Managing thoughts and ideas

Sometimes it can be such a challenge to figure out how to manage all the various thoughts and ideas that are bouncing around in my head. There are days that I can sit, and the writing flows and everything just seems to get down in writing, and then there are the days when I can’t seem to put words down at all. As someone that enjoys writing, it can be a challenge when I have those days when I just can’t seem to figure out how to capture thoughts.

Here are some ways I have figured out that I use when I just can’t seem to focus on writing:

• Put my ear buds in and not listen to anything, but just enjoy not hearing all the distracting sounds that are normally around me.
• Make quick notes of ideas or thoughts in bullet form.
• Change the location where I am trying to write because that can help a lot.
• Review my blog ideas because that can spark other ideas which help with the writing.
• Do something entirely different for a while so that I am not frustrated that I am not writing.

Sure, some of these ideas are just basic things, but it can make such a big difference with the amount of writing I can achieve. One thing that I do enjoy doing is making sure that I can just sit and relax and get back to the writing after a bit of a break. Understanding how to motivate myself to get back to writing is something that I do need to try and achieve some days because when the writing just doesn’t seem to flow there needs to be methods to getting back to seeing something done.

The other thing that I have found works is having some post-it notes in various spots around home does help as well. It gives me places where I can quickly write down ideas that I either want to do later or ideas of things that I want to write. It can be interesting sometimes when I finally get to look at all the post-it notes because reviewing them can also add to more ideas flowing, which is also good.

Having different methods of managing thoughts and ideas can be very helpful. It can spark some good ideas and then other times you will just see that no matter what the ideas and thoughts are they just going to remain stuck in my head, and they will just have to be managed a different day.

Rebooting and why I should do it

 For a lot of us, having to reboot/restart our computers seems to be such an issue. Why can’t I just leave it turned on for days at a time and even connected to the company for hours and days without anyone complaining.

Here are some of the reasons why we all need to reboot/restart our computers/devices

1. There is a lot of stuff that the computer stores for immediate recall when we are connected (cache)
2. There are patches and/or updates that need a complete shut-down and restart for them to be updated

I have been working with a client and when I talk to them about getting the end users to reboot/restart their devices it seems to be such a challenge. Of course, there are so many reasons why someone cannot reboot their system on a timely basis.

1. I have files open that I need to keep open because I am working on the files (these files are open for hours even when the person isn’t working)
2. My system takes too long to reboot when I do a restart (maybe the issue is you haven’t done restarts lately and there are too many things that need to be updated.)
3. I just don’t have time to do a restart (why not restart your computer at the end of the day, and it will ready when you get back the next business day.)

There are so many reasons why someone will tell you that they cannot reboot/restart their system, and a lot of those reasons are that they just can’t be bothered or there isn’t a reason for them to reboot. In some cases, the reason someone isn’t rebooting/restarting their device in a timely manner is because there is no policy in place that says that all devices must be restarted with x number of days. When a business doesn’t have a policy as to how often machines need to be rebooted/restarted, that doesn’t help at all.

For a business to be successful, and understand the importance of restarting/rebooting each machine is vital. Some users think that either putting their device into hibernation mood/sleep or a system crash means that a computer has rebooted, has completed the task. What people don’t understand is a crash doesn’t mean a total system restart, and putting a computer into hibernation is not a restart.  For a device to work effectively, they need to have total reboot/restart. It doesn’t matter if it is a computer or tablet, they all need that bit of time when they can turn off and restart to clear all the stuff that has been bothering/controlling them.

It is important that we understand that our devices, either a computer or tablet, need a bit of time when they can turn off and refresh. So, yes, it is important that we remember that our devices need a bit of time to sleep, even if it is just for a couple of minutes. It helps them recharge and know that they are ready to go and meet your needs again.

Hotels and requesting feather free rooms

Something that I am noticing happening more and is when you request there be no feathers in your hotel room, hotels tell you that everything is good only for me to get into your room and check the pillows and find out there are feather pillows on the bed.

We have been a regular at the Residence Inn by Marriott and quite often even after confirming with the front desk at check in that the room is feather free, we get into our room and at least half of the pillows have feathers. It is rather frustrating given that we are not just walking into a hotel and checking for a room, we have made a reservation quite a few days before.

This last time was during a work trip, and we asked at the front desk if everything was good, and they again confirmed it was, and again the feather room didn’t happen, so I quickly phoned down, and we ended up being moved to another room. It is so frustrating that this keeps happening because you think a little request such as no feather pillows would be something that would be easily accommodated.

In March, we travelled to Las Vegas for a vacation and when we were checking into the hotel, we confirmed that our room was feather free and the reply was something that amazed me. The staff let us know that the entire hotel was feather free, so that shouldn't be an issue at all. Even guests that request feather pillows, they are declined, so that the hotel remains feather free. It was such a nice experience to have that happen. The hotel that we stayed at in Las Vegas was The Linq Hotel and Casino, right on the strip.

