Sluggish Starts

Not all new project start fast and furious. Some projects are doomed to sluggish starts. Here are some strategies to surpass the sluggish qualities.

Strategy 1) Start with a clear vision of what you want or need to do. Take some time to sit and write out what you want or need to accomplish. This sounds simple, but defining a clear vision is often the part that gets skipped.

Strategy 2) Know what you don't have to do. This is especially important and often overlooked while one is moving forward. You can keep the decks clear of procrastination and inconsequential parts of the project by figuring out what you don't have to do,. Recently I wrote a post on my other blog - The Importance of What's Missing. This article may help you consider knowing what you don't have to do on a deeper level.

Strategy 3) Select a time when you will work on the project. This time needs to be held sacred. Sit and start for at least an hour. This may help you get past your block or resistance.

Strategy 4) Some projects don't have deadlines. Making a deadline helps one be more productive. Break your project into sections and give yourself a timetable for completion. This may be something you can do alongside Strategy three.


I have two earlier posts that relate to projects - Check them out when you are reaching the middle or end of a project.

Muddled in The Middle
Eeking it Out at The End

Transition Your Life - Adulthood

This is the second in the series of posts on transition times. Let's visit the transition periods that often occur in adulthood (age 30 - 40).

Transitioning to having a child
Transitioning to having a teenager
Transitioning to accepting infertility
Transitioning to a new skill or hobby
Transitioning to the loss of parent(s) or loved ones
Transitioning to the loss of a relationship
Transitioning to a career change
Transitioning to new neighbors
Transitioning to having a chronic health condition
Transitioning to new home
Transitioning to job loss
Transitioning to evolving spiritual or religious beliefs
Transitioning to financial losses/financial gains
Transitioning to changing relationships with your parents (adult to adult)


Life is a journey, you don't have to go it alone. Having a transition coach can be the best decision and investment you can make.

See also Transition Your Life - Early Adulthood

Eking It Out at the End

When we reach the near end of a project or activity, distractions seem to find us. In our eagerness to move on to the next thing, we may lose focus on the current assignment and spend too much time concentrating on the next thing. Staying focused is often hard towards the end.

The reasons we have difficulty are:

1) We want to move on the next project, adventure or assignment. In some fields this is called "short timers syndrome".

2) We know moving on means changing our daily routine or work patterns. We may like our current day and this new upcoming day or life may be hard to imagine.

3) We know moving on will mean new or different relationships with people, places or things.


Some strategies for moving on at the end of a project or assignment are:

Strategy 1 - Stay focused. Think about the present not the future.

Strategy 2 - Enjoy your last days or weeks with your present situation and acknowledge and appreciate the familiar routines and daily patterns.

Strategy 3 - Avoid procrastination activities and bring the best you can to the current work or assignment.

Strategy 4 - Take care of your physical self. Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water and maintain a healthy diet.

If you have just finished eeking it out, what advice or strategies do you have to offer?


See also: Muddled in the Middle

Look for an upcoming post on Sluggish Starts - How to Get Going.

Transition Times - Early Adulthood

This is the first of a series of posts on transition times. Let's visit the early transition periods. They often occur in early adulthood (age 18 to age 35).

Transitioning to college
Transitioning to job seeker
Transitioning to first "real" job
Transitioning to couple
Transitioning to engaged person
Transitioning to newly married
Transitioning to unemployed
Transitioning to new career path
Transitioning to relocating to a new city or town
Transitioning to further education
Transitioning to the loss of a loved one
Transitioning to new friends
Transitioning to a new or newly diagnosed chronic health condition
Transitioning to first home
Transitioning to expectant parent(s)
Transitioning to having a newborn
Transitioning to having a toddler
Transitioning to having a school age child

While not everybody experiences all of these phases, most individuals within the 18 -35 year age range will experience at least two to four of these.

Transitions are not easy, they take courage, perseverance and sometimes tenacity.

Time for Fun

Let's talk about having fun. Fun is something we all need to take seriously. After all, all work and no play is what makes a day dull and us boring.

How can you have fun Today? How can you make fun everyday a priority? Having fun is different for each of us. For some it may be reading a book, watching a favorite TV show, going for a walk or spending time talking on the phone to a friend or family member.

It is important to set some time for fun when we are overloaded with a long "to do list" or complex project. It may seem like a misuse of our time but the "fun break" or "Fun out" will make us more productive in the long run.

When we schedule in fun, we maintain a good balance in our life.

So what fun are you planning today?


Related Earlier Posts -

See Seek to Enjoy All Things
See Recess
See Finding Brilliance in a Dull Day

Muddled in the Middle

Sometimes we are just stuck. Like stuck in the mire of things. We don't know which way to go. Just like in nature, it can happen within ourselves.

Being "muddled in the middle" is uncomfortable and irritating. It makes us cranky and confused. After all, being muddled, is not a nice place to be.

Getting unstuck takes time. Sometimes it takes getting a new attitude or perspective.

Here are some strategies:

Strategy 1 - Realize it takes time to get unstuck, time has to pass.

Strategy 2 - Forgive yourself for being in the middle. Stop fussing and just be.

Strategy 3 - Watch out for procrastination distractions. Know what your usual procrastination activities are and limit them. Too much time spent procrastinating will prolong your muddled time.

Strategy 4 - Make time for fun. Muddled time requires "funouts" - a "funout" is like a timeout but instead of being a time of punishment it is time spent having fun.

Strategy 5 - Don't go it alone. Talk to a trusted friend or your coach about being in the middle. Just the act of talking about it may help you pass well though this stage of life.

If you are in the middle of the muddle, what advice do you have to share?

New Math

A site to get you thinking is New Math. Don't worry, it is not complicated. It features concepts that are explained in simple division, subtractions, multiplication and addition.

This is similar to a site I discussed last year on my blog. Think about the site Indexed without the graphics.

Spring is a time to clear the cobwebs from our minds. We spend time spring cleaning when the weather gets warmer. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, cooler weather brings the desire to study more, and learn new things. The site New Math can inspire you no matter where you live or at least start you on some tangential thinking to transition your mind or life.