photo credit: MrB-MMX

Recently I was trying to get a new project off the ground but for some reason I was procrastinating on it.

I had the time and the means but for some reason I just wasn’t doing anything about it.

At this stage most people would just assume that they are just lazy, however I’ve learned that this is usually never the case.

When I thought about the situation more, I realized that every time I thought about the project, my mind would drift towards 2 specific problems.

Even though I had identified the problems, they were fairly complex and took me several frustrating days to come up with solutions.

Once I’d solved them though, I was able to speed through the project without any major issues.

Your brain, as highly evolved as it is, is not designed to solve multiple complex problems simultaneously and I explain why below.

Why can’t I solve multiple complex problems simultaneously?

Complex problems require significant conscious attention and creative thinking. This is why when you try to solve multiple complex problems simultaneously, your brain goes into overwhelm.

Trying to solve multiple complex problems you’ve never dealt with before at once is like trying to listen to two separate conversations on separate topics simultaneously while coming up with intelligent responses to both. Very hard to do and extremely frustrating for everyone.

Projects all consists of multiple tasks, some of which do not have clear solutions.

As such, when you focus on a project as a whole, there is a high chance you will be attempting to focus on multiple problems with unclear solutions.

This is generally how people end up feeling overwhelmed when they think of big projects.

So how do I avoid procrastinating on projects that  feel overwhelming?

Whenever you are faced with a big project, it is best to break it down into its individual tasks.

From here, it is best never to multi-task when dealing with a complex problem within that project.

By doing that,  you are able to focus your full attention on coming up with solutions for that one problem. This then allows you to progress faster through the project.

By progressing faster, you will automatically feel more productive and this will motivate you to keep moving forward.

Aren’t convinced? Try this exercise

Think of something you have been procrastinating on, grab a piece of paper and start writing every single step you need to take in order to mark it down as complete.

You will find that while you are writing this list you will get stuck.

The reason you will get stuck is because you will be faced with an action item or multiple action items that require you to think hard in order to come up with a solution.

For instance, you may find that the reason you are procrastinating on asking your boss for a raise is because you are afraid that you will not know how to respond to his counter arguments for not giving you a raise.

Here you would need to focus all your energy and attention into figuring out how to solve that problem. Maybe you could role play. Perhaps you could take a class on negotiating. Maybe you could imagine your boss is a cute harmless kitty when you go in to see him/her.

Whatever the case may be, procrastination stems from your minds inability to automatically come up with a clear solution for a particular problem.

On a more positive note though, once you have devised a clear solution for the mental obstruction, your path towards your goal becomes much clearer and you are less likely to procrastinate.

When you’re trying to solve a problem where the solution is not obvious, you need to focus.

Otherwise you risk getting frustrated by your lack of progress which leads to procrastination and ultimately causes you to give up.

Related posts:

1. Exercise 1.8: Creating plans to deal with persistent problems
2. Step 6: Post-Office and potential problems
3. Exercise 6.1: Common teleworking problems and solutions

photo credit: CJ Sorg

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be involved in a strongman training session being run by my chiropractors son.

I’m really new to this kind of training, but from what was explained to me, strongman training involves two things:

1. Progressive increases in weight and specific exercises to increase your functional full body strength.
2. The practice of explosive strength exercises that work your entire body, stimulate your nervous system and make you want to throw up or die

At the end of the two hour training session, I had the opportunity to experience the second one by dragging a weighted sled 50m across a muddy yard in the cold rain.

It was probably the most unpleasant thing I’ve done in awhile and half way through it, I was sure I was going to give up.

10m from the end, I could feel my thigh muscles burning from trying to drag 65kg of sled through mud.

I’m not much heavier than 65kg so I may as well have been dragging my own dead body and by that stage it felt like I was.

At the brink of exhaustion, the only word that was ringing in my head was “STOP”.

My body had had enough and it delivering the message to my fading consciousness.

Just as I was about to call it quits, I could hear voices around me.

It was the other participants and my trainer, urging me on to not give up and that I was almost there.

From hearing the word “STOP”, all I could hear now was “You can do it!”, “Don’t give up, you’re almost there!”.

My body felt terrible, but somehow just hearing and believing that there was a possibility of success, it found the strength to keep moving forward.