We did have a similar experience in a hotel in downtown Toronto, and it was the Sheraton Centre, and they have entire floors that are feather free, so that is also nice. It is something that I think more hotels should try and do because having either the entire hotel or at least some floors that don’t have feather pillows in any of the rooms makes it a nice experience for those that cannot breathe due to feathers.

So hopefully hotels will learn that to keep guests returning to their hotels you have to ensure that the guests have a good experience from the moment they enter the hotel through to the time they check out.  If someone has any ideas how we can get more hotels to think about having designated feather free rooms, let’s start a discussion about this.

 

When life gets crazy

 For a lot of small business owners, there are times when life seems to get crazy and there are too many things that are demanding our attention. Sure, there are things that you can make a note of and do later, but then there are the other things that all need your attention at the same time.

When there are just too many things that need my attention at the same time, I have a habit of just sitting back and making a list of everything that needs my attention, and then I try and figure out what is important and what can wait a little while. It is amazing how sometimes just making the list or even sitting and rethinking everything can make such a difference on how you are viewing everything. Being able to spend those few minutes looking at the tasks that need your attention can help you regain a focus that should have been easy to maintain, unless there are just too many things on that to-do list.

Being able to sit back and look at all the different things that you think need to get done and then figure out what is important and what can wait even for a couple of hours can make such a difference in how you manage everything. Making sure that you can put a list together of the different things that you need to do is important. In a lot of cases, even putting down those little things that normally only take a few minutes to do can help you see what has been getting in your way of getting things done.

Of course, there are going to be times when you don’t have the time to make that list or take that break to get things done but when that happens I normally have a piece of paper beside me where I can just write down those little things quickly so that I can make sure that I have captured a thought or sometimes else that needs my attention when I have those figure minutes. Having a method of capturing the thoughts or tasks is very important, and then going back over those quick notes after things have slowed down can also help. Sure, life can get crazy for anyone, and knowing how to manage it can make a big difference. For me, it is making sure that I have post-it notes available in various locations around our home has made a big difference. It means that when I have a thought or remember something that needs to get, I can quickly make a note, and then it gets back to my desk, and I can then focus on it when I have that time.

Being able to manage when times get crazy is important because knowing what works for you when life isn’t crazy sure helps. If you can use a similar method that you use when things are normal also when life gets crazy it sure does help. It doesn’t matter what method you use to manage your tasks or ideas if it works for you, that is what is important. Managing times when things get a little crazy is something that we all must do, and just knowing the various methods that work for you is important. For me, my post-it notes all around mean that I can capture my thoughts or tasks quickly, and it doesn’t impact when I am currently trying to achieve.

 

My ear buds and writing

Something that I have figured out for myself is when life seems to get a little overwhelming, I need to put my ear buds in and escape for a little while. It is amazing how just putting the ear buds in and making sure that the noise-cancelling feature is clicked can make things so much easier to handle.

For a lot of people, they can manage to deal with all the different sounds that are going on around them, and they can tune them out without any issue. For some people, like me, I am unable to block those sounds out and sometimes they become overwhelming. The sounds I am talking about it traffic outside or even the normal activity that goes on around you. These are sounds that sometimes can start to make it difficult to focus on getting the stuff done that you would like to get done.

For me, when things start to bother me, I simply put in my ear buds and make sure that the noise-cancelling feature has been turned on, and I just escape into a place where I can focus on getting things done. I don’t put but any music or any sound on, I just simply put my ear buds in and tune out all the different sounds that have been going on around me. It is nice when I can sit and escape those sounds because that is normally when I can sit and get a lot of writing done because I don’t have the other distractions that happen.

The only downside of putting my ear buds in and the noise-cancelling feature is I don’t hear when my husband has come into the room near me, so that can be a bit of a shock. Something that we have learned to do is that I make sure that I let him know when I have put the ear buds in so that he understands that I cannot hear him when he comes into the surrounding area. Sure, it means a bit more communication when I use my ear buds, but it also means that when he is coming into these areas he tries to ensure that he does something else to get my attention. Being able to make sure that we have good communication is very important because it does help when I just need those few minutes of blocking out all the other sounds around me.

For me, my ear buds have meant that I can sit and focus on getting writing done when everything else seems to have prevented me from doing that writing. There are also times when just putting my ear buds in when I want to relax and forget around all the other distractions has helped as well. So, if you are finding that you cannot focus on things because of the sounds that happen around you, maybe it’s time to figure out some ear buds or headphones that will work for me because it can make a big different. The ear buds that you got don’t have to be expensive but making sure that they have some noise-cancelling feature as part of them is very important because that is what blocks out all the other sounds that can be the distraction that you are dealing with.

My ear buds have helped me regain a focus when writing has been a challenge, and they have given me the escape and focus that I have needed. Making sure that you can get things done the best way possible is important. For me, my ear buds mean that I can turn out the rest of the world for a few minutes and focus on getting some writing done, which makes me happy.