What I've Learned Tip #16
It Doesn't Have to Be All or Nothing
I get caught up in the idea of all or nothing. Some examples of my counterproductive thought process are...
1) Today has to be productive. If I have to run to the post office in the morning, I write the morning off as 'wasted' and tell myself I will get busy after lunch.
2) A project has to be big and awesome. Blogging every day for 30 days, or posting 3 YouTube videos every day for 6 months. Go big or go home. When I skip a couple days, the project is no longer as awesome and gets less attention.
3) A blog post has to be 400 words. Or maybe 500 words because that's extra from what the minimum should be. Any post with a word count less than that is not worth writing.
4) Every video I make has to be unique or groundbreaking. Less than that would be copying or repetitive, and not worth doing.
5) If I do not meet a goal or target. I have to start over from square one. I missed the goal, therefore 'achieving it' is actually cheating.
Though many of these ideas might not seem out of the ordinary, they are actually very counterproductive. Having an 'all or nothing' attitude about blogging, setting and meeting goals, creating videos, working on projects, or other business related ventures can mean much of the time, you do nothing. Every once in a while, you score an awesome break.
I have found that I get much more done over the long run, and am happier with a higher percentage of my work if I just relax, and do the best I can do. If I set a goal for making a blog every day for 30 days and miss day 12, 19, and 25, that's still 27 blog posts. If I stopped at 12 because I 'missed my target', that's only 11 posts.
27 is better than 11.
A 200 word blog post is better than a 0 word blog post.
Redoing a video that's been done before can still get views, and your style of video might appeal to different people.
Getting distracted for an hour in the morning doesn't mean you need to write off that entire 4 hour block.
Point is case: A lot of little bits is better than a big fat nothing.
Are you an all or nothing type person? What are some stories you can share?
Recent Comments
26
Happy birthday klya, and happy resolution day too! Nathaniell - thank you again for helping us identify how we can do better and accomplish everything.
Thank you for the birthday wishes. I was going to start back with WA tonight, but I've had better birthdays, like I was telling Nathaniell, so I'm kind of wiped out. I'm not doing anything tomorrow, so that's what I'm going to do. If I could just see the screen on this laptop outside in the sun, I'd get sooo much done, no matter what. I just bought an anti glare screen, so I'll see how that works, it's the first step that's the hardest, but kind of like you were saying, baby steps.
Anyway, thanks. People say I shouldn't be happy it's my birthday at my age, like one step closer to dying or something, but then you're always one step closer to dying, since the day you're born, besides, I've always loved my birthday, since it's all mine. Nathaniell was born in May too, how about that? I knew I liked him.
I celebrate my birthday with gifts to three new friends. We are just older, we are not just dying or something. (these new age kids, have not a clue, always in a hurry, flitting from fad to fad)....So just a nice candle, mesmerize yourself into a wonderful memory. Tomorrow will be another productive day in the WA.
Ooh, I like that idea, giving gifts to three new friends for your birthday, it's totally unselfish, and gets you out there meeting people. That's been hard for me since I retired, since I moved here after I quit working. I usually buy myself a gift for my birthday, have been since I was 18, maybe it's time to do something different. I just did my last Christmas with my nieces, as far as gifts, and told them all, since they're all grown, and moved all over the place, that I planned to donate $250 each Christmas, in their names, to Smiletrain, my favorite charity. That amount buys one cleft palate surgery, and is so much better than buying gifts that no one likes. Anyway, I think I'll try that making three new friends thing, and giving them gifts, since it's always more fun to give, than recieve, although receiving is pretty fun too.
Your point in case is my style. Am a 'little bit' person. Make goals that are reasonable and attainable, all isn't bad, just things are more complicated, then anything done is less possible.
I think, without realizing it, we set ourselves up to fail or tear ourselves down with the all or nothing habit. A few of my friends are in this mindset, so they end up calling me. I say simply, have a place to do one thing, finish it, do another. Building blocks I guess is how I do it.
