that life can be. Reading development books of every description and topic helps me learn new things every day. Delving into history books teaches me of my past and lessons that should not be forgotten.
Continue readingI have worked from home for years before Covid hit.
Work and home life blurring boundaries can be very difficult without hard rules in place to separate them. My biggest issue now is the relentless lockdowns bringing family members into the home. Juggling work in a house when there are two teenagers doing school and University work is a challenge in itself, especially as I am an unsociable creature who is too used to an empty house in the daytime. Checking in on the youngest as he tries his best to avoid school work – the eldest constantly teasing his brother so there is the unexpected roar of lost tempers… It’s enough for me to turn into Smaug at least three times every day.
Having said that, this is how I do it.
Continue reading“Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).”
How many times do we think – Mindfulness – yeah, it’s that zen practice thingy that those new age geeks do… ? You’re thinking that, right?
Wrong
Thoughts are what make us who we are on the inside. They are what shape us, mould us to be the person the world sees.
Even if we do try to hide behind “things”… it usually doesn’t work in the long run.
So. Do we really want those thoughts to be bad?
Learning to create and keep boundaries can be hard at times so a reminder like this can really help. I spent a full year copying
Write them down or just shout them out loud to the room.
But here’s the catch — you’re not allowed to list anything you are (i.e., I’m a nice guy, I’m honest), but instead can only list things that you do (i.e., I’ve just been awarded a certificate for volunteering, I make the best curry in Doncaster).
If you found that difficult, well, this is for you.
The Art of Stupidity 