Many of us want to be successful but come across a lot of challenges along the way. Most times the challenges we face can be controlled by us. Sometimes we forget that it is the simple things that are stopping us from getting the success we want in our lives. Below I have listed five things that you must not do in order to make sure that you get the success that you deserve.

Constantly criticizing people

The more you criticize people, the less attractive you will come across to others that are around you. Criticism is a sign that you are insecure and lack self-confidence. If you are jealous of other people’s success, no one is going to help you and guide you towards having the successful life that you desire.

Blaming other people for your failures

If you start pointing fingers at other people for your failures in life, you will not get anywhere. Many of us have a habit of blaming our family and/or other people for the things that have occurred to us in the past. If you keep doing this you will see opportunities fly by you and see others get ahead in life while you sit there feeling frustrated.

Dreaming about other successful people

It is always great to hear stories of other people that have achieved great success. However many people make a habit of living and dreaming about someone else’s life rather than focusing on their own goals. When we do this our perception of reality gets distorted and we don’t pay attention to the things that are important to us in the present moment. There is nothing wrong with reading autobiographies and going to motivational seminars, but many people make the mistake of trying to follow the exact same path as someone else took. Each individual that you look up to achieved their success following their own path. Remember that you have your own unique story to tell.

Not taking the extra step to get closer to your goal

You may have talent, but if you are not willing to put in the extra hours to get what you want out of your life then you are going to have a hard time excelling. If you own a business and your client needs some extra servicing, sometimes you may need to go out of your way or stay at work after hours to help them. If you feel annoyed and frustrated working after hours, it is going to show a lack of enthusiasm and you will not get any referrals. If you need to work on improving your dating life, you may be required to put in the extra time to meet different members of the opposite sex. However if you don’t put in the extra time, you are not going to improve your dating life.

Letting other people make decisions for you

Lack of leadership can have a huge impact on your success in all areas of your life. Many people don’t take the step to make their own decisions and they have no control over their lives at all. When other people see that you lack leadership skills they will start pushing you in different direction and make choices for you. You need to spend time thinking about what is important to you and what your core values are so that you can start making your own decisions.

Nabil Gulamani is in sales and helps businesses nationwide with their Direct Marketing. During his free time he blogs about self-improvement and personal growth to help people improve their overall lifestyle. You can visit his Self-Improvement blog www.successatreach.com

What’s a million dollar idea worth? Not much. Unlike most things, the value of an idea is not inherent to the idea, but is a function of the owner of the idea. A cello in my hands is worth very little, but a cello in Yo-Yo Ma’s hands is worth millions. Why is that? You might remember from 7^th grade science class that potential energy is an object’s built up or stored energy while an object’s kinetic energy is the energy it has as a result of its movement. Your idea, goal, wish, hope, or aspiration has potential energy. Your ability to convert an idea’s potential energy into kinetic energy determines its value. Your job is to convert your desire to start a business, lose weight, learn Japanese, make more money, or get a job into income producing, joy bringing, life affirming kinetic energy.

I want you to write this down and stick it to the fridge, on your dashboard, and in your bathroom. The formula for achieving anything is blindingly simple:

THINK   +   START   +   FINISH   =   ACHIEVEMENT

THINK. The first stage is to THINK. What do you want to achieve? What are your goals? What’s that one thing you’ve been dreaming of doing for years? All great things start with an idea. Whether you know it or not, you have ideas, goals, and dreams that are coiled up just waiting to be discovered. It’s been said Americans spend more time planning their summer vacation than they do planning their retirement. My guess is we spend more time going to the bathroom each day than we spend each month focused on our goals/future.

Nothing is achieved without first a thought, a spark, a mental itch. Even if you feel stuck or have no idea what you want from life, your job is to THINK for just a few minutes a day. Warning: coming up with ideas and goals is a lot of fun, but because it’s easy and takes little effort, this is where most people stop. To achieve, you can’t stop here, you must…

START. Ideas and goals are powerful because they create potential energy. In order to unleash this potential energy into movement, you must START. This is a critical step because it requires action in order to turn the ethereal into the tangible. If your goal is to start a business, at some point you need to get out of your head and take action. Once you’ve designed your exercise program, you need to dust off your sneakers and START. If you’ve determined the best way to make more money is by going back to school, you need to START by registering and attending class.

