Welcome to the *Just Whelmed* Blog

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2011/08/16 18:14 Posted in General/Overview  |  Comments (2)

Hooray!  The ‘Just Whelmed’ blog is ready! I Want to Be 'Just Whelmed'

This is a special blog for people who want to be “Just Whelmed” instead of either OVERwhelmed or UNDERwhelmed.  Whenever you are here, you will find a growing set of questions, answers, tips, ideas, and resources to help you live a life of being “just whelmed.”

Many of the ideas that you’ll find here have been shared by the wonderful members of the Just Whelmed Research and Development (R & D) team.  This team was invited by – and has been assisting – Meggin McIntosh, the creator of this site and its sister site, http://www.JustWhelmed.com/.  Meggin sought out the R & D team as she began crafting the Just Whelmed “Wee” Weekly Workshops, which you may learn more about by going to the main Just Whelmed website.

 

Is Your Calendar Crammed? How Can You Make More Room to Get More Done?

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/03/05 06:08 Posted in Strategies  |  Comments (0)

What happens when your calendar is just crammed? Should you quit using a calendar? Should you just pitch the calendar?

No, of course not. You have to figure out how to make more room so you can get your projects done. The way that you make more room is by eliminating part of what is already there. You can do that by implementing one or more of the following:

  1. You can move some tasks, projects, appointments that are scheduled for the next week, month, or longer into the future. You have to decide what period of time is overly-crammed and start taking a good hard look at what you can move to the future.
  2. You can assess that some of what you thought needed to be on your schedule(or in your to-do list) really doesn’t need to be there. You make that assessment by realizing that some of what is currently there is not as important as other tasks and projects that you want to accomplish.Note: Just because you eliminate something doesn’t mean that it is not important at all, it just means that it is less important – now – than what you need/want to be doing instead.
  3. You can minimize your involvement on some projects or other commitments that you want to keep. You are not dropping the commitment altogether, but you are shrinking it. If you put your mind to it, I have faith that you can find something to minimize but still not eliminate it completely.
  4. You can figure out if someone else can take over all or part of some aspect of what you need to do. Regardless of whether you are trying to clear out some of your personal or professional commitments, consider delegating out at least a portion of one or more of those scheduled items.
  5. You can ask for some help. If you have children and someone else lives in your house, ask that person for some extra help for the few weeks or months. If you have some friends who “get it,” do some trade-off time with them. You take the “crew” one Saturday and your friend takes the crew the next week. If you have projects at work that could be shared, see about figuring that out, with the idea that you are lessening your involvement and the time commitment.

Note: You aren’t shirking your duties. You are committed to accomplishing goals that are important to you either personally, professionally or BOTH.

So, take a good look at your crammed calendar and apply one or all of these 5 tips. Make some space so you can be more productive on what is most important.

For more tips, be sure to take a look at Top Ten Productivity Tips.  www.TopTenProductivityTips.com

Your Attention and Your Energy Are Inextricably Related – So Be Intentional About Your Attention

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/03/02 05:03 Posted in Energy Boosts, Energy Drains, General/Overview  |  Comments (0)

Pay attention to your attention.

I’ve really been thinking about this given the cascading financial & political events. A goal for many of you, is similar to mine, i.e., positive, mindful clarity. Do you pay attention to your attention?

Right now, I attending to my intention of positive, mindful clarity. I consider the answers to these questions:

What am I doing?
Why am I doing what I’m doing?
What is the outcome of this focus and this work?

Would it be easy to become fearful and even despondent? Uh, yes. And neither I, my family, nor anyone else would be served by that.

Pay attention to your attention.

I don’t think any of us need to be wearing rose-colored glasses (as I have been accused of more than once lately and during other times of my life). I think it’s knowing that we want positive energy and therefore, we will attend to growing our businesses, expanding our reach, trying some new things, being creative, and figuring out alternatives.

Your energy will go where your attention does.

Where do you want your energy to be? Put your attention there…often.

