Bounteo.com - In search of a life more abundant...

Why is productivity cyclical?

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:06:05 -0800

This post originally appeared on RyanWaggoner.com, but I thought it might be interesting to Bounteo readers, so I'm reposting it here. I'd love your comments and feedback...thanks!

Is it just me, or does productivity come in cycles? Sometimes I'll go weeks at a time and absolutely tear it up, getting tons done on client work, personal projects, etc. I feel great, motivated, etc. Other times, I struggle to get anything done and never really get into the groove. Why is that? I mean, I do get stuff done, but it just feels like such a freaking chore and I have to force myself to power through. These cycles seem to last several weeks each, perhaps a bit longer. I have a few speculations that I've pulled from thin air on why this might occur:

Natural biological process
It might be that there's some natural chemical process in the brain that makes some people more or less productive and that this process tends to be cyclical in nature. I feel like perhaps I've read something about this...if it's true, I'm not sure how much I can do about it other than be aware of it and try to use it to my advantage? For the record, I think this is the most unlikely of the three scenarios.

Reflection of what I'm working on
Perhaps I'm just more excited at times about things that I'm working on because they're more interesting. This one is hard to evaluate, because I'm not sure if I'm feeling unmotivated because of boring projects or if the projects seem boring because I'm feeling unmotivated.

Motivational momentum
I think is probably the most likely scenario. Basically, I think that certain people (myself included) swim better against the current. When things aren't going well and I've got a lot of pressure (both external and internal) to get stuff done, I tend to build up a lot of motivational momentum and push hard to get things done. On the way up this hill of accomplishment, things are good, as I'm getting a lot done, keeping up with all my responsibilities, etc. It feels great. But as I accomplish more and more, that pressure and stress begins to dissipate, and so does some of the motivation. At this point, I begin to crest the top of the motivational hill and the old feelings of being unmotivated begin to return. Over the next few weeks, stuff begins to gradually pile up again and the pressure and stress begins to build. But until it hits a certain point, my motivation doesn't seem to really kick in. Once it does, the cycle starts over.

This has been an issue my entire life and I'm just now getting to the point where I can deal with it more effectively. In college, I dealt with it by keeping my schedule absolutely slammed so there was virtually no room for error. I finished 75% of my bachelor's degree in 17 months and graduated with a 3.9 GPA. I say this not to brag, but just to point out that I had virtually no room to slow down or slack off. This is highly effective, but it carries two huge price tags: risk and stress. The risk is that you're juggling so much that if you drop one thing, it can all come crumbling down. The stress comes from the fact that you have no margin for error. These two things feed off each other, as the high risk stresses you out and the high stress increases the risk that you'll make a mistake. Obviously, this is not a viable long-term solution.

The core problem here (for me, anyway) is relying too much on motivation, which is a fickle emotion. It can be incredibly useful, usually at the start of a venture, to kickstart your efforts and give you that critical early boost in the right direction. But if you rely too much on it, you'll find that it never lasts long enough to get you where you need to go. The primary reason that people fail is because they give up, and I believe that the primary reason people give up is because they rely too much on motivation. The going gets rough and they find that the only fuel they really had was an emotion that's now gone, so they just kind of let things die out.

Here's what I've tried to do: replace motivation (emotion) with decision (habit). This is the primary reason that I do my seven daily habits. These habits were carefully chosen as things that I want to accomplish daily to get me closer to where I want to be, regardless of whether I feel like doing them or not.

That doesn't mean that motivation has no place in productivity and self-improvement, but I think that you can't rely too much on it. To the extent that motivation does play a role in my productivity, I've tried to replace external motivation with internal motivation, where I'm pushing myself harder rather than waiting for other people to pressure me. As an example, one of my daily habits is to look at my goal plan every single day. I also carefully track my goals from month to month, recording what percentage I accomplished, and preparing a new plan for the next thirty days. I also carefully track the amount of time that I work on various projects and initiatives in my life. I do all these things not because I have some weird fascination with data (at least not primarily so), but because by carefully tracking my productivity and advancement towards my goals, I am often motivated to push myself harder because I'm not moving as fast as I would like. The adage that "what gets measured gets managed" is true for the simple reason that when we're confronted with the data about how we're spending our time and the results of our efforts, we're often encouraged and motivated to improve.

I'd love to hear what other people's thoughts are. Have you experienced cyclical productivity? If so, how do you deal with it?

What's holding YOU back?

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:11:08 -0800

This post originally appeared on RyanWaggoner.com, but I thought it might be interesting to Bounteo readers, so I'm reposting it here. I'd love your comments and feedback...thanks!

Look back over the last week, the last month, the last year, and ask yourself this question: did I accomplish what I thought I would? Am I happy about the progress I made during that time? Am I likely to accomplish what I think I will over the next week, month, or year?

