The next time you’re feeling stymied and frustrated, look at the clock. When is your best time to create, to analyze, to think? Is it early or late? Are you trying to fit a square peg into a round hole?
I often feel my entire existence is a vicious cycle of plan, plan, over-plan… until I rebel against the self-imposed structures and tear down all the walls and systems. But one thing is ever present: I never know when to quit.
I should amend that. Until very recently, I never knew when to quit. That does not mean I now always know when to quit, and it certainly does not mean that I do quit when I should. But every once in a great while, it occurs to me that now would be the perfect time to stop.
Way too often I feel I don’t have the time to do something at the right time and try to just jam the square peg in. One more task before dinner. One more thing to organize before this. One more thing. One more thing. One more thing.
This is a news flash to some: It’s okay to experience unpleasant feelings. It’s okay for things to happen that you don’t want to happen. It is possible to notice these things happening and consciously allow them to be there. And it makes a huge difference to how traumatic or not-so-bad the experience ends up being.
I believe that in some people circumspection develops with age.
I love to remind myself: If things are not going as I’d wish, relax because they won’t last. Also, if things are going as I’d wish, relax because they won’t last either.
There will be a last time that I awake from sleep. There will be a last time I have dinner with my mom. There will be a last line of software I write. There will be a last parkour jump I do. There will also be a last wasp sting, a last broken bone, a last heart-break, and the hottest and stickiest time I’ve ever experienced.
Why exactly should I be affected by the flat tire on my bicycle, the traffic jam, the cancelled flight or the irate customer?
In the end, it is all the same.
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Movers Mindset Team: Roles, remote work, and passion →
What are the unique roles and collaborative processes behind the production of Movers Mindset podcast episodes?
In our special 50th episode, the Movers Mindset team gets together to discuss what we do, and how far we’ve come. Each team member explains what they do in the team, and how all of our roles fit together. We talk about working remotely, the freedoms and challenges that come with it, and some of the strategies we use to help with that. The team discusses favorite episodes, things we’ve learned, and what each of us has found to be very special about the project.
The thing that I’m really passionate about is that we have a platform, Movers Mindset is a platform that can give people a voice.
~ Melissa Way (10:27)
Movers Mindset team members explain how they balance creativity and organization while managing the complexities of remote podcast production.
There’s something really, really special about when— I don’t know, just the simple fact of somebody being very interested in what someone has to say.
~ Miguel Chero (11:58)
The conversation explores the inner workings of the Movers Mindset podcast, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of the team members. The team discusses the collaborative process that allows them to manage podcast production remotely, balancing creativity, technical tasks, and the logistics of releasing weekly episodes. They describe how each member’s unique strengths contribute to the overall success of the podcast.
I handle production. I handle social media. I’m also the ‘no’ to every idea Craig tries to throw at us.
~ Kristen Swantek (15:25)
Topics such as remote work challenges, the importance of guest relations, and the structured workflows that keep the project organized are examined. The team reflects on their passion for storytelling and their commitment to providing a platform for voices that may not otherwise be heard. Additionally, the group shares anecdotes about the joys and occasional chaos involved in producing the podcast.
Takeaways
Creating episodes in advance — The team often works two to three months ahead of the release schedule.
Collaborative remote work — Weekly meetings and consistent communication help keep the remote team aligned.
Role specialization — Each member focuses on different aspects such as editing, social media, guest management, and production.
Platform for voices — Movers Mindset provides a space for lesser-known individuals to share their insights alongside more prominent figures.
Structured workflows — The podcast production process follows a structured path with numerous checkpoints and collaboration steps.
Emphasis on storytelling — The passion for storytelling and listening to people’s experiences drives the podcast’s success.
Dynamic problem solving — The team adapts quickly to unexpected issues, often relying on each other to solve problems creatively.
Resources
Basecamp — Project management tool used by the Movers Mindset team to coordinate tasks and projects.
Overcast — Podcast player referenced for listening to episodes.