I often say that I am not a big fan of tattoos, however there are certain phrases that I often think should be put on permanent display. This quote is one of those. I have been practically chanting it to myself lately.

“Remember, where our attention goes our energy flows.” ~ Patricia Diane Cota-Robles

People around you may be working very hard to draw your attention to places where you don’t want it to go. How can you keep that from happening?

It takes energy to ward off this negative energy…yet how can you do the creative, thoughtful, meaningful work that you need to if you’re mired down in the muck?

The Picture of Where You Want to Be

We can picture the most horrible outcomes possible or we can picture something that is not so horrible (and is actually more likely). Which is the better picture to be carrying around in your head? We do all kinds of funny things to get rid of actual photographs that don’t show us in our most flattering light…yet, we often put far less energy into getting rid of mental pictures and scenarios that aren’t so positive.

Here’s a way to think about it:

The best way to rid ourselves of a bad habit is to replace that habit with another one. Replace the pictures that are causing you to be either over- or underwhelmed with pictures that show you

  • handling situations with grace
  • coming up with solutions
  • being creative in finding answers
  • trying out some new behaviors
  • feeling light and your being
  • and whatever other positive pictures you want to have…because it’s where you want to be.

Hey, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?

And if you would like to learn more strategies for being ‘just whelmed,’ then you’re invited to join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin’s weekly strategies here.

Scheduling Time in Your Just Whelmed Calendar

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/28 01:52 Posted in Strategies  |  Comments (0)

Here are a few questions posed to me by a participant in the webinar Creating Grace, Space, & Pace with Your Own “Just Whelmed” Calendar.  I am sharing these questions and my answers so that they might help you, too.

Q. Do you move the items you write in the “Ideas That Just Appear” box over to the Mini-things box as necessary?

A:  During the week that I write something down on “ideas that just appear,” I don’t then move it to “mini things.” however the following week if the tasks still haven’t been done or put into some other kind of system and it’s something small, then I may put it in mini things. Often, though, something that I write down in “ideas that just appear” are actually part of a much more complex project and then it goes into whatever I’m using at the current time to manage projects.

 

Q. When you were producing manuscripts for publication how did you schedule the time needed to do this, peacefully and productively? I have been reading Robert Boice’s work and attempting his schedule writing every day for at least 30-60 minutes. Daphne Gray-Grant, a publication coach, also recommends writing every day at a set time. But, I find myself getting in a quandary about when to schedule this in.

A:  I tend to be a morning writer and was definitely a morning writer when I was a professor. Often once I got to the University things were just too wild and woolly to be able to focus for very long. One time though, when I was writing a book, I was able to get writing done while on campus, however that may have been the panic of the deadline! Some people are great at scheduling the exact same time every day to get their writing done and I say”more power to them” but that didn’t always work for me.  At this point, with the huge quantity of writing that I am doing, I do still try to write in the morning before everything else gets going, but I also schedule some days that are going to have writing as a significant part of the whole day.

 

Q:  I am an “Eat the Frog” disciple but I have 2 frogs and cannot eat both at the same time: exercising and writing. Whatever I set out to do first is what gets done no matter what, but the other one gets neglected. I think scheduling those things into focus time might be the ticket. I have at times called my writing/researching time my Dalai Lama time (my husband’s suggestion b/c I was so anxious about not writing). He suggested I schedule an appt on my calendar to meet with a person for whom I would never break the appt. I picked the Dalai Lama. And you know, when I did this I was very productive. When I didn’t schedule it in (b/c I allowed others to dictate my schedule) I was not productive. Go figure.

A:  It sounds like you have a great plan and that just makes me laugh calling it Dalai Lama time! I do believe showing someone as the person with whom we are scheduling really helps and I know many faculty members who do that. Because when we just write in writing or research time somehow, as important as other academics understand that time is, if they want that time, they will often just go ahead and ask for it.

So as you’re starting this new year, I’d suggest that you go back to putting in Dalai Lama time and just know that you put in twice as much as you need and then you can focus both on exercise on some days and writing on the other days or something like that.

