What Would It Look Like If It Were Easy?

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Life is hard. It’s difficult, complicated, and messy. The funny thing is we tend to complain about the hard times but we seem to like it. It’s something we live for and wouldn’t know what to with ourselves if it wasn’t hard. Hell, many of us out there spend their entire lives dreaming about retirement only to get bored within 10 minutes and look for another job.

Don’t get people started on easy money or “get rich quick” ideas either. They are scams. No one EVER got ANYTHING the easy way and most people don’t get things handed to them. Those who do get things handed to them are lazy, immature, and worthless. Easy is dumb and NO ONE should ever want things to come the easy way.

Then Tim Ferriss wrote the 4 Hour Work Week and a small rebellion started. These followers of Tim realized there was a better way to do things. We could work smarter, not harder if we took the time to think creatively. The old, direct way may work but is it the most effective?

What if “it” was easy? This is a phrase I’ve heard from Tim several times but it didn’t seem to click. Several months ago, however, Tim did another round of his “Drunk Dial” episode and I was lucky enough to finally make the cut. (Basically, his fans sign up to receive a drunken phone call from him and he’ll answer any question he is asked. Then he compiles the audio, he’s record, into an episode or two for his podcast.) I received a ton of good advice from this phone call but what stuck with me was “what would [my project] look like if it was easy?” Basically, what was the bare minimum I would need to get my project off the ground. No bells, no whistles, just unbridled minimalism.

If you are anything like me, we have a tendency to overthink and overanalyze the world around us. We have an easier time thinking about where we want a project to go but not where to begin. We think about all of the bells and whistles and think they need to be a part of the project in the beginning. If I don’t do A, B, and C right in the beginning then there’s no point to starting anything, right?

This is where we go wrong with most of the things we want to do in life. We over complicate things to the point of overwhelm and inaction. We want to get certifications, build apps, and need tons of money instead of seeing if there is an easier way to get started. We make 12 step plans when a 3 step plan will do.

I have a friend who would love to be a personal trainer or own a business in the physical fitness space. Unfortunately, they don’t have time to become a certified personal trainer, go out to find people to train, or start a business. What could they do instead? What would it look like if it were easy? “They could start a personal fitness blog, Joe.” Think easier. “How about posting workouts and fitness articles on Facebook?” Exactly! They’re already working out regularly and reading health and fitness articles, why not share them? They’d quickly become seen as an expert people could turn to with questions.

I went through a similar process with this blog. For years, I’ve wanted to share the things I’ve learned, with those around me, but it never really stuck. I made every excuse in the book as to why I couldn’t start. I had to create a name. I needed a website. I needed to write at least a dozen posts to ensure I had material in case I wasn’t able to write. On October 22 I got fed up and did something about it. I set up a free blog and now I’m posting regularly. “Look, Mom and Dad, I’ve got a blog!”

I’m not trying to say there won’t be work involved. Anything worth doing will take time and energy. There will be PLENTY of work. The idea here is to bypass the “paralysis by analysis” and get started by figure out if there is a better way. What is the least amount of energy we can expend to get the most results? Then we can take the energy we’ve saved to work on something else or take some much needed time for ourselves, guilt free.

The best part about this phrase is, I believe, it can be applied to everything we do. We spend much of our lives thinking and overanalyzing every little decision we have to make instead of doing. We need to stop. Stop waiting and start doing. I almost guarantee, not matter what you want to do there’s an easy way to start. So start… NOW.

The Broccoli Test

Image Credit: Viktor Hanacek

Last night I got home from work and was hungry, like one might be around dinner time. I quickly notice the bag of marshmallows were open on the counter, since my wife made the kids hot chocolate. Now, I love marshmallows and I decided to have a few and ONLY A FEW. Unfortunately, like the Lays Potato Chips commercial from the 90s, I couldn’t eat just one. By the end of the night, I had at least a third of the bag, not including the ones I put in my massive cup of hot chocolate. The funny thing is, as I’m doing this, I thinking about the article I wrote two weeks ago about surviving the holidays. Epic Fail!