Eventually I made it past the finish line and I collapsed in a heap on the ground.

When the blood eventually made it’s way back to my brain, I felt a sense of pride in knowing I managed to push myself past my mental limit and take action.

In acknowledging that, I knew that I would never have been able to do it without the encouragement of my trainer and the rest of the group.

And To the Point of This Story

Sometimes we get bogged down by people who tell us that we cannot achieve something. Eventually if we hear this enough, we may start to believe it ourselves and it becomes our own limiting belief.

In saying that, the opposite is true as well. If someone tells us we can do something and they say it persistently enough, we may start to believe that we are capable of achieving something.

If you want to stop negative thinking and overcome limiting beliefs, you need to do two things:

1. Minimize the negative influence that is stopping you
2. Maximize the positive influence that makes you take action

For instance, if you have friends who are constantly putting you down, then you should make a mental note to not take their advice seriously or just avoid them altogether.

If you have teachers or mentors who makes you feel smart and capable, spend more time talking to them and learn to trust their advice.

One method I find extremely effective is to buy an audiobook that speaks directly to my limiting belief and explains to me systematically how to overcome it.

I will play this audiobook over and over and over again until the limiting belief has been completely overwritten.

By having an external voice constantly and repeatedly explaining the solution to me in a logical fashion, my subconscious mind has no choice but to let go of the limiting belief.

Your internal voice is a powerful thing and what it says to you will determine what you will choose to do and what you will choose not to do in this life.

If you don’t like the sound of that voice, find an external one that you do like and listen to it until your internal voice matches it.

This is why sports teams have pep talks before games and why parents should always tell their kids that they are capable of anything they can put their mind to.

Taking action is also very important, but it all starts with believing in what is possible.

Related posts:

1. Exercise 4.4: Dealing with Negative Self Talk
2. Exercise 4.2: Expressing Ideas Clearly to Overcome Resistance
3. How to Reduce Fear by Thinking Like a Freelancer

photo credit: pshegubj

Being an effective telecommuter isn’t something that tends to happen overnight. Reflecting on the last 2 years and all the unlikely and generally unacknowledged issues I’ve had to deal with while telecommuting, I’ve come up with 7 habits that I believe help me be an effective telecommuter.

Far be it for me to say that I am effective, but I get my work done, I don’t stress and I am happy. I think I’m doing pretty well, though it wasn’t always like that and I had to work on it.

So if you’re ready, on to habit number 1.

Habit 1: Knowing how to get yourself to work and to do it happily

This is probably the most important habit if you want to have any hope of staying productive while you work from home.

There are basically two types of employees out there. Those that are intrinsically motivated ( internally driven, inspired to work) and those that are extrinsically motivated (externally driven, motivated by an outside force).

Most people are somewhere between the two to a certain degree, though it is important to ensure you are able to work consistently when you need to.

For instance, you may get too comfortable with your manager not checking up on your work and feel tempted to keep delaying work.

To counteract this you could make it a point to send weekly or monthly reports to your manager so you know that you have something riding on delivering your work on time.

If you are self-employed, you could make it a point to yourself to sit down and work for at least 2 hours in the morning after which you would reward yourself by taking the next 2 hours off watching an episode of your favorite TV show.

Figure out what motivates you and use it to get yourself to work.

Habit 2: Knowing where to draw the line between work and life

When I started off as a telecommuter, my office was also my bedroom.

I wouldn’t say this was the worst idea, but it did make it difficult to differentiate between work time and leisure time, much to the dismay of my partner who would catch me checking work emails before bed time.

When telecommuting or working from home, you need to know where to draw the line between work and life.

This can be done by certain boundaries that you will not cross once you are familiar with your work habits and what you need to do to stay effective.

For instance, you could make it a point not to check emails after 5pm or that on weekends you won’t touch work at all.

Alot of people already have trouble separating life from work while they are working in an office.

Once your home is your office, the lines can start to blur even more, so make it a point to ensure they stay clear.

Habit 3: Remembering to open the window or to go outside

The power of natural light can’t be understated when it comes to being an effective telecommuter.

I didn’t think this was a major issue, until I noticed strange changes in my behavior after not leaving my home for more than a week and generally keeping the shades drawn.