The START stage is exciting because the release of potential energy into action can be euphoric. For the first time in maybe a long time you may feel a sense of direction and accomplishment, but as important as it is to START, it’s not enough. In order to reach your goals, you must…

FINISH. This is where champions are made, goals are reached, and lives are enriched. Having the idea to write a book is inspiring. Sitting down at the computer and cranking out a few pages is encouraging. But only actually holding a completed manuscript in your hands is fulfilling. When you FINISH you’ve fully converted an idea’s potential energy into kinetic energy.

Most people START, but few FINISH. Roy Johnson, editor of Men’s Fitness, is passionate about finishing. He told me “Anyone can be a starter. You want to be a finisher.”  A finisher separates the winners from the wanters.

Not convinced? If you trace back all of your proudest accomplishments, you’ll find they all started with a thought, which lead to action, which lead to achievement. Want to be a dreamer? THINK. Want to be a doer? START. Want to be an achiever? FINISH.

Join a community of passionate people at Richer Life Insights who want to achieve more in life and at work. You can participate in conversations I have with experts, celebrities, authors, and thought leaders that are laser-focused on practical ways to drive more money, motivation, and meaning into your life. Take the first step toward creating a better life by joining Richer Life Insights for free now!

I’m guessing you’ve read a fair few blog posts which warn you about the evils of TV. You might even have tried stopping watching TV altogether – perhaps checking out Steve’s post, The 5 Step Process to Complete TV Elimination.

Now, I’m all in favor of productivity. I’ve no problem with people cutting out some of the crap in their lives and replacing it with good stuff. But …

… I don’t think you need to cut out TV altogether. In fact, I think watching TV can actually be a great idea.

Here’s why.

#1: We All Need Downtime

To be truly productive, you cannot work every hour of the day. You need downtime – and that doesn’t mean doing chores in between answering emails. It means switching off from your work (whether that’s paid work, housework or volunteering) and letting your thoughts focus on something else.

Personally, I think TV is great for this. (Books are great too – but it can take a bit more effort to get into a good book.) You can switch on the TV, kick back and relax with a favorite show – and return to your work, feeling refreshed.

#2: You Don’t Have to Just Watch TV

When you’ve got the television on, you don’t have to simply sit and stare at the screen. You can do all sorts of things, like:

• Household chores – like ironing
• Needlework or other craft projects
• Chatting to family/friends
• Tweeting or updating Facebook

Sure, there’ll be times when you want to really focus on a show – but often, you’ll have the TV on as a backdrop to other activities. If it makes a mundane chore a bit more interesting, or helps you stick with your hobbies, then what’s wrong with that?

#3: TV Isn’t All Trash

Just like good novels, good TV series have compelling narratives, engaging and interesting characters, clever plot twists, thorny moral dilemmas … they’re far from being trash.

Non-fiction TV shows – like documentaries – can provide a window onto a new world. Some of us learn best from books, but many people find it easiest to engage with a combination of audio and visual material.

Sure, there’s a lot of trashy TV out there. But it’s up to you what you watch.

(If you’ve got a great series to recommend, let us know in the comments…)

#4: TV Can Make You Laugh

I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been feeling a bit down, and I’ve watched something that’s laugh-out-loud funny, and … everything’s seemed okay again.

It’s not just me. Scientists believe that laughing really is good for you – and can help you live longer. So next time you’re feeling a bit stressed out, instead of struggling on with your work, find a great comedy to watch.

#5: TV Can Inspire You to Change Your Life

Ever watched a show which really lit a fire under you?

Perhaps The Biggest Loser helped you get started on your diet. Or maybe SuperNanny and Wife Swap inspired you to really turn your family life around. Or The Apprentice gave you the push you needed to go after your own business idea.

Watching other people’s triumphs can be really uplifting (and seeing them face difficult circumstances can often put your own life into perspective).

What shows do you watch? Do you have the TV on for hours every day, or just a few times a week? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments…

I won’t remind you that airlines tell you to fit your oxygen mask before helping others. You already know that, and you know how the analogy goes.

I won’t waste your time patiently explaining why it’s important to have time for yourself, as though it’s something that only really matters because it lets you help others.