Sure I was hungry and sure I was excited for dinner. (We were having chili and I couldn’t wait) but it wasn’t the reason I was eating. I was eating because I could, it was convenient, and frankly I had zero fucks left to give at this point. I was eating because I was emotionally hungry not just physically hungry. I didn’t pass The Broccoli Test (TBT).

“What the hell is The Broccoli Test, Joe? Sounds dumb and gross.” On the contrary, I find it to be a brilliant concept I picked up from Adam Gilbert founder of MyBodyTutor.com. In this article, he states there are two types of hunger: Physical hunger and Emotional hunger. Physical hunger, not surprisingly, happens when you’re ACTUALLY hungry. You haven’t eaten in a while and it is time for you next meal. Emotional hunger happens in just about every other instance. It’s those times when you “feel” hungry but you don’t quite know what you want or when you’re craving something specific. Eventually, you eat whatever you can find.

“Sounds exciting, Joe, but how do I know the difference?” This is where The Broccoli Test comes into the mix. If you’re hungry enough to eat broccoli, then CONGRATULATIONS you are physically hungry. If you wouldn’t, then you are emotionally hungry. “But I HATE broccoli!” Then pick a vegetable you will eat and use it as a gauge. There you have it. Simple right?

Okay, we figured out when we are emotionally eating, now what? Next is to figure out why. I’ve found there are a couple of common reasons people are emotionally hungry. For some it’s boredom. They are watching TV or messing around on their phones and they “need” a snack. They grab the bag of chips and, without thinking much about it, go through half the bag, maybe more. Then there’s the anxious/depression eating. They are stressed and are looking to fill a void with food. We’ve all seen that scene on TV or in the movies where there’s a breakup and one of the individuals eats an entire half gallon of ice cream. Maybe it’s happened to us? I’m sure I’ve been through a similar experience.

When it comes down to it, there are any number of reasons we are emotionally hungry. The point is to figure out why we are and deal with it productively before it gets out of hand. Start journaling, call a friend, clean your room, start a blog or some other creative endeavor if you’re bored. Find your thing and go to town.

One trick I’ve started using to help prevent my hunger throughout the day is eating more. This may sound counter intuitive but having larger, healthier meals can prevent hunger until the next meal. I’m not talking about overeating but eating until we are full. I find when I undereat at a meal because I’m busy or trying to drop a few pounds I’m hungry again faster. Then I’m trying to stuff anything and everything into my face to get me to the next meal. This, clearly, doesn’t help me at all and only makes me feel like shit.

Now that we know the difference between physical and emotional hunger, we’re better equipped to make better eating decisions. So, next time hunger strikes we can take the test to see where we land.

(Bonus Post) My Bucket List

Image Credit: Viktor Hanacek

Yesterday, I wrote about taking time to create a bucket list or, as Steve Kamb would call it, an “Epic Quest of Awesome.” (I’ll explain more about this second part in a later post). I figured if I was going to ask you do create a list of things you want to do; it was only fair I made my own to share with you. I’ve made list like this before but I’m finally ready to start working on mine.

I know some of these “goals” might feel a little nebulous but that’s not the point of the 10-minute exercise. You want to set a timer for 10 minutes and write down everything you’ve EVER wanted to do not matter how silly it might feel. The planning comes later.

Now, for your viewing pleasure… My Bucket List:

Things I want to do:

  • Sail to Antarctica on the Bark Europa
  • Hike the entire Appalachian Trail
  • Visit every continent (including Antarctica
  • Visit all 50 States
  • Spend a month living in Europe
  • Spend a year living outside of the US
  • Attend the Arnold Classic
  • Attend the E3
  • Attend Origins
  • Attend GenCon
  • Own an Island (possibly in the Caribbean)
  • Sail around the Caribbean for a month
  • Fly in a Private Jet
  • Gamble in Monte Carlo, Monaco
  • Spend a month living off the land (have to think more about this one specifically)
  • Kill a deer with a bow
  • Clean/eat a deer I’ve killed
  • Own 50 acres of land in NC
  • Build a Bunker
  • Learn how to pick a lock
  • Learn to Snowboard
  • Attend Carnival in Venice, Italy
  • Attend a meditation retreat (Thanks Eat, Pray, Love)
  • Take a Course on Tactical Shooting
  • Learn to speak Spanish