Too much darkness and not enough sunlight turns you into a creature of the night. Depressed, sluggish and out for blood.

Get some fresh air because you can and let some light in to get your daily dose of Vitamin D.

You won’t sparkle, but you’ll definitely feel better.

Habit 4: Getting enough sleep on a normal sleep schedule

Not enough can be said for the benefits of getting a night of undisturbed restful sleep.

You feel better, you work better, you are better. I don’t even use the alarm clock anymore on normal work days.

While this won’t apply to everyone, I find that I generally enjoy my day better when I do not wake up past 10am.

After 10am I feel half the morning is gone and I feel more rushed for some reason.

As a telecommuter, being effective depends highly on your own ability to stay alert since there isn’t going to be anyone around to push you to work if you’re looking abit sluggish.

Try to get the maximum number of hours sleep you can every night so that you feel fresh and ready to face the day when you wake up.

This not only helps you think more clearly. You will be more productive and everything is generally more enjoyable, even work.

Habit 5: Learning to slow down

My sequence of waking up used to look like this:

• Wake up> Computer > Food when I remember > Oh yeah I should maybe shave and brush my teeth

I used to feel rushed in the morning, like I needed to get to work right away and that time was flying.

Nowadays I’ve learned to slow down and come to realize that while work is important, it shouldn’t be the first thing i’m thinking of when I wake up.

Instead, I take the time to actually wash up. Then I go to the kitchen and make myself some real breakfast instead of having a rushed piece of toast and burning my throat on hot coffee.

When I’ve made my breakfast I’ll sit down at my desk (hang on hang on, I’m not working yet) and watch something inspiring like a TED talk or listen to an audio book to put myself in a positive frame of mind.

If I don’t feel like doing that, I’ll just sit down at my breakfast table and look out the window for awhile, taking the time to chew my food without worrying about the clock.

The point here is to learn to slow down and not to rush. Savor the time you have and enjoy it like fine wine.

Why? Because you can. And because it helps you relax and think more clearly about things that are important.

Habit 6: Knowing when its time to just do something else

There are times when you will hit a mental block. When you’re in the office, you’d probably get up, go talk to a colleague, surf the web or do something to ease your frustration on your task.

All the while though you have this nagging feeling that you should be working and that the warden could show up anytime and catch you slacking off.

Sometimes though, enough really simply is enough.

When I hit mental blocks or when I feel like I’ve been sitting down for too long and my legs are getting stiff and my eyes are getting sore, I know its time to just get up and do something else.

There is no point in stressing your mind and your body past the point where it is simply unhealthy to do so.

It’s like trying to drive at 100mph when your car refuses to go past the first gear. Eventually you’ll just break the gear box, then you’re not going anywhere.

When you feel frustrated, I’m not saying give up right away. But if you’ve been hitting a problem for hours, had 8 cans of red bull and the floor is littered with the hair you’ve pulled out of your head, it’s a sign that you need to stop and do something else.

Take a nap, play a game, go out. Just do anything that takes your mind off work.

You’ll usually find that once your stress levels have dropped and your mind begins to relax, the ideas will flow more readily and  you’ll be able to find a solution to the problem that was hindering you.

Habit 7: Doing stuff to help remind yourself how lucky you are to be out of the 9-to-5

Like all things, it is really easy to take what you have for granted if you don’t take time to appreciate it.

Here is a short list of things that I recommend to help remind yourself that you are one lucky person to be able to work from home.

• Wake up at 10am or later
• Spend all day doing something you enjoy doing
• Take a siesta in the afternoon
• Take your laptop and go work outside
• Go do your errands during the day
• Drive to the beach
• Drive to hills
• Just drive
• Work in your pajamas
• Call a friend and catch up
• Make yourself a decent lunch
• Write on your blog
• Watch an entire anime series from start to finish
• Watch a movie
• Go to the gym
• etc etc etc

Related posts:

1. 8 Easy Ways to Look Effective in the Office
2. Step 1: Becoming a Fast, Effective and Independent Employee

photo credit: banspy

Have you ever watched a baby when it was learning how to walk?

First it would start to crawl.

Next it would try to stand while supporting itself.