You have the right to private time to play, relax, goof off, or do whatever the heck you want. I don’t need to explain that to you, and no-one needs to give you permission.

The problem that you face isn’t knowing why time to yourself is important. It’s finding ways to get that time on a regular basis.

Here are four things to try:

#1: Block Out Time in Advance

Ever marvel at how you can keep a couple of days free in your calendar when you know you’ll be travelling?

The rest of the time, it seems like every day is packed full: you can’t imagine just having a whole free day open up in the middle of the week.

When you’ve got a meeting, a long trip or a vacation, your calendar stays clear. You’ve blocked out that time in advance, so you don’t fill it up with work or other commitments.

To get more time for yourself, do exactly the same thing. Figure it out in advance:

• Plan a “weekend off” several months ahead, so that you don’t end up filling it with the usual social obligations, chores and so on.
• Find an afternoon once or twice a month where you can escape to the theatre, to a gallery or out into the countryside – whatever makes you feel re-energised and alive.
• At the start of each day, pick half an hour when you get to do whatever you want: maybe reading a chapter or two of a novel, taking a bath, or going for a jog. You can find half an hour if you look ahead.

#2: Get Your Own Space

Ever settle down for some quality time on your own, only to get interrupted by a housemate or family member? Perhaps you’d just poured yourself a glass of wine and settled down with a magazine when your spouse came in to switch the television on, or maybe you were listening to an audio book when your kids started a screaming competition.

It’s hard to recharge your batteries when you’re surrounded by other people: even if they don’t mean to interrupt you, they often do. Find somewhere you can close the door and get away from it all. (If you’ve got children, that might mean escaping to a coffee shop or somewhere else out of the house.)

#3: Say What You Need

It’s absolutely okay to say to a friend I’m not coming out tonight. I need some time by myself. Sure, some extroverts may be puzzled – but they’ll soon get used to it.

Similarly, it’s fine to tell your partner, kids or housemates that you want some quiet time. Obviously you can’t enforce constant silence – but you can ask them to keep it down for an hour while you read or take a nap.

Be clear and assertive (not aggressive) about what you need, and encourage others to behave the same towards you.

#4: Experiment With Different Times of Day

Not all hours in the day are equal. You might find that it’s easiest for you to get some peaceful time on your own before the rest of the household is awake: perhaps you get up early to meditate, exercise or read.

Alternatively, you may be barely human until your third coffee of the morning. Perhaps your best time to focus on yourself is in the evening, once the kids are in bed.

Other options are:

• Your lunch hour (get out of the office if you can; if you stay at your desk, you’ll still have your mind on work)
• Stopping at a cafe on the way home from work
• Taking some time for yourself while your partner or flatmate cooks dinner
• Swapping childcare with a friend at weekends, so you both get some time to relax

What other tips do you have for getting enough time to yourself? Share them with us in the comments.

As a graduating engineer myself, I have often found myself hard pressed to solve a particular problem. Everyone experiences these kinds of situations more or less frequently, and even though every single mind has its methods and nuances in how it approaches problem solving in general, there are common pitfalls that everyone seems to fall into. I would theorize this phenomena is related to the structure of thought itself – our highly pattern-based thinking is optimized by evolution to solve certain problems, which comes at a cost. Exploring the biological and physical origins of these phenomena, while certainly interesting, will not be pursued in this short essay, both due to my lack of qualifications on those subjects and the goal of the writing of the essay. What I do intend is to provide insight into some the top three common pitfalls, so you may recognize them when you inevitably run into them. If the short time it takes to read this essay spares someone an afternoon of head-banging, then it will already have been worth it.

As the astute reader will notice throughout the essay, most (but not all) of these pitfalls are related to thinking habits and employment of otherwise good thinking strategies to the wrong problems. At every pitfall I will try to provide an illustrative example, and I’m sure more than a few readers will remember themselves in past experiences where they, too, walked in circles in a frustrating battle against a seemingly unsolvable problem of the same nature. I would also like to point out that in most cases an equilibrium must be found, as for every pitfall there is also the opposite equivalent. Having that said, I’ll begin by exposing a well known thinking flaw.

1^st Pitfall: I can’t see the forest for the trees. (“Why don’t you just walk to work?”)