Hope this is helpful. And note, one of your benefits of being a Life of *E*s member is sending in questions like this, and generally I will answer them on the extravaganza days.  You do not have to send in your e-mail question on the actual day, you can send it ahead of time.

Note:  For more info on the Life of *E*s – just go to www.LifeofEs.com.

When the Backlog Overwhelms You, What Should You Do?

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/25 10:25 Posted in Energy Drains, Simplifying Your Life, Strategies  |  Comments (0)

Recently, someone emailed me this question:

I have papers everywhere and no time to go through them. Hiring help to do it won’t work for me because I could go through them faster myself than to keep answering someone else who kep asking me what to do with the all the papers and files.

I’m sure you have found yourself in this state before, too. I think we all have at some point. Is there any solution when you become seriously and scarily behind like this?  Yes.

  • Start by getting all the papers, files, folders, magazines, scraps, etc. that are strewn around your office (on the desk, on chairs, on the floor, wherever, and put them into banker’s boxes (the kind with lids).
  • Just put everything in those boxes and put them out of the way as much as you can. Just having everything “contained” makes a difference.
  • Then, start dealing today with the new papers, tasks, etc. that are coming in. This includes mail, requests from others (colleagues, students, etc.), ideas you think of, etc. Keep your focus on staying “current” on the new.

As for the “old” that you have put into boxes…

  • Set aside 15″ each day (and make it an appointment) with yourself and spend time with one of the boxes.
  • Here’s the only rule for that – when you open a box and start your 15″ timer, you must do something with each item that you remove from the box and here are your choices:
  1. Dump it, Toss it, Trash it (a very popular choice and more can be dealt with here than you might imagine).
  2. Deal with it - actually do whatever is needed right now. Make a call, send an email, sign the form, put it in a folder in your file cabinet, whatever. Do the task.
  3. Delegate it. Give it to someone else (but only if you weren’t able to dump it). You never want to pass something along that doesn’t need to be done anyway.

These are the only three choices I’ll give you on what is in the boxes. At the end of 15″, put the lid back on the box and go back to your other stuff. Do NOT root around in the boxes looking for stuff you could do. Take it as it comes. Sure enough, you will chip away at what is in there and you eventually get faster and going through these three choices, especially after your “stuff” has been in there awhile and you realize, ‘Hmmm….this is so long past that now I can just ditch this altogether.’

I hope the ideas I’ve given to you (described above) help. We have ALL been there and we need to have ways of getting out. The truth is, we’ll end up there again and we will use the same tools that work. As much as I’ve worked through this over the last number of years, it still happens now and again and I have a few tools, including what I put in this email, and it helps me get right back out before long.

If you would like a full 90+ minute teleseminar (with extensive handouts) on what to do when you are “Seriously & Scarily Behind,” here’s the link:  http://www.justwhelmed.com/ScarilyBehind.php where you’ll find out all about it.

Downshift Your Responsiveness When You Work at Home

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/22 05:01 Posted in Prioritizing, Productive Environments, Routines & Systems  |  Comments (0)

Many people today feel pressure to be immediately responsive to every request, no matter when it is received, no matter from whom it is received, and regardless of the method it is delivered. So that you can focus and be more productive in your writing when you work at home, may I respectfully encourage you to “downshift” your responsiveness in these areas:

1. Answering the door: Just because someone is knocking on your door or ringing your doorbell does not mean you have to answer, particularly if you don’t know who the person is. This is particularly true if you are alone in your house.

2. Answering the phone: More and more, no matter how many “do not call lists” you are on, your home phone seems to be fair game for “surveys,” “checking on your satisfaction with our service,” political calls, and any number of robo-calls. It’s horrid. Either let your machine pick up, screen the calls and only pick up those from people you know, or just call back those you want to talk with. There’s no need to be like Pavlov’s dogs with the sound of a ringing phone. Many people write at home and supposedly do so because there are less distractions. Make sure you don’t allow the phone to distract you.