After that it would try to walk while supporting itself.

Eventually, it would try to take a few steps without support.

Finally it would start to walk on its own without a problem.

It all sounds straight forward, though you also know that through this entire process they would fall on their butt more often than they would succeed.

It’s a great blessing that when you are at that age, we don’t really have a concept of failure or disappointment.

If we did, there would probably be a great many adults who are still crawling on their hands and knees.

In a way, most grown ups are still crawling on their hands and knees, though not in the way you might think.

Whenever we try something, fail and then never try again because we feel so disappointed by the failure, that’s when we become babies that never learn to walk.

If I asked you how much time you would give your baby to learn how to walk before giving up completely, you would probably say that you wouldn’t give up until your baby succeeded.

Now that makes sense… when you’re a parent with a baby.

Unfortunately, we don’t generally apply this sort of thinking to ourselves. That we are going to try and try and try until we succeed.

I know how frustrating it can be to fail and  how disheartening it can be to feel like success is taking forever to reach.

Because of this, I try to get joy from every minor success I get and to acknowledge every benefit I experience along the way.

For instance if I was trying to lose weight, during the process I would feel myself getting more and more energy, my clothes starting to fit better and my body becoming more defined.

I might have only lost half a kilo a week into my training, but by experiencing the benefits of the process and acknowledging them, I am motivated to keep moving forward.

For babies, they don’t think about disappointment or failure. They live in the moment and find amazement in discovering new things, even if its simply being able to stand upright.

Related posts:

1. What Losing Weight Can Teach Us About Succeeding At Online Business

If you can’t view the video here on the screen, the original link to the video is here.

This seems to be a TED week for me.

I was reminded of a talk I had listened to a few months back that really helped strengthen my resolve on why I believe the threat of getting fired is the worse way to encourage employees to be productive.

In the video above, Dan Pink talks about the science of motivation and how the carrot stick approach that most businesses are using to encourage productivity is becoming less effective as businesses rely on creativity and ingenuity to make progress.

He gives an example of a company that encourages Results Only Work Environments (ROWE) in which employees are free to do whatever they want as long as they get the job done.

He states that this approach has proven to do more for boosting productivity and ingenuity and uses a comparison between Encarta and Wikipedia as an example of what can happen when you put the carrot stick approach up against the ROWE.

The reason why this video excites me so much is because the ROWE approach just by its very definition is saying that by letting your employees choose where, when and how they work as long as they get the job done (and you pay them fairly as well), your business will become better.

He strengthens his case with real life examples of business’s and the results of experiments conducted by notable scientists and economists.

If you are a manager, team leader or anyone who is in a position of authority, it would do you well to watch the video above if you’re still using the carrot and stick approach to motivate the people under you.

Obviously there is more to ROWE than simply just letting your employees run free, however there are merits to the approach that I know from personal experience are worth exploring and applying.

No related posts.

If you can’t view the video here on the screen, the original link to the video is here.

I normally don’t post entire talks, though I felt this one was really worth putting out there.

In this talk Barry Schwartz makes the claim that it is good to have options, however there is a point when having too many options becomes not only undesirable it can cause the person who has to make the choice to become paralyzed.

This is what is sometimes known as paralysis by analysis.

While this doesn’t happen to all people, alot of people have this fear that if they make a wrong choice, or a less favorable choice from the possible “best” choice, they will feel regret.

When you only have one choice, there is no possibility of regret. When you have two, there is a chance of regret but the decision is easier to make as there are less variables to consider.

When you have 100 choices, you start to believe that no matter what you choose there will always be something better.

This is because with so many options to consider, there simply has to be one ideal choice, and as long as you can find something wrong with the choice you’ve made, you must have made the wrong decision somehow, right?

When I think about the talk in the context of telecommuting or working from home, the paradox of choice really comes into play in a serious manner.

In the work place, the only thing you can really do to pass the time is to work. You could choose not to work, though the negative consequences of not doing so become immediately apparent.

At home… well, use your imagination.

If you’re like me, work isn’t always the number one thing of my list of things I really really want to do during the day.

Thankfully, I’ve convinced myself enough that if I don’t do it there will actually be severe negative consequences, namely losing my job and reducing the chances of anyone else in my company from telecommuting in future.