Places I want to Visit:

  • Visit London
  • Visit Dublin
  • Visit Madrid
  • Visit Barcelona
  • Visit Tuscany/Florence
  • Visit Istanbul
  • Visit Prague
  • Visit Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Visit a Castle in Germany
  • Visit Amsterdam
  • Visit Tokyo
  • Visit Hong Kong
  • Visit Bali, Indonesia (thanks again Eat, Pray, Love)
  • Visit the South American Rainforest

Fitness Related Goals:

  • Become a Certified Personal Trainer
  • Squat 400lbs
  • Deadlift 400lbs
  • Bench Press 300lbs
  • Complete a Spartan Trifecta
  • Medal in a Spartan Race
  • Participate in a Powerlifting Competition
  • Spend a year learning Brazilian Ju-Jitsu
  • Teach my kids to weightlift

Business Related Goals:

  • Start a business
  • Work from home
  • Become an Angel Investor investing in at least one successful company
  • Become an Advisor to a Startup (preferably in Raleigh, NC)
  • Launch an Indie Video Game
  • Write a Fiction book
  • Start a blog
  • Start a podcast
  • Spend a Day with Tim Ferriss
  • Spend a Day with Noah Kagan
  • Spend a Day with Seth Godin
  • Spend a Day with Zach Even-Esh

Memento Mori – Death Becomes Us

Image Credit: Viktor Hanacek

I’m dying. Not of some strange illness or disease but in the way we all are dying. Every day we are one day closer to the end or our lives, whether we like it or not. Until we figure out how to become Lazarus Long, all of us will eventually die. As morbid as it might sound it is important for us to remember this fact.

Death is a funny thing. Most people, including myself, are afraid of it for many reasons. It sounds painful, we don’t truly know what happens when we die, there is too much we want to accomplish before the end, and we don’t want to leave our loved ones. It’s human’s second biggest fear.

We fear death so much we try to push it from our minds instead of confronting it. Death is taboo. Death is scary so we ignore it. We don’t worry about the day to day or our slow creeping march to towards the end. Why would we? Most of us wake up every day fine so why wouldn’t there be a tomorrow.

I heard the author James Altucher once say he knew he was going to live forever because he had over 40 years of statistical data proving him right. Now, I’m sure this was meant to be a joke but I think most of us subconsciously feel the same way. It’s the “there will always be a tomorrow” thought process. The problem with this mindset is it makes us complacent in our own lives, unwilling to focus on the present. So we sit in our dead end jobs or hang out with people we don’t care about because… why not? Unfortunately, our time is finite and we need to think about death.

The Stoics have a phrase they use when thinking about death. The Latin phrase Memento Mori, the practice of focusing or reflecting on one’s death or mortality, is an important arrow in the Stoics quiver. But instead of this being some morbid/emo fixation on death, it should be used to keep us grounded in the present. Remembering we are going to die also helps spur on action in our lives. We don’t know when the end will come and we should ensure we don’t die with regrets. We need to give ourselves permission to make more mistakes, try something we’re afraid of doing, spend more time having adventures, and being with the ones we love.

If we only had one month, one week, or only 24 hours left to live, what we would want to do with our time left? What would we regret not doing? What would we regret wasting too much of our time doing? Well, for most of us there is still plenty of time to go do those things after all. By taking 5-10 minutes to write down everything we want to accomplish in our lives, we can work towards checking them off to create more fulfillment in our lives. Death’s only has to be scary if we live a life of inaction.

This blog came out of a Memento Mori moment for me. I put off many different projects due to my fear of judgement. I would tell myself, “There’s always tomorrow,” but when “tomorrow” came, nothing would happen. In the end, I would put the blog off until “I felt like working on it,” which, of course, never happened. One day I had enough and decided to put some words on a page, posting it for the world to see. I had no clue where this blog will take me but I knew if I didn’t start now I would go nowhere, fast. Now, I’m continuing to post and thinking about the direction of the blog. More excitement and more fear.