Truthfully, I can't say that I'm unhappy about the progress I made over the last year, but it's definitely less than what I had hoped for. I tend to look forward a year and imagine that things will have changed much more than they have. I imagine that my progress towards various goals will be much more substantial, that my life will look more different than it inevitably does, that I'll have changed more than I have. Why? Well, probably because I'm an optimist. But also because change is hard.

There's nothing really profound in this post, just some lessons that I need to remind myself of on occasion. Earlier this evening, I was sitting at dinner, pondering some conversations I had today about opportunities in the real estate market. The real estate market has taken a beating, and right now is a fantastic time to buy if you can make the deals happen. But financing those deals is hard, lenders are wary, and cash is scarce. On top of that, the general feeling in the real estate market right now is one of fear and dejection. The vast majority of people (even experienced investors) would conclude that this is a good time to sit on the sidelines for a bit and wait for sanity to return. But I wonder if times like these separate the timid from the titans. I spent some time today on the phone with lenders and people who are out there doing deals, and I'm much, much further along than I was at the beginning of the day, though perhaps still a long way from doing any deals. But the thing I realized tonight is that lack of capital, connections, experience, etc, etc. are not what's holding me back. The only thing holding me back is me. The only thing keeping me from diving in 100% and making something happen is my unwillingness to do so, for whatever reason. Sure, lack of capital, connections, experience or whatever else will slow me down and make it that much harder. But it definitely can be done. I just have to want it badly enough.

As I think about what's truly and honestly holding me back, I'm reminded of a quote:

"After a lifetime of making money and observing better men and women than I fall by the wayside, I am convinced that fear of failing in the eyes of the world is the single biggest impediment to amassing wealth."
-Felix Dennis

What's holding you back?

Stop making excuses and just DO IT

admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:14:04 -0800

Merlin Mann had this great post today about how people get addicted to "tips" on the many sites and blogs that talk about how to accomplish anything you can imagine, but they never really go out and do anything or change their lives. They get addicted to advice that they enjoy, rather than the advice they need.

That's my biggest fear with Bounteo, that nothing that's written here will ultimately help anyone, or change anything. So here's some advice that you probably need to hear, but you probably won't enjoy:

It's no one else's fault that you're not where you should be.
It's probably not too late, but it will be someday.
Stop making excuses, to yourself or anyone else.
Things do not change for the better on their own.
Wake up and get your act together. Right now.

Shut off the TV, get off of Facebook or whatever other site you're wasting time on, and just do whatever it is you know you should be doing. It might not be fun, it might not be perfect, it might not be anything you feel like doing. Do it anyway. Right now. Because if you don't, you'll look back one day and hate yourself for it.

Can you create SMART goals for what matters most?

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:49:01 -0700

This post originally appeared on RyanWaggoner.com, but I thought it might be interesting to Bounteo readers, so I'm reposting it here. I'll be posting a few more items from RyanWaggoner.com over the next few days. I'd love your comments and feedback...thanks!

For the last week or so, I've been working on reviewing, streamlining, and unifying my goals across different areas of my life. I'm building a comprehensive goal plan for the next ten years, and I'm calling this effort Project Goalpost (cheesy, I know). One of my guiding principles that I'm employing while working through all these goals is to ensure that each goal is SMART, which is a useful mnemonic that says goals should be:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-bound

I have found this device to be a useful one when devising my goal plans, as it helps avoid nebulous and ill-defined goals like "get into better shape" or "prepare for the future". How would you have any idea when those things have been accomplished? Currently, I'm dividing my goals into these different life areas:

Personal
Physical
Financial
Entrepreneurial
Real Estate
Spiritual

I'm doing pretty well with most of these, but it's the Spiritual category that's giving me the most trouble. I'm just not sure how to write specific, measurable goals for matters of the heart, especially for several years out. For one thing, faith is about the journey, not really the destination, and much of that journey occurs in ways that don't lend themselves to metrics. For example, it doesn't really make sense to say that you want to be 35% closer to God, or have your prayer life be twice as good. The destination doesn't really exist, either, as I don't believe that Christians can ever really say that they've accomplished their mission as a Christian, at least not in this life. Second, I'm not entirely sure that our faith is something that should get a category of its own. Shouldn't our faith undergird all that we do, rather than being put into its own bullet-point list of todo items?

And why does this bother me at all? I guess because my goals should reflect a lot about who I am, but when you look at my list, it seems so shallow and materialistic, because a lot of my goals revolve around financial gain, real estate, and other items in that vein. Those things just lend themselves to measurement. But they aren't what matter most in life, and I know that. What matters most in life are things like relationships, contentment, and faith, but can you really create SMART goals for those things? I have a few ideas I'll explore in a future post, but I would love to know what you think.

A Thousand Pardons...