3. Text messaging: I think my articles are read by adults, so I will be hopeful that you are not texting all day everyday (because if you are, your writing agenda is sorely behind!) However, even though text messages can be incredible convenient and offer opportunities for real-time problem solving, they can also be a major distractor and detractor for productivity. Downshift your responsiveness on texting, as appropriate.

4. Friend (or connection) requests on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter (or other Social Media): That’s all I’m going to say. It’s not urgent and it’s not important. Get to it when you get to it.

5. Face to face requests from people in your family: If you “hop to” any request, no matter how minor and no matter what else you are engaged in at the time, begin to downshift your responsiveness. You are not anyone’s servant nor at anyone’s beck and call. Be reasonably responsive to reasonable requests.

That last sentence applies for all of these. Be reasonably responsive to reasonable requests. If someone makes an unreasonable request, well, then I would carefully consider any response to that request.

If you will downshift your responsiveness in the five areas I have listed above, you can “upshift” your responsiveness and productivity as it relates to writing. And isn’t that what you want?

And for hundreds of sets of Top Ten Productivity Tips like these – with a whole series dedicated to writers – you’re invited to join others around the globe who subscribe (free) to one of the Top Ten Productivity Tips series.

Decision Doors – What Is Lying Through the Doors You Are Not Opening? Both Good and Bad

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/19 06:35 Posted in Prioritizing, Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

In life, you have probably kept some doors shut on purpose and you’ve had some you’ve never even thought about opening.

Let’s think about what could be lying through doors that are not currently open for you (and this is just a list for you to get your thinking going) – and we’ll start with positive possibilities. Use these to prompt your “upside” thinking.

 

  • More joy
  • More people
  • Certain special people
  • Certain experiences
  • Particular tasks
  • New views of yourself
  • Language(s) – not only to learn but the learning that comes from being exposed to others’ use of language
  • Hobbies
  • Security
  • New or different jobs
  • Responsibilities
  • Events
  • Destinations
  • Commitments
  • Belief systems
  • Groups
  • Trust
  • Health
  • Clothes
  • Foods
  • Relationships
  • Wealth
  • Smells
  • Tastes
  • Time
  • Change
  • Stability
  • World views
  • What else?

Now what about the possibilities that lie on the other side of doors that are “not so positive?” Just use these to get your own thinking going:

  • Some pain
  • Some foci (in terms of things that you might think about or spend time and energy upon)
  • Certain people
  • Certain relationships
  • World views
  • Some experiences
  • Various tasks
  • Particular views of yourself
  • The use of some kinds of language (which conveys certain thoughts that you want to close off)
  • Activities
  • Disease
  • New or different jobs
  • Responsibilities
  • Events
  • Destinations
  • Fear
  • Commitments
  • Groups
  • Clothes
  • Instability
  • Foods
  • Belief systems
  • Relationships
  • Smells
  • Tastes
  • Time
  • What else?

As I am sure you can see, some of the words or prompts are on both lists, but not all. It’s worth going through each list (and your own list thinking both “upside” and “downside”). “Belief systems” is an example. Sometimes, there are belief systems or ways of viewing the world that you have never even considered and once you find out more, you realize that there are portions of those beliefs and views that are a match for you and what you want. Thus, if you didn’t open the door to being exposed to other thoughts and beliefs, you would never find this.

Likewise, there are particular world views that you already know, for whatever reason, are completely out of synch with your views and you want no part of those in your life, and you know those are on the other sides of some doors – and may then decide to close or keep the door closed on those.

Can you begin to see that there is not just one giant door that is either open or closed? There are many, many tiny doors that we get to choose to open or close.

For some of you, you can get the same image in mind I got as I was writing this, i.e., the the image of an Advent calendar, which some of you may have seen. For the weeks of Advent, leading up to Christmas, there is a tradition of opening tiny little doors to read a Bible verse, get a special treat, or find a quote or good wish. Life is more like one of these calendars, i.e., there are many doors to either open or close each month, each year… and this goes on throughout our lives – not just during the Advent season.

Flora Whittemore, said, “the doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” We explored that idea related to our decisions and our lives in five sessions (all of which are recorded and available). You are welcome to visit here, where you’ll see them listed.