From what you've written before, it seems you've got this organization and productivity stuff down. It's definitely something I need to work on.
In the words of Kyle, practice. I definitely need help on images and videos. Making my site feel homey to keep the experience and field returns.
I've been an all or nothing type person since I was a kid, if I wanted a top and pants, and my mom would only get me the pants, then I didn't want either one, all or nothing. In the workforce, I'd set a goal to get my inbox emptied each day, but often there would be too many interruptions, so instead of leaving it until the next day, I'd stay half the night if I had to, in order to get it done. I've always hated being that way, but it is what it is.
Someone here said what you are saying, to try to write SOMETHING, and if I couldn't do 4 hrs, just do one hr, so I'm trying to get in that mind set, but old habits are hard to break, if I don't have time, I just keep putting everything off until tomorrow, that was about a month ago, and obviously, I'm getting nowhere.
Anyway, a new resolution, today is my 61st birthday (ulk!), so I've decided to do whatever I have to do to get that hour a day in there, and another hour for walking, for my health, I mean, if you spend your life putting things off for the perfect time, next thing you know, you're dead, and it's too late. As usual, it's like you've written this for me.
It sure seems like we have a lot in common. Happy birthday! Actually, mine was on the 11th so we're only 5 days apart. Another thing we have in common!
No wonder I understand you so well! My niece's birthday was on the 11th, my other niece was Apr 27th, my other niece is on the 19th, my dad's birthday was on the 12th, he's gone now, and my parents anniversary was on the 19th, and of course mine is the 16th, how's that for a lot of May babies? I have one niece born in November, she's the black sheep, and she really kind of is.
Anyway, I spent the day at the dentist with an infected tooth, which they pulled, stitches and all, then spent the rest of the day at the Pharmacy, waiting for drugs, then tried to eat a burrito, ended up eating the inside, since I can't chew, got home and ate some jello, I plan on pudding for dessert, oh yum, I'm now drinking coffee to try to fill the void. How's that for a great birthday?
OK, I'll stop whining. At least it explains why I can understand your info so well, and the way your write, kindred spirits, or Taurus, or whatever, it's a link. Thanks for the birthday wishes.
Ha, you so crack me up! I guess burritos and jello sounds even worse when you say it. I don't know why, I'm still laughing, thanks, I needed that. Anyway, the caffeine is kicking in (at 11:30 PM), so I'll be up all night, so I'm off to do something fun, like clean the garage, right! May as well end the day like it started. Have a good one.
I can relate to this so much. I know it's not business related but when dieting, if I cheat (surely not!) I write off the week and start again on the following Monday. Mad eh? I enjoyed this post, thanks x
Same concept! Money, time, diet - we all get caught up in the all or nothing way of thinking.
Another one I forgot to add is, "I spent $15.75, I might as well buy something to make it a round $20, or $75 is pretty close to $100, why not just got for the solid $100.
You have described me perfectly. I get stressed when I miss a deadline, then try to recover all the past work. I need to follow your lead on this. Thanks.
Kali
I think a lot of people suffer from this thinking. From blogging here on WA, I'm finding many of my personal faults are not just mine!
Love this, made me smile, thank you. I absolutely agree with you, and practice the lots of little bits approach every day, underneath an umbrella goal for the week or month,
Regards
Hudson.
See more comments
Great post Nathaniel! I guess I'm usually guilty of being an all or nothing type although I'm trying to change that...I catch myself thinking, "well, I don't have time for that now..I'll do it tomorrow" and then of course something else comes up so then it's the same thing again "Now I don't have enough time to do that again.." and then I end up with a whole lot of nothing done!
Just the other day I caught myself about to do this again when our power went out...well, "so much for writing anything" was my first thought, but after sitting here staring at the blank screen I realized how stupid that was and got out the pen and paper...got it done in less time than I usually take to write an article too!
Thanks for posting this Nathaniel...such a great reminder that every little bit counts!