I challenge you to create a list of things you would regret doing if you died tomorrow. (A “Bucket List” if you will.) Don’t look at other blog sites, check lists, or ask your friends but write down things you always thought, “This would be AWESOME!” If you think, “HELL YES!” it goes on the list. Then pick one of the ideas on the list and work towards making it happen. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

‘Cause Pearl Harbor Sucks and I Love You

Friday was a very important day and is a “Day which will live in infamy.” It was the day I got my vasectomy. (Hooray for being a responsible adult). On a more serious note is was also the remembrance of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and with this single act, the US decided to officially go to war with the German, Italian, Japanese alliance. We, as Americans, realized our isolationistic policies were no longer going to work and we needed to become a global player once again. We could no longer hide on our continent, expected to be left alone.

It was a tragic day in our Nation’s history much like the Great Depression, the deaths of JFK, MLK, and RFK, and the terrorist attack on 9/11. While horrible, these tragic events helped to bring the nation closer together showing the best parts of ourselves. We weren’t a nation of individuals who didn’t give a shit about the guy next to us. We were a nation who realized we were stronger together then we were apart.

Now having served in the Navy and being a lover of history, I understand the importance of a day like December 7th. Now, I’m also the kind of irreverent asshole who would use these “said” events to make an inside joke to his friends and family on Facebook, which is of course what I did. I decided to post Franklin Roosevelt’s sound bite about the Pearl Harbor attack as both serious salute to Pearl Harbor and a joke about my vasectomy. (It’s called multitasking). This led to a comment about hoping youngsters will remember and understand the events of the past instead of dismissing them as unimportant.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows this type of comment pisses me off. For whatever reason, as we get older, we forgot what it’s like to be young and dumb. We forgot how FUCKING STUPID we were and how unimportant EVERYTHING was, which didn’t directly affect us. Comments like this are ignorant and detrimental. Of course, the younger generations don’t understand past events and will most likely dismiss them. Hell, I didn’t truly understand the significance of events like Pearl Harbor until I lived through 9/11. Up to this point, I had not lived through a national tragedy and didn’t understand much of anything.

The thing about history is it’s in the past and it’s difficult to truly understand it unless you’ve lived through something like it. We can never TRULY understand what people went through unless we’ve “walked a mile in their shoes.” The only ways I can think of to accomplish this are either build a time machine or experience a similar tragedy of our own. Unfortunately, I’m fresh out of DeLoreans.

My point is, of course, the youth today are going to dismiss these past events as unimportant, much like I guarantee most people didn’t realize Friday was the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. Instead of belittling or chastising the youth for not knowing or caring about “Past Events” we should be trying to educate them in a positive way. Explain the significance to them and help them understand why they should care.

It’s not about remembering that we were attacked by the Japanese 77 years ago but understanding why we were attacked. Taking the time to understand the Japanese’s motivations behind the attack has practical applications in the real world. Learning to take the time to understand other people’s motivations helps us have empathy for those around us. It helps us understand the bigger picture on a micro and macro level. We can learn why someone is being a bully or why an entire culture continues to threaten the US and Western Europe. Who knows? It could help prevent other terrorist attacks in the future.

Again, the important thing is understanding and remembering we are to blame for how the next generations turn. If we want to point our fingers at our nation’s youth and think, “Dammit, they are dumb,” not only are we lacking empathy but we aren’t teaching either. We are kicking the empathy ball down the road because it’s someone else’s problem. So instead of bitching about how today’s youth suck, we need do something about it to try to make this world a better place for us and them.

Finding My “Why” When it Comes to This Blog!

Why the fuck am I writing? Today is the 30th blog post I’ve written and I still don’t know why I continue writing. So not I am forcing myself to think about this question. Why I write is a question I thought I had a vague answer to when I started but it gets muddier every day.

When I first started writing, it was out of a sense of urgency. For years I’ve wanted to write but was too afraid to put myself out there. I hid behind “maybes” and “somedays” and the dreaded “I don’t have the time.” My fear of looking foolish was more intense than my desire to create. The day I started, I slapped myself in the face, put words on a page, and posted them on the internet.

Then I thought it was to build me up and give me a sense of purpose. I’ve been in passive self-discovery mode for the last couple of years, reading and learning, but not really doing anything with the information. I would try something I learned but would stop quickly when things got difficult or the next shiny object would dance in front of me. Like Thomas Edison, I found a 1000 different ways to NOT create the lightbulb.

