Greg's Right FIT #453

Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week. 

In this issue: 

- Thoughts on Getting things done
- Being Human
- Random Stuff

Thoughts on Getting things done

• Did you get a lot done in your short holiday week? It's not unusual. Work expands to the time available. Parkinson's Law. Use it to your advantage by scheduling work blocks. 
• Stuck on a problem? Block out 20 minutes and freewrite on the subject. No distractions, just you and an open document. Write anything that comes to mind. Literally anything. Get it all out. A solution will show up inside 20 minutes. Try it.
• Working inside of time blocks, we get a lot done in a short period of time. Don't feel bad about it. When you're done, move on to something non-work related. Guilt free.
• The best part about time blocking is it builds momentum. What starts out as conscious effort becomes unconscious behavior. It doesn't take long. (but it does take concentrated effort to start, like in a time block)

Being Human - The other thing I should be doing

"Success has been defined as the ability to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm." – from "How to Say a Few Words"

A joke in the freelance/work for yourself community is "I traded a steady job with a bad boss for an unsteady income and the worst boss ever. . .me!" When you work by yourself, there's a lot of free time. Free time tends to expand into the time allotted for work leaving a lot of us thinking things like, I should be working more/harder. 

Some of the coping mechanisms that have been floated my way include assistants, freelancers, renting office space, and accountability partners. All of them seem like effective solutions to the problem, how to get work done.

I haven't added assistants, used freelancers, rented office space or used accountability partners. Instead, I use momentum mindset tactics. Activity creates momentum, and the right activity paired with momentum gets results. My go-to tactics:

• What am I trying to do? What will a good result look like? 
• What are 3 things I need to do this week to make progress toward the result?
• What are 3 things I need to do tomorrow to make progress toward the result?

In a pinch, checking these off my list helps get the work done. It build momentum toward the result. Life and all its distractions are still there, but if the "3 and 3" get done, we're moving the right direction.  

Try it. It might work for you too. (and if you're freelancing it keeps the expenses in check!)

Random Stuff

"Cabbage: A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head." – Ambrose Bierce

It's starting to feel like fall in these parts. Cooler mornings, later sunrises, and fall flowers are starting their show. We put in a fall garden at the end of July. This includes using a hoop and fabric system for the inevitable early frosts coming down the road. 

The first year I tried fall crops (e.g. cabbage, kholrabi, broccoli, arugula), I met the cabbage moths. These little white-winged moths have probably always been around, but I never noticed them, let alone considered what they get up to all day. 

Turns out, their job as cabbage moths is to lay their numerous eggs in the cabbage, and let their tiny worms munch the plants. Not wanting to use chemicals, I did the old-fashioned daily inspection. Squash the eggs, collect the worms, and put them in the bird feeder where they meet their end. It worked ok, but it turns out if I just put the fabric hoop up when I plant them it does just as well at keeping the moths out. 

Sometimes, a solution creates a new problem.

The new problem I created isn't with plant growth. The little darlings are happier and healthier. The fabric creates almost a greenhouse effect. The new problem is bigger critters are taking a renewed interest in the worm-free tasty treats. They are eating through the fabric. This, in turn, lets in the moths.

Now my plants are getting doubly munched, and the fabric hoops have made it harder for me to get in there to squish eggs and collect worms. 

So, in case you're wondering what grand design world domination thoughts are keeping me up at night, that's probably it.