In 1924 a scientist named Otto Warburg happened upon a counterintuitive finding. Cancer cells, even in the presence of sufficient oxygen, underwent a type of metabolism cells reserved for rapid energy demand – anaerobic metabolism. In fact, even when cancer cells were given additional oxygen, they still almost uniformly defaulted into using only glucose to make ATP via the anaerobic pathway. This is counterintuitive because this way of making ATP is typically a last resort for cells, not a default, due to the very poor yield of ATP.
This is a simple introduction to the two methods our cells can use to get the energy they need to do everything; One way is efficient and one is not. It’s critical that our cells can switch between the two methods as circumstances change. The curious discovery made by Warburg is that cancer cells always use the inefficient method.
No matter what we think of each other, maybe it isn’t at all important that I follow you, or that you follow me. We are both elsewhere, in more complete forms. Let’s find each other there.
Having recently completed the last step of a complete exodus from my personal participation in social networks, I can now say: I have no idea wether I’m interacting more or less with other humans, and I do not care. I’m less stressed and I don’t miss it. I feel so much better just never going to those spaces.
But, wow did I used to spend time there.
It’s almost as if the multi-billion-dollar companies know so much about manipulating human behavior that I was literally unable derive benefit. It’s almost as if I was simply a battery plugged into their matrix.
People who succeed look to give their future selves an edge. They seek to put themselves in a more advantaged position down the road. They make small sacrifices today to alleviate stress and enjoy more fulfillment tomorrow.
There’s an old adage about how we consistently over-estimate what can be accomplished in a day, while under-estimating what can be accomplished in a lifetime.
At some point I started loosely planning each day; There are times when I completely pause this daily activity, but in general, early in the morning I create a plan for the day. I disagree with the often repeated recommendation to plan the night before. In the evening, as I’m winding down, planning my day would place me in front of my computer which is something I avoid at all costs.
The most prominent quality of this state of presence is the quiet that comes over the outside world. You can still hear the city noise and traffic, but the loudest thing has gone silent, which is your normal mental commentary.
Sometimes I manage to bring myself to the present moment.
Sometimes a feeling of serenity appears.
Sometimes I notice I’m staring at the horizon with a benevolent feeling suffusing my existence.
It happens too rarely.
Each time it does, in the subsequent moments—as I’m dragged down from that brief enlightenment by my personal zombie horde of thoughts—I’m left only with a echo…
Over the past few years I have been made to see, in sum, that the nature and extent of satire is not nearly as simple a question as I had previously imagined. I am now prepared to agree that some varieties of expression that may have some claim to being satire should indeed be prohibited. I note this not with a plan or proposal for where or how such a prohibition might be enforced, but to acknowledge something I did not fully understand until I experienced it first hand — that even the most cherished and firmly-held values or ideals can change when the world in which those values were first formed changes.
Doing a pushup isn’t that hard, and with a fully defined program, once I’ve decided to go with it, a pushup is all I ever have to do. Push the floor away, and I will get there. On the action level that’s all I need to be thinking about. Trying to do a pushup while you’re simultaneously deciding whether it’s worthwhile is about ten times harder than just lifting your body off the floor.
Hear! Hear! and once more, louder, for those in the back!
I’ve come to the conclusion that for me, the desired ratio for the time spent deciding versus doing is infinite. I strive to spend all of my time deciding. I try to never do anything. I try to always sit with the thinking and the deciding. …stay with it. …wait. …keep thinking. …no, I’m not yet done deciding. …no, do not initiate action.
Because no matter how hard I try to stay with the deciding, my urge to do eventually forces me into action. I never have trouble shifting from deciding to doing.
This is very closely related to my touch-stone phrase for 2019, which is, “no.” In 2018 I tried the classic, “HELL YES! …or no,” and I still said yes far too often. So for 2019 I’m trying to always say, “no.” I’m trying to spend all my time deciding.
Halfway through 2019 and I’m still getting far too much done.