We all know this proverb – it applies to situations where people get so caught up in the details of a problem, they lose sight of the problem itself. Not surprisingly, this is a very common occurrence. Let’s exemplify: imagine you don’t have a car, and conclude it would be nice to have one so you don’t have to walk 3 km to work every morning. Having that in regard, you begin saving for a car, perhaps even getting a part-time job in addition to your current job, so you can realistically have enough money for a car in a reasonable amount of time. Your part time job hardly pays off though, and you barely have time for yourself between the two jobs! You survive a few months of this until some caring soul asks you the why of all that trouble. And when you tell him, he formulates the question above.

So what was the pitfall here? The character in question tried to solve a problem, which was a mild discomfort caused by a long daily walk. When he began to take the necessary steps to solve it, he ended up in a much worse situation overall, and the worst part, he didn’t notice how the solution he came up with was at odds with his original intent! I’m sure everyone has experienced some more or less severe version of this problem. The pitfall is caused by two distinct factors: the first is a thinking pattern which we are used to. “Divide and Conquer” is a well known maxim and a strategy that we instinctively apply (in the soft sense; whether it actually stems from our instincts or from our education is a quest I’ll leave up to the interested reader). It consists in breaking up a large problem into subproblems we can tackle. However, when sight of the original problem is lost, contradictory paths end up being taken. You might end up breaking something in order to fix it, working more in an attempt to work less, or losing money in an attempt to save it. The second factor is simply forgetting what you were trying to achieve in the first place. This might happen if a certain problem requires a solution that is too widely spread over a great period of time.  The principle by which you avoid this is simple: always make sure you know why you are doing what you’re doing. Otherwise, you might have just thrown a lot of time and work off the window, and, in the worst case, you’ll only notice you’ve been driving down the wrong road when you hit the dead end.

Of course, the opposite side of the coin is that really energetic guy that tries to solve world hunger overnight. The issue is that “Divide and Conquer” really is a very useful strategy, and few work would be done if not for this simple yet powerful maxim. One just needs to make sure everything is kept in perspective at all times (or at least, when frustration starts to kick in!).

2^nd Pitfall: Imposing Arbitrary Restrictions. (The Gordian Knot Syndrome)

The Gordian Knot is a well-known myth: in the third century BC, an oracle prophesied that the one that could untie a particularly complicated knot would become the king of Asia. Many tried, but none succeeded at untying the knot – until Alexander the Great himself came and took the challenge. He solved the problem by taking his sword and cutting the knot in half. Another known variant is the Egg of Columbus, where Columbus succeeds in making an egg stand, feat which the sages present had failed to achieve, by breaking the bottom of the egg slightly (or in other versions, by balancing it on a small pile of salt). This type of problems (and there are a good amount of examples coming from advanced research departments!) often stump even the greatest problem solvers; for problems are already difficult on their own, and when one adds (unnecessary) restrictions unconsciously, they become harder or even impossible to solve. Of course, the stories always include problems where the solution was really obvious; that’s not how this pitfall presents itself most often, though. The most common scenario is a difficult problem becoming more difficult because of restrictions imposed by the problem solvers themselves (although unknowingly). This pitfall stems from prejudice (not in the pejorative sense), or generalizing, the inductive process in general[1]. While that is the feature of our thinking processes that allows us to make useful and practical conclusions (as deduction doesn’t ever produce new information per se), as well as making thinking a lot more efficient by cutting off the least unlikely scenarios automatically, it may also be the source of what seems like an unsolvable problem. Take this lateral thinking problem for instance:

“A little girl was warned by her guardian never to open the cellar door, or she would see things that she was not meant to see. One day, while her guardian was out, she did open the cellar door. What did she see? “

Think for a while before you move on, even if you don’t come to a solution – the important here is that you realize how our prejudices can become an obstacle. Most readers will probably have difficulties in solving this problem. If not, congratulations – you most likely won’t experience this pitfall frequently. For the rest of us, we have to keep an eye out.

