Posted inQuick Tips and Tricks

How To Keep Things Clean For Less Stress

I used to be really messy. I used to also be really stressed out all the time.

I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older, wiser and more organized, I really developed a real appreciation for “clean and orderly.” Why? Well, it all boils down to less stress. I find that when I come home from work and my place is messy, instead of wanting to sit back, grab a beer, a book and relax, I find I feel compelled to take care of things.

I really like to have my place be nice and tidy. Not spotless by any means, but not distracting. This means no dirty dishes in the sink or on counters. No piles of anything and no clothes left out in the open. All of these things remind me of things I need to do and intrude on what should be a space and time for me to relax.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, as I’ve recently gained a new roomate; my fiancee, Staci. She’s pretty clean, but quite a bit less organzied and we’re in a space that is simply too small. (Especially with all the wedding gifts starting to come in — argh.) It really brings to light some things I was taking for granted while living alone and it’s made me go back and think creativley about how I keep my spaces clean and organized.

Posted inMotivation Philosophy

Confidence

One of the things I alluded to in my last post was confidence. I talk about “owning” something and having the courage to follow through. I realize, however, that this is not always easy. For some of us confidence comes harder than for others.

I was always envious of those folks who could just get up in front of people and “own it”, you know? The people who are totally comfortable in front of crowds? Those who always seem to speak with confidence and always know what they are talking about? I mean, I bet they never feel like they don’t know what they’re doing, right?

Wrong.

Posted inMotivation

How To Do Something Great

I feel there are a few great things I’ve done in my life. Much like many of you I not only got into personal productivity to get things done — I want to do great things. Maybe even change the world kind of things. It’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about the Web. I wrote about this way back in 1999. I’ve always felt that the Web can enable great change and while I tend to look at things from a bit of a different angle now, I still believe that.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what I need to do to do something great and I wanted to write about that here. I want you to keep in mind that these are my opinions on what it takes to do something great and they’re very much open to interpretation.

Posted inQuick Tips and Tricks

How To Get Back On Track After Time Off

One of the hardest things to deal with after taking some time off from work is getting yourself back on track.

Hopefully you’re refreshed, feeling creative and ready to rock! But it’s probably also true that you’re buried under a mountain of e-mail, have lots of calls to return and, if you’ve just spent a weekend in Vegas, you feel like you’ve been run over by a cement truck.

What’s worse is that any good habits you had before you left are in jeopardy of being broken if you can’t get back on track quickly.

Well, as a veteran of many a few days off, and luckily a few longer vacations as well, I do have a few tips that could help make your next transition back to reality an easier one.

Posted inMethodologies

How To Deal With Burnout

Every now and again we all hit a wall. For me it happens fairly regularly and I’m usually able to recover fairly quickly. But it’s not always been like that. I’ve had to train myself to recover from burnout. Unfortunately it’s a largely intuitive process and even recognizing burnout can be tricky.

I’m a fairly creative person and I go through regular creative highs and lows. It can be difficult for me to tell the difference between a down day, or creative low, and something a bit more than that. Sometimes it’s easier when it hits like a ton of bricks.

Either way, burnout, creative or otherwise, is a common problem, especially for those who work hard and function at a high level. You simply can’t keep working without resting. Burnout happens for a reason. It’s your mind and body telling you to take a break and as a first step towards getting back on track, that is exactly what I think you should do if your dealing with burnout.