These thoughts are usually enough to get me to avoid my bed and other distractions for at least a few hours.

Anyway, if you have time watch the above video, I guarantee it will be worth your while.

Related posts:

1. Exercise 4.4: Dealing with Negative Self Talk
2. TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution

In this post I’m going to talk about what losing weight can teach us about succeeding at online business.

When it comes to online business and losing weight, most people would agree that there is more than one way to approach either one.

For instance, my method for losing weight would be to exercise daily, eat less fat and generally cut down on the sugary drinks. I wouldn’t alter what I eat too much, and this has worked for me.

My partner on the other hand might opt to stick with a more regimented diet plan like Kate Morgan or Jenny Craig and exercising maybe once a week. This has also shown results and works for her.

There is more than one way for a person to lose weight and in the same way, there is more than one way to succeed at online business.

The problem in both cases though, is that people are always looking for the quick fix and usually don’t have the discipline to stick to the basic principles that lead to success.

Here are some principles that help me succeed at most things and that I believe will work for you as well.

Get A Strong Understanding Of The Basics

For weight loss, the basic steps are:

• Reduce your fat intake
• Reduce your sugar intake
• Exercise at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes

For online business, the basic steps are:

• Start a website
• Produce good, relevant content for your target audience
• Attract traffic
• Sell them a product they want

Once you are very clear on the basic things that you need to do in order to succeed, it makes it easier for you to stay focused.

While each listed step can have different methods to reach them, the important thing to remember is that the goal is to achieve that step.

For instance, where it says exercise 3 times a week for 20 minutes, you can opt to cycle, run, swim, play basketball etc.

For online business, you can attract traffic in multiple ways. Through Search Engine Optimization to get top ranking in search engines; social media sites like Twitter and Facebook; word of mouth through friends or your business network etc.

Each method might produce results better or worst than others, however they all produce results provided you stick to it and work at it consistently.

Choose a Plan and Stick To It

The reason why I used to fail a lot was because I lacked the ability to choose one path and stick with it.

I didn’t have the patience to wait for results and I was constantly looking for a quick fix.

Doing 30 push ups today and then looking in the mirror the next expecting to look more muscular is an impairing mindset not limited to people who want to lose weight.

Many people (myself included at one stage) tend to invest lots of money in internet marketing courses and then get frustrated when they haven’t made money within that week.

Almost every marketing course and weight loss course out there works to some degree.

All it takes is some patience and determination to stay the course until you see results.

Define Clearly What Success Looks Like

You can’t hit a target if you don’t know what you’re aiming for. In the same way, you need to clearly define what it is you want to achieve so you can determine if you are moving closer or further from your target.

For instance, your weight loss goal might be to have reduced by 2 dress sizes within 2 months.

Your online business goals on the other hand might be to consistently generate $3000 a month.

If you don’t know what your idea of success is you’ll never be able to feel like you’re making any progress.

Get a Mentor or Someone to Stop You From Giving Up

When you don’t start seeing results immediately, it gets very easy to lose patience and give up. This is particularly true when you’ve never achieved success in that particular area, whether it be losing weight or online business.

This is why its good to have a mentor or someone who will help push you to ensure you stay the course.

Mentors are able to see success on your behalf, and having gone the path you are trying to take, they are able to give you advice that will help you fast track your efforts.

Taking this advice, recently me and my partner got ourselves a personal trainer.

At first I wasn’t too keen, as I always felt like I knew how to train myself and didn’t need a trainer. The problem was that I wasn’t committed to training regularly.

Eventually though, I realized that this might be the best way to ensure that the both of us got into the gym each week (at least once) and did a proper workout.

After having the personal trainer for some time, I can say that it’s really starting to pay off and that it has really helped us to build momentum in getting to the gym more often and exercising more regularly.

The point is that when you have someone who has achieved what you want to achieve and they are there to push you and make sure you stay accountable, you chances of success go way way up.

Summary

In my opinion, people tend not to succeed at losing weight and online business for the following reasons.

Firstly, they never get a strong grasp of the basic steps they need to take to succeed. Understanding the basics well serves to form a foundation upon which you reference all future action. For example, understanding that the goal is to drive traffic to your site will help you get less hung up if you’re only using social media like facebook and twitter but totally ignoring SEO.