As the days went on, I thought it was a way to help other people. I figured I’d done enough reading and listening to other people’s ideas I could share them, with my own thoughts, bring clarity to myself and others. This would build a guru level status for me, which I could leverage to bigger and better things. Today the Joe Ditzel Project, tomorrow… THE WORLD! MWAHAHAHA!

Out of the 30 posts I’ve written, four of them were the “Here are my tips and tricks” type posts. I fucking HATED writing them. First they were long, tedious, and boring (sorry Mom. I didn’t mean to say the “B” word). Second, they weren’t me. These articles were everyone else. These articles were me trying to be like everyone else out there with little life hacks. While there’s nothing wrong with those articles, hell I love them and read them all the time, they aren’t me. It’s not my voice. It’s not how I want to write.

This weekend, after some serious self-doubt and the desire to quit this blog altogether, I came to a conclusion. I need to find my why. Why do I want to write and why should people listen to me? This idea comes from the Simon Simek book aptly titled, “Start with Why,” which helps to start people down the rabbit hole of self-discovery, by forcing them to take time to think. No matter what the endeavor, creative or otherwise, there needs to a reason for being. Once the why is figured out we can move onto the what and the how. (What are we going to do and how are we going to accomplish it?)

I may not know my “why” yet but I do know one thing, I need to keep writing. I need to keep putting myself out there, into the world, to see where this gravy train will take me. Until then, I’ll see you Wednesday.

Fitness Friday – The 6 Things I’m Doing to Survive the Holiday Season

Happy Friday. I’m trying something a little different today in what I’m calling Fitness Fridays. Every week I’ll write about something Health and Fitness related to help us start kicking even more ass. I love talking about this stuff and want to share it with you. Feel free to let me know what you think. Let’s begin.

It’s that time of the year again. The Thanksgiving feasts are done but the holiday season is far from over. Between holiday parties, Christmas, Hanaka, New Years, and general meetups with friends it can be can be an enriching time, foodwise.

The cold doesn’t help either. As the weather gets colder we have a tendency to turn into bears and want to pack on the weight for hibernation. The food and the weather turn this time into a perfect storm shitshow for being healthy.

The next several weeks are about survival. Though it would be nice to lose a couple of pounds during this time, the goal is about keeping the belt at the same notch. We can break out our “holiday pants” on special occasion but should leave them in the closet on the day to day. If we set ourselves up right we will be ready for New Year with some sustainable habits.

Here are the 6 things I’m working on this holiday season while in survival mode:

Make one small change: How many of us have decided to start a new diet and within a month, a week, or a day throw it out the window saying we suck at diets? I know I have and, unfortunately, continue to even now. The problem I find is I’m trying to do too much all at once. I want to do paleo and intermittent fasting and only eat 1600 calories and not snack, and on and on and on. No shit I keep failing. I’m trying to do too much all at once. What sticks the longest for me is making small changes my diet, little by little, either by cutting out something I shouldn’t eat or by adding something I should.

When I first tried this my first small change was eating 30 grams of protein for breakfast. I’ll have more on this in a minute, but the important part it gave me a healthy foundation for the day. I eat 4-5 scrambled eggs and 3 pieces of toast each day to keep the foundation going.

“Don’t you get bored. I could never do that. I would get so sick of eating the same things over and over.” Sure there are moments when I mix things up a little bit by having cereal or French Toast for breakfast. I’m not perfect but I try to have as many protein packed morning as possible.

Remember this way my small change which got the ball rolling for me. Everyone’s change will be different and need to be tailored to the individual. All that matters is it is sustainable.

Minus 1 Rule: Bingeing is something we all love to do. Why have one when you can have seven, am I right? This tend to be how people, myself included, go through life. Hell, I’ll go to a restaurant and will pound 3-5 sodas without thinking because the refills are free. Then instead of only drinking the 30-40 grams of sugar, I’m into the hundreds. This combined with sitting most of the day leads to the sugar turning into excess weight. This can happen with extra helpings at dinner, alcoholic beverages, cookies, desserts (the second “s” is because you always want more than one), or whatever else is thrown at us.