So, imagine you’re dealing with what seems an unsolvable problem. After a lot of eaten nails, it might be wise to think about the problem itself. Is the problem really that hard are you making it harder? You will be surprised how often the latter comes up. By the way, the solution of the problem presented earlier is that the girl opened the door and saw the garden through the window – she had never gone outside the cellar as her parents kept her inside it at all times. The key realization of the problem is that the girl is inside the cellar, not outside, which for most is a very hard jump to take – our thinking habits invariably place her on the wrong side of the door.

3^rd Pitfall: Not Having a Proper Plan of Action. (“Why was I doing this in the first place?”)

And we come to the last (but not any less frequent) pitfall in problem solving. Fortunately or unfortunately, everyone has to consistently deal with problems that can’t be tackled without first delineating a plan. However, society has become very impatient – so much that a lot of people come to a fight bare-handed. Our planning skills are one of our greatest intellectual assets, and even the most advanced intelligent systems strive to make a good impression of human brain planning. Yet we still try to avoid using those skills as much as possible – everyone talks about “getting their hands busy”. Not having a proper course of action is the greatest cause of wasted effort – why not spend a little time thinking about what we’re going to do next, so you make sure its relevant?

My perception is that this pitfall often occurs as a result of an incorrect assessment of a task’s complexity. We have a task that seems rather simple and try to tackle it directly (let’s say we were trying to fix the latest computer crash). We think the task is simple, when in reality it isn’t. There’s nothing wrong with incorrectly determining a problem’s complexity – it can be as hard as the problem itself. Now the pitfall is that, too often, our stubbornness kicks in here and we continue to try solving the problem without a plan – even though we’re clearly aware of the task’s true complexity by now. Of course, we’ll probably stop a few hours later, sweating frustration by every pore. And then we’ll delineate a plan. To avoid this we should, when faced with a problem of greater complexity than expected, stop and reevaluate our position and plans (even if you had a good plan already). It will surely consume much less time and resources than having to change it later anyway.

Here, the opposite side of the spectrum is getting over-analytical. There are a lot of tasks that can be solved outright – no need to waste time making a storm out of a cup of water. However, if you’re already 3 hours down trying to solve that “simple” problem, I assure this won’t be the case at all.

Conclusions:

I hope this short essay will help the readers avoid frustration in everyday problem solving. The whole premise of the essay is that our thinking patterns, just like our emotions, become much more manageable when we understand their form and causes. The pitfalls I  covered here are very common, and I’m also sure everyone has come to recognize personal pitfalls they themselves have to watch for. Analyzing these pitfalls, figuring when they come up, why, and how to avoid them is a quick path towards self awareness and increased productivity, which naturally comes in inverse proportion to frustration.

David Baptista is Guest Blogger for PickTheBrain. This is his first guest post, so show him some LOVE!

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Multiple positives — activities that benefit you in multiple ways — are a powerful productivity tool. These activities maximize your time by combining necessities like education, exercise, money making, and fun into a single, super productive action. The more multiple positives you use, the easier it is to get everything you want done without feeling stressed. They also free up loads of time and create a pleasant feeling of satisfaction and efficiency.

Finding your personal multiple positives can be challenging. Nothing works for everyone, so it’s important to figure out what’s compatible with your lifestyle and continuously optimize. Based on the feedback from my post about return on investment, personal experience, and hours of research, here are the top 11 multiple positives that productive people use to make the most of their time. I hope you find something inspiring, I know I have.

Enjoyable and Educational Exercise

We start finding reasons not to exercise when it becomes a tedious chore. Making exercise a pleasant experience encourages us to use our bodies more often and satisfies our recreational desires. Here are some examples of how to make exercise a multiple positive.

• Take it Outside – Getting out of that musty gym and enjoying the great outdoors creates a completely different experience. Instead of counting seconds on the treadmill, walk, run, or bike around your neighborhood. If you’re ambitious you can even head to a local park for some interesting scenery. Try gardening and yard work for the extra benefit of getting things done around the house.
• Make it Social – Exercise can also be quality time with friends and family. Instead of making the gym a lonesome affair, find a partner. Having someone to socialize with makes the time pass faster and gives you a chance to develop personal relationships. After dinner walks let you get some fresh air, work out your legs, and have a conversation. Another good example is coaching youth sports which also contributes to the community.
• Make it a Game – Nothing makes the time fly by like friendly competition. My personal favorite is pickup basketball, but any sport could be an example. Tennis, golf, fishing, or even a casual game of frisbee can make exercise less work and more play.
• Get Smarter - A great way to add still another positive is making exercise educational. Listening to books on tape or podcasts while walking, running, or using the treadmill, takes your mind off the work while your learn about a subject you’d never be able to squeeze in otherwise.