We’re having a great time with the Staying Positive Society!

Feeling Schizophrenic

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/16 10:24 Posted in Stories from Academic Women  |  Comments (0)

One of the R & D team members says her story involves feeling schizophrenic.  I’m wondering who else can identify:

I am a highly intelligent, self-motivated person who is getting the life sucked out of me because of the politics and bureaucracy that I spend my work day mired in. Further, my particular department makes decisions on a dime – which results in going in a different direction every time the President mentions she likes something – that becomes our new focus instead of making deliberate decisions that further our mission and would achieve success.

As if this is not enough, I work in an institution that is rife with supervisors that are bullies (starting at the top) which messes with the whole ability to achieve as an employee, and crippled workforce. Lastly, I work in an academic institution, for heaven’s sake – and some people really do believe in the “ivory tower” myth. Which means that we don’t operate as a functioning business, everything is studied or talked about to death, which limits creativity and the ability to actually get things done. (I know this sentence and the second sentence contradict each other, but now you know the reason for my schizophrenic behaviors!!!)

—————————-

Suggestions?  Thoughts?  Solutions from anyone?  Please comment.

 

 

Who Wishes She Had a Supportive Supervisor?

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/13 05:20 Posted in Productive Environments, Stories from Academic Women  |  Comments (0)

Someone, who asked to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, responded thusly when asked, ’What one change would you make to allow for a peacefully productive work environment:

“The change in my environment that would make me more peacefully productive would be to have a truly supportive supervisor that valued what I did.  I know I am dispensable to this person because she tried to dispense with my unit/function and move me to into a related but “lowly” role (where people start out in my occupation). 

Thank God, the faculty and deans protested loud enough that I was able to move back to where I belonged.  With a supportive supervisor, I wouldn’t sweat the possibility of losing my job, and I’d get back the administrative assistant I had under the previous administration.  If I could just get out from under all the clerical tasks I have to do, I’d be plenty more productive.”

——————

Meggin says:  I happen to know this person – and if she has a supervisor who doesn’t recognize her level of talent, brilliance, and contribution…well, then I would have to wonder what’s wrong with the supervisor.

Maybe she has some “issues,” maybe?

Anyone else have a thought to share on this?

Are Academic Women More or Less Overwhelmed – and Why?

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/11 08:19 Posted in More or Less Overwhelmed?, Stories from Academic Women  |  Comments (0)

Recently, I asked this question of about 200 academic women:

What percentage of the women you know could use some help with being *just whelmed* (vs. overwhelmed or underwhelmed?  Feel free to offer some explanation along with your answer.  Note:  In this series of posts, I’ll offer some of their responses (and all will be offered anonymously, as requested).  Other posts on this blog will have the person’s name associated with her comments, but not this series.

Among College of Extension female colleagues, almost all verbalize feelings of “overwhelm.”  However, there are those who seem to thrive in that state, despite the grousing. Probably half would be interested in help managing the feeling, but only a few would carve out the time to take action.

What are your thoughts?  Have you seen this pattern?  Click on the comments link above and you’ll see the box where you can respond.

Establishing Systems – Where Did I Put My Keys?

By Meggin McIntosh  |  2012/02/08 06:18 Posted in Routines & Systems  |  Comments (0)

Here is a response one of the Just Whelmed members sent me after listening to the Wee Weekly Workshop lesson on establishing systems.  She writes:

“Just listening to this (Wee Weekly Workshop lesson on establishing systems) and I had to laugh at the one about “where did I put my keys?” In my office I hang them on the light switch so that when I leave I turn out the light and when I’m in my office the light is on (the light switch is just strong enough to hold the keys up.) Gives a little “go green” to my life in my office.  I recently purchased a lamp to use instead of the overhead lights, now I’m still trying to figure out where to put my keys because when the overhead light is off, my keys won’t hang there.”

You may have systems for your keys – or you may need a routine for your keys.  Let’s share ideas here!!  Just put yours in the comment box.