One of the things I’m trying this holiday season is what I’m calling the -1 (Minus 1) Rule. Whenever I’m eating or drinking something and I think to myself, “Self, you could have just one more,” I’ll stop right there. Normally, I’ll go the extra mile and have an additional soda, cookie, helping of pie because I can (Hey, I’m no quitter and this body didn’t happen by accident). This will hopefully prevent me from feeling stuffed or the feeling of regret I’m left with by having just… one… more… Remember baby steps.

The 30 in 30 Rule: One of the tips Tim Ferriss gives in his book, the 4 Hour Body, is eat 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of walking up, each day. This does two important things for you body. First, it reduces the white carbohydrate cravings we have in the morning. Second, our body is in repair mood while we sleep and often dips into our fat stores for this maintenance. By eating carbs in the morning our body’s switch from burning fat to burning the sugar in carbs. Eat protein continues the fat burning process throughout the day.

Eggs, beans, spinach, bacon, sausage, and protein shakes are the easiest way to meet this requirement. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Like I said earlier, I eat 4-5 eggs in the morning. If I’m feeling really crazy I’ll add spinach and/or beans to the mix as well. Bacon and sausage are always a nice way to spice things up as well. The important thing is to keep our body’s fat burning furnaces going by skipping out on the white carbohydrates. Worried about not having enough time to make eggs in the morning? Tim Ferriss has a solution for that too.

Smaller Plates/Serving Utensils: I recently listened to an interview with Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating and Slim by Design, and he had some help tips we should use every day, and especially during the holidays. Two of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of food we could eat during those big holiday meals and parties are using smaller dinner plates and smaller serving utensils. Sound simple and impossible? Brian would disagree. Basically, what these two little tricks do is deceive our brains into thinking we are eating more than normal.

It also takes our body about 30 minutes to start realizing it is full. Using smaller plates and serving utensils forces us to take more time to eat. The longer we take to eat, the more likely we will eat less because our bodies realize it is full. Eating less food, means eating less calories. HOORAY FOR SCIENCE!

Get Moving/10,000 steps: This has become very popular since the birth of the FitBit but it’s not difficult to see why. One of the biggest issues many of us face is we sit at a desk all day decreasing our energy throughout the day, making us lethargic. Soon we spend all of our time sitting down instead of moving, the way God intended it. Moving the body helps get the blood flowing, raises our endorphins, and burns calories. Walking at least 10,000 steps has us going about 4-5 miles per day. Not too shabby.

“Joe, I don’t have time to take a 4-5 mile walk every day. I have a life and things to do, man!” First, you probably do have time but I’m not getting into this here. Second, I’m not saying to set aside specific time for a 5 mile walk each day. It’s the holiday season and we’re in survival mode not starting our New Year’s Fitness Resolutions early. What I am saying is to get up once an hour, or so, at work to walk around or take the stair instead of the elevator or take a few extra laps around the mall while you are shopping. These don’t need to be 1-2 hour long walks on a treadmill, the elliptical, or around the block but small repeated movements throughout the day. Moving our bodies throughout the day will not only help make us healthier but happier as well.

Be kind to yourself: We live in a very pass or fail society which can be extremely difficult on our psyche. We tend to be extremely hard on ourselves when we set goals but don’t meet them. We feel like failures and get frustrated because we “know” better. Of course we do but it doesn’t mean we aren’t going to stumble or fall. Every moment of every day is a chance to start over. If we don’t like the decision we just made then make a different one the next time around.

“I shouldn’t have drank that fourth beer.” Stop drinking and have water. “I shouldn’t have eaten that third slice of pie.” We can remember how we feel right now and skip the extra slice next time. If we forget next time we take a deep breath, forgive ourselves, and try again next time.

This doesn’t give us carte blanche to go nuts because “we can always forgive ourselves.” This isn’t the Catholic Church. The goal is to work to be better but not kick ourselves when we are down. We take a deep breath and try again. The more we try, the more likely it is for the habit to stick.

Voila. There they are. These are just a few ways to help get survive the holiday season without feeling like we gained 30 lbs. They may not seem like much but again we aren’t looking for radical. We are looking for simple. Try one of them or try them all and I wish you luck this season. We’ll see you on the other side.