Hobbies that Make Money

Hobbies are a great way to relax and develop skills, but finding ones that generate revenue will take your productivity to another level. It may not be much, but getting paid to do what you love is priceless. Over time those income streams can amount to a substantial sum. After all, it’s all gravy.

• Web Site or Blog – If you’re passionate about a subject, technically savvy, and enjoy sharing information, starting a website or blog could be a great idea. It’s definitely reasonable to bring in a few hundred dollars a month. The longer you keep at it, the more your income will grow. Blogging also allows you to improve your writing ability, build your personal brand, and network with people all over the world.
• Photography – This is another great hobby that can enrich your life and lead to freelance income. It’s also a way to improve your visual skills and capture lasting images of family and friends. Who knows, if you get good enough to do the occasional wedding, those expensive lenses could pay for themselves.
• Anything that Develops a Useful Skill – The number of hobbies that can potentially make money is enormous. This useful post is devoted entirely to the subject, so I won’t rehash it here, but profitable hobbies don’t even need to be direct money makers. Anything that develops a skill that helps you professionally will make you money in the long run. Semi-work-related hobbies are great way to focus on the aspects of work that you really enjoy and are crucial to landing the next great job.

Make the Most of Your Commute

The commute is a part of the day most people dread. We usually spend it stuck in traffic, miserable and unable to do anything productive. Finding a way make your commute useful and enjoyable can vastly increase productivity and eliminate stress.

• Learn a Language – This is my personal favorite. I love learning languages, so listening to the Pimsleur language programs on my way home from work allows me to fit lessons into otherwise useless time. Learning a language makes the drive go faster and has helped improve my thinking and writing ability and develop a little bit of much needed culture.
• Books on Tape – Have a ton of books you want to read, but never seem to find the time? A great way to fit them in and ease your commute is listening to audio books or podcasts. You can absorb useful information from a soothing narrator instead of banging your head against the steering wheel. One reader takes this to the next level by listening to books on tape while walking to work — combining exercise, enjoyment, education, and commute into one remarkable multiple positive.
• Bike to Work – This is another popular one. Biking to work is great exercise, saves money on gas, makes you more alert, and is even good for the environment. It doesn’t get much more productive than that.

The Joy of Cooking

We’re often tempted to eat out because of convenience, but it’s generally more expensive and less healthy than cooking at home. I’ve found that by eating frozen vegetables and cooking on a Foreman grill, I eat for half the money and in half the time it would take to order delivery. Making cooking a social event is a great way to relax and spend time with friends. It’s a skill that will save you money and impress people for the rest of your life.

Conclusions

The few examples provided here are only the tip of the iceberg. With a bit of creative thinking you can easily find activities that fulfill multiple needs. The better you get at this, the more productivity and enjoyment you’ll be able to fit into your hectic schedule. It’s not about cramming more productivity into every spare moment, it’s about making the most of a precious resource.

In your personal life, when attending to business or working on side projects, how often do you spend 8 consecutive hours in front of a computer? It doesn’t make sense because we lose the ability to concentrate effectively within a few hours.

Everyone goes through alternating periods of high and low mental acuity. There are days when I work on personal projects for well over 8 hours, but the time is always divided into multiple sessions. I might spend a few hours coding a design, a few hours writing, and a few hours reading feeds, moderating comments, and responding to email.

I work this way because it aligns with my mental energy cycle. Any more than 3 hours in front of a computer and my eyes start hurting and I become restless. I lose the ability to do my best work. Instead of forcing myself to continue, I switch to an activity that allows my mind to recharge. These breaks maximize productivity by eliminating down periods. It’s counter productive to force work when the mental energy isn’t there.

The Problem with an 8 Hour Work Day

A continuous 8 hour work day is a relic of the past. It makes sense for physical labor and manufacturing work, but with information workers it doesn’t account for the mental energy cycle. The ability of a factory worker to think analytically is irrelevant, he’s either cranking widgets or he isn’t.