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:47:02 -0700

It has come to my attention that my RSS feed was experiencing some issues over the last week, for which I'm very sorry. All should be resolved now...please contact me if you continue to experience any issues. Thanks!

"If I had only..." - 3 tips to ditch regret and move on

admin — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:36:06 -0700

Image by Zach Klein

One of the most annoying types of financial articles and blog posts that I see on a regular basis is the "If you had invested in these stocks 20 years ago, you would have made $14 million by now." I just saw another one by Intuit: Pennies to Millions. These articles are nothing more than shallow linkbait that play on the human tendency to reevaluate our decisions now that we have the benefit of hindsight and manufacture artificial regret.

"If only" scenarios are a waste of time. The fact that you could have made $xx dollars by investing in whatever twenty years ago is meaningless today. If only you had started Microsoft instead of Bill Gates, you could be the richest man in the world today. Thinking this way is just a distraction that will keep you from moving forward.

This whole subject does raise a good point though: this site focuses on what young people can do to prepare themselves for future success, but what if you haven't done everything you could have? Or what if you're no longer that young and you're stressing out about all the chances you missed, and all the opportunities that are no longer available?

My advice is simple: get over it, and fast. Every second you spend thinking about what might have been is even more valuable time wasted. The fact is that you can't go back and change the past, so stop kicking yourself, and just move on. If you're having trouble, here's a few things you might want to consider:

Transform mistakes into a strength

Think of it this way...every mistake you make and every missed opportunity is a chance to learn and grow. You may not have seized a great chance ten years ago, but by recognizing it, and learning from it, you'll be better prepared the next time around.

Remember that you're not alone

There are few successful people who didn't go through periods where they failed, where they missed great chances, where they felt like giving up. Some of the most successful people in the world spent years toiling away with no reward or recognition until they finally broke through. It may be helpful to read some biographies of successful people that you admire; you might be surprised to find out some of the trials they've gone through and mistakes they've made.

Pass on your experience

This one relates back to viewing this as a learning experience. Because you've learned something, don't be afraid to talk to other people that you see making the same mistakes you did, or missing the same opportunities. Perhaps you've got a younger sibling who is graduating from college and getting their first job; talk to them about investing and preparing for their future. Or maybe you know someone who really wants to write a book, but is afraid of failure; encourage them. Whatever the circumstance, if you can see that someone might make one of the same mistakes you've made and learned from, say something. You'll feel better.

Finally, the most important thing you can do is stop stressing and start doing something. As the saying goes:

"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today."

So get out there and do it. Today. Right now. Go.

Links to Make You Smarter - the value of a degree, looking for a new job, and the power of simplicity

admin — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:15:03 -0700

The last few months have been incredibly busy, but I'm ready to dive in again and get back to Bounteo. I wanted to highlight a few of the great articles I've read recently around the web:

The College Degree is Not Dead - Good post over at Free Money Finance about how the value of a college degree, while declining, is still very high.

Should You Look For A New Job? - Blueprint for Financial Prosperity gives some reasons why you might want to look for a new job, and some reasons why you might not.

Simplicity and being cheap - Philip over at Wise Bread has some great thoughts on simplicity and how living a life without a lot of stuff will help you attain financial freedom.

Great Advice from Seth Godin

ryan — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:38:31 -0700

In a recent blog post, Seth Godin posts some good advice regarding personal finance. Check it out!

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/06/urgent-personal.html

Links to Make You Smarter - Stimulus Package, Life Insurance, and Career Mistakes

ryan — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:33:02 -0700

Here's a few good articles and posts on other sites that I thought readers might find interesting:

How to recover from a (big) mistake at work
Jay over at Dumb Little Man has a pretty interesting post about getting past a mistake at work without letting it do too much damage. The advice is basic but helpful and could be applied to other areas of life beyond just work.

How to Determine the Amount of Life Insurance You Need
Good post from Free Money Finance about how to determine the optimal amount of life insurance. I know that when you're 25, life insurance isn't at the top of your priority list, but there are times when it's important, depending on your circumstances. Take a quick look at the article and see if it's something you should look into further.

You must file a tax return to get economic stimulus tax rebate
Finally, Wise Bread has a post about the upcoming economic stimulus package rebates and how you need to file a tax return to get your cash. I'm posting it here because some college students may not make enough to need to file a tax return, but should definitely consider filing anyway this year. The post also has some good info about the dates that you can expect to receive your rebate.

And that's it! Please send me any links you might have and I'll try and include them in the next Links post.

Post ideas and guest bloggers wanted

ryan — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:54:02 -0700

Now that Bounteo.com is up and running (though we still are working on a design for the site), I want to start things off well, so I'm looking for post ideas and guest bloggers. Please contact me with any ideas you might have for posts and if you're interested in posting a guest post here, please send in any ideas you have. I would love to get some perspectives from other bloggers and authors about how young people can make good choices and make progress towards a life of success.