Secondly, they never choose one plan and stick to it. Most weight loss plans and internet marketing courses are built around the basic principles. As such, all of them are designed to work to a better or lesser degree, provided the instructions are followed consistently.

Thirdly, they never clearly define their idea of success. If I want to refuel my car, then success for me would be defined as getting to the petrol station and refueling my car. If I wanted to wash my clothes, then success for me would be to put my cloths in the wash and then hang them out to dry later. If I wanted to lose weight, then success for me might be to be able to fit into my size 27 pants in three months. Knowing where your target is is the first step to hitting it.

Finally, they don’t get a mentor or someone to push them and keep them accountable. If left to me, I might not train intensely every week for 45 minutes. However because I have a personal trainer who pushes me and keeps me accountable, I remain dedicated to my schedule. Overtime though, I’ve found that it becomes easier for me to get off my butt and head out on my own without my trainer. Having the trainer around also keeps me from falling back into lazy habits.

All in all, succeeding in online business or losing weight  is not complicated, however it can be difficult when above four steps are not followed.

Don’t get hung up when you don’t see results immediately. Get advice from people who have achieved what you want to achieve, choose a path and have the patience to stay the course and I can guarantee that you will always succeed in anything you choose to do.

Understand the basics <–> Stick to one plan <–> Clearly define your idea of success <–> Get a mentor or someone to push you if all else fails

Related posts:

1. Why Teleworking Is A Faster Way To Work From Home Than Online Business
2. Why I replaced the word online business with online service
3. What babies can teach us about never giving up and celebrating minor successes

Many years ago I was leading a seminar and I was having some trouble getting the kids in the audience to come out and share. It was the end of 4 day life in the spirit seminar and it was now time for the participants to share their experience of what they learned.

They were quite a rowdy bunch of kids, I’d never come across such a rebellious group of kids in my time as a youth leader. Standing there facing them with nobody volunteering to be the first to share, I knew I had to do something, say ANYTHING.

Knowing that the cause of the fear was a group of heckling kids who would make fun of anyone who tried to open up, I made it a point to try and convince the crowd of 400 something 13 to 15 year olds that there was nothing to fear.

What I said went something like this,

” I remember years ago when I was in your position, I too was afraid to stand up and share. I was always afraid someone would laugh at me if I opened myself up, so I never did it. One day though, I remember someone coming up to share. He was afraid and nervous and some people even laughed at him for standing there. Slowly but surely, stammering as he spoke, he shared what he had learned during that seminar.

What he said was nothing really spectacular, but the courage he showed in standing up in front of hundreds of people just to share really impressed me. Later on when we were all going home, I asked him how he managed to stir up the courage to share. What he told me was even though he was afraid,he believed that if he could help one person through his sharing, it didn’t matter if people made fun of him.

This made me really think alot about the times I decided to keep silent when I knew I had something to say. Instead of focusing on the embarrassment I might feel if people laughed, I felt that I instead should have been focusing more on helping the few people in the crowd who were hoping someone would say what they were too afraid to say.

I’ve found that during the occasions that I just put myself out there and spoke, a lot of people didn’t care, but afterwards there were those that came up to me and told me that what I had said had really helped them overcome an issue they had been facing. I hope that those of you who think you want to share but are afraid will think about this.”

For about 20 seconds I stood silently there at the podium. Nobody was moving and I had begun to feel like my words hadn’t reached anyone. As I began my second attempt at encouraging them to share, someone stepped out of the crowd. I sighed a breath of relief, my words had reached someone.

After the first sharing that was all it took. More and more kids began coming up to share, some even broke down in tears because it was the first time they had so openly expressed their feelings in front of a large crowd. Their courage really touched me and I’m reminded of this event every time I’m faced with the question of whether I should voice my opinion or not.

The lesson I learned

You might feel that most of the time what you say doesn’t matter. The thing I have found though is that having just abit of courage to speak your mind can go a long way in making a difference, whether it be in a work project or in someone else’s life.

Think about that the next time you think you have a good idea but your lips don’t move and your heart is beating out of your chest. You never know whose life you could change.

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