In the case of the modern information worker, nearly all tasks involve creative or strategic thinking. The way someone answers an email or interprets a piece of information can differ drastically depending on his or her energy level. Nobody does their best work 5:30 in the afternoon after they’ve been sucking down coffee all day to stay awake.

I can’t speak for all workers, but I’ve observed that productivity levels generally peak twice a day — first thing in the morning and shortly after lunch. The most productive period is the beginning of the day. People are capable of creative tasks like writing and solving complex technical problems. After a couple hours of intense work, energy levels drop and workers downgrade to less demanding tasks like responding to email and tinkering with existing creations. Towards the end of the cycle, the mind is so cluttered and drained that workers resort to “work related activities” that appear productive but don’t contribute to the bottom line. The afternoon cycle is similar but the productivity peak isn’t as high. For different people the peaks and valleys will vary, but overall I’d estimate only 3-4 hours a day could be classified as highly productive.

This number isn’t caused by slacking. You can’t force an information worker to be highly productive when the energy isn’t there. Workers can try their hardest, but the work just won’t have that creative edge. The low ratio of highly productive hours to total hours worked is the result of the continuous 8 hour work day.

When workers reach the low energy part of the cycle, they can’t recharge with a non-work activity. The only option is office purgatory. You can’t be highly productive because you’re mentally fatigued, but you can’t recharge because the 8 hour work day requires the appearance of constant productivity. The result is millions of unproductive workers trapped at their desks when they’d rather be doing something else.

Alternative Work Arrangements

The obvious solution to this problem is planning around the mental energy cycle by breaking the work day into multiple segments. The traditional office setting doesn’t accommodate this because there are few available recharge activities. People can’t do household chores, run errands, or engage in recreational activities without leaving the workplace.

Some companies have tried to make the work environment more accommodating by offering meals, fitness centers, and special areas for relaxation. Although these amenities are certainly an improvement, they’re expensive for employers and only partially satisfy employees.

The solution that makes the most sense is a remote work arrangement because it reduces employer costs and allows employees to adjust their work schedule to their mental energy cycle. When a worker becomes mentally fatigued, they can go off the clock and engage in recharge activities that are personally productive like exercise or relaxation. When energy returns, the worker can start working again at a high level, effectively cutting out the low productivity period of the cycle. Employers don’t pay for unproductive time and employees get to work in a more natural pattern that adjusts to their personal lives.

Why isn’t everyone doing this already? Many workers already are, and as commutes get worse and communications improve, the number will continue to increase. Of course there will always be a need for office workers in businesses (like doctor’s offices and law firms) that require daily customer interaction, but for most companies it really isn’t necessary.

There is also the argument that people need to collaborate in person. This is steadily becoming less essential. Most office communications are already done through email or instant messager. Face to face meetings are certainly necessary, but for the vast majority of lower and mid level employees meetings are the exception and could be conducted via phone/video conference or condensed into one or two days a week.

Another common objection is that employees will abuse remote work arrangements by slacking off. I’m inclined to believe that most adults value their employment enough that this isn’t a problem. In cases where supervision is required, web cams and other technology can used to monitor a worker.

I suspect the real reason remote work arrangements are still the exception is inertia. Companies are used to doing business in the office and are reluctant to change. There is also the presence of office politics. If one person is given a remote arrangement, jealous employees will complain. Doesn’t it make sense to give everyone what they want and save a boat load of cash on office space?

I may only be a kid in his 20′s, but I can tell when something just makes sense. I perceive an increasing number of people are noticing the same phenomena. Forty years from now we’ll be telling our grandchildren about the olden days when everyone’s mommy and daddy went to work in an office.

The key to harnessing your emotions is understanding them. The natural pattern of human emotion is peaks and valleys. When we start a new project we’re filled with tremendous optimism. All we can think about is the expected benefits, and since we haven’t started yet, we aren’t aware of the difficulties involved. This natural high causes a surge of mental and physical activity. The peak is a great thing because the energy boost gets projects off the ground. If you’re a creative type like me, you know that this period is euphoric. You feel like nothing can stop you.

