Reflect, Don't Deflect
It’s always a “I'll be happier..
..when I get a new puppy.
..when I get a new car.
..when I finally get into a relationship.”
(..maybe stick to the puppy)
All this sh*t’s expensive and ineffective.
Reality check: they’re also not going to solve your problems.
Swap each when with an if, that’ll give you an idea of where we’re going with this.
When’s are not definitive, they didn’t happen yet. You don’t know if they’re going to solve your problems, but it’s convenient to think they will. Those when’s are there to give you something to look forward to, which is good – buttt, they’re distractions, not solutions.
Take the time to reflect instead of deflect. How many trips to Mexico will it take to fix your burnout? ..before you yell at us, we’re not saying don’t take vacations – but maybe work on your problems so they’re gone for good?
Reminder: Reflect, don’t deflect.
Finding the root of your problem is the only way you’re going to feel better. We know, not the answer you want to hear, but there’s only so many times you can patch a tire before it forces you off the road.
*NOW THE FUN PART*
Let’s play a game, Problem Solving with the 5-whys:
100% cheaper than the other sh*t you were going to do.
Pick a problem and ask yourself “why?”.
Take the answer, and ask yourself “why?”.
Now take that answer and do it again..
Some ground rules:
You can’t say “I don’t know”.
These are YOUR problems, speak in the first person.
Repeat this a total of 5 times.
Warning: this can get irritating
Example:
Problem:I'm late to work.
Why? I hit snooze.
Why? I was f*cking tired.
Why? I went to sleep late.
Why? I binged the Real Housewives of New Jersey till 3am.
Why? I needed a mindless activity after a stressful day at work.
Let's assess. Seems like you need to go to bed earlier, but that’s obvious. What about trying a bedtime that still allows you to hang with the real housewives but doesn’t involve seeing the sunrise?
Sure, there’s a start. But before even that, you mentioned you had a stressful day. How about not using Teresa Giudice as a distraction from your stress, which is causing you to hit snooze 403x before work.
There’s more to this. Why are you stressed?
Round 2:
Problem:I'm stressed at work.
Why? I have too much on my plate.
Why? I'm not getting all my work done.
Why? I don't have the proper support.
Why? My team doesn't understand what they need to do.
Why? I didn't give the proper direction.
**DING DING DING DING** – sounds like you need to work on your communication skills!
You’re stressed because you aren’t communicating properly, that’s the root. Work on communicating better with your team, in turn you won’t feel the need to binge trash TV till 3am every night :)
So now you know what caused your demise, you can implement the steps necessary to fix it.
Our job with this article is done, ttyl.
Your founders,
Mishka + Nikhil