The downside of this surge of energy is that it inevitably ends. Exerting large amounts of energy wears you down, and after the initial optimism wears off we feel extremely tired. However high you started off, you fall down just as low. This causes a loss of confidence. The combination of fatigue, scant results, and an awareness of impending adversity makes us want to give up. From personal experience I’ve learned a few ways to hold strong against negativity.

Be Prepared for a Letdown

Emotions, by nature, lose their power when we understand them. Prove this to yourself. Next time you get angry, take a moment to reflect on the reason behind the emotion. When I step back and reflect, it’s easy to see that my anger is caused by insecurity/selfishness/jealousy etc. After I understand the cause my anger fades away.

The same technique applies to a loss of motivation. Instead of giving into negativity, step back and analyze. Look at the causes. Are you tired, burned out, disappointed by the results? Are these feelings justified, or are they a by product of a low point in the emotional spectrum?

To illustrate these ideas, I’ll use my most recent project as an example, the creation of this site. When I launched Pick the Brain it took an enormous amount of effort. I was completely new to blogging, web design, and traffic building so there was a steep learning curve. Writing new posts, setting up the site, and trying to build traffic took up nearly all my free time. After about three weeks I was completely burned out. I got depressed and started to question if the site was worth the effort. I wasn’t seeing any returns and I started to find enormous faults in my writing and the purpose of the site. There were moments when I was resigned to failure.

One reason I was able to overcome this loss of motivation is that I prepared myself for a letdown. Beforehand, I researched blogging and learned that it generally takes 9-12 months before a site begins to see significant traffic. Knowing that my lack of success was perfectly normal helped me get over it. The same is true for other endeavors. If you know losing 20 pounds in a month is unrealistic, you’ll be able to accept losing only 5 more easily.

I also knew my own emotions and was prepared for the initial emotional peak to pass. When I was first inspired to launch a website, my expectations were through the roof. Dreams of AdSense revenue danced in my head and I pictured throngs of loyal readers as if they already existed. But because I understand my emotional pattern, I realized this optimism would give way to depression. In the back of my mind, I foresaw the impending motivational battle, and when it came I was ready.

Reevaluate Your Strategy and Motivation

The passing of the emotional peak is a blessing in disguise because it allows us to reevaluate our plans from a fresh perspective. At first we are blinded by our own optimism. When we lose our motivation we can see gaping holes our in plan. We can either get down on ourselves and give up, or we can use this negative emotion to discover our faults and correct them. After I pulled myself out of the motivational cellar, I went back to all the negatives thoughts I’d had and applied them to improving the site. Having a pessimistic attitude opened my eyes. It made me realistic about my abilities and expectations. Emotional valleys bring us back to reality. Without them we’d be raving lunatics with unlimited self-confidence.

Use a loss of motivation as an opportunity to reconsider what your motivation really is. One reason I lost motivation is that I became too concerned with the financial aspect of blogging and lost sight of the real reason I started: sharing my passion for self improvement and the pursuit of happiness. When I realigned my motivation with my passion, the lack of results didn’t matter. My motivation returned because I realized connecting with people through my writing is an end in itself. Even if this site never makes I dime, sharing my ideas and experiences to help other people is worth the effort.

In truth, sometimes giving up is the right decision. If you started doing something for the wrong reasons you’ll likely lose your motivation. This is a good thing. It allows us to see what really motivates us. In these cases, the best choice is to move on to a new endeavor. Don’t fight self doubt, use it for your benefit.

Conclusion

Dealing with emotional highs and lows is an experience common to all people. We generally accept our emotions as beyond our control. They are powerful and mysterious and appear quite irrational. But if we contemplate our emotions, if we explore the inner workings of our minds, we find that like all things, emotions obey the law of cause and effect. Armed with this knowledge, we can continue to allow our emotions to dominate our lives, or we can use them to our benefit.

Don’t be surprised by a loss of motivation and don’t be disappointed by it. Understand it as natural effect of the human mind, and utilize this knowledge of self to make your emotions work for you.

Eliminate your stress

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-Bertrand Russell

If you find yourself spending most or all of your leisure time immersed in mindless television or video games you may wish to reconsider your aspirations. These activities steal time and give nothing back. If you wish to benefit from your leisure, spend it intelligently. You will be rewarded with better health, a finer mind, and fewer regrets.