My 4 Favorite Apps for Learning on the Go

Learning is the most important thing we can do as human beings. It is how we grow, develop, and become better than we were. If we aren’t willing to continue learning we become stagnant, useless, and mindlessly moving through life. So we need to learn to progress further. This could a new skill, fun fact, or get better at something we already love. Some of the best ways I’ve found are through books, podcasts, blogs, YouTube videos, coaches, and personal experience there are tons of ways to learn something new.

Even with all this information out there I still find books to be one of the all around best ways to learn new ideas from experts. The free information on the web is good but there tends to be holes left in the material or it’s really broad making it difficult to find actionable. Personal coaching and personal experience can be extremely informative but can be expensive as well making it less practical to most people. Books are the best of both worlds: informative and inexpensive.

The problem with books is an issue of time. I’m sure there is plenty of wasted time which we could relocate to reading Instead we tend to watching TV or playing on our phones rather than read. Then there’s the portability issue. Sure most books are small enough to fit in a purse or backpack but who really wants to carry one more thing around with them. Don’t we already carry enough stuff with us?

As I’ve tried to read more, within the last couple of years, I’ve run into these issues and avoided reading because of them. It’s not a priority if it’s not on my phone, am I right Millennials? Seriously though there is still so much out there I want to learn and plenty of time I waste when I could be productively learning. Thankfully I’ve found a few ways around this problem.

Here are 4 of my favorite apps for learning:

Kindle eReader: If you’re reading this post there’s a better than likely chance you’ve heard of Amazon. Whether you like them or not they make it easier than ever to buy all kinds of books. One of the most exciting things they’ve done is turn every book in their inventory into eBooks allowing users to carry entire book libraries on a device as small as your phone. Now, no matter where you are, you can skip Social Media and read a book.

Audible: This Amazon owned company is the largest supplier of audiobooks around. Leave your CDs and Walkman at home because these audiobooks can hang out on your phone, iPod, or tablet. I know it’s not always easy to find the time to sit down to read but Audible lets us “read” those books when are eyes are otherwise occupied. I’ve listen to books while driving to work, doing chores around the house, and running errands. Since most business/productivity books last between 7-10 hrs long it’s fairly easy to go through 1 book a week. Imagine finishing 52 new books by next year. That’s crazy. How many are you reading now?

Overdrive/Libby: This is one of my new favorite apps and the main reason I wanted to write this post. I actually found out about this app by accident and I’m so glad I did.

I love reading to my kids but books can be expensive so we don’t buy them frequently. This means I’m reading the same books over and over again which is boring. (Sorry Mom). About six months ago I did something radical and took the kids to our local library. “Do people still use libraries anymore?” one might ask. Good question and I asked the same thing. Much to my surprise people still do and it didn’t take me long to figure out why. THE BOOKS ARE FREE AND THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! Within 10 minutes my kids found more books then we would read in the two weeks we had them. I even found some things myself.

The problem was I could borrow whatever book I wanted but was I seriously going to sit down to read them? Let’s be honest… I wasn’t. Thankfully, they had pamphlets for this app called Libby by Overdrive. This would allow me to sync my library card with the app and borrow ANY eBook my library had purchased, for free. They even have audiobooks on there too. This way you can find the format which works best for you. It wasn’t long before I felt like I was winning so much I was getting sick of winning. I’ve gone through several books using Libby and I can’t wait for more.

Apple Podcasts/Stitcher: Okay so this isn’t a book app but there’s so much information and stuff to learn, I couldn’t leave it out. Every year more and more people start podcasts and even more find them. There are so many podcasts out there you’re almost guaranteed to find something you’re interested in hearing. If not you can always start your own.

I’ve learned about so many different thinkers and experts in their field through podcasts I don’t think I would have found on my own. I’ve picked up their books, started reading their blog, or listened to their podcasts, again, expanding my horizons. The best part is they are free, you can listen to them like audiobooks, and they are constantly being refreshed with new content. If it not for podcasts I don’t think I would writing this blog.

I know each have their downsides and drawbacks but, I find, when they are used together they are a powerhouse of learning. I’m in at least one but usually using more than one just about every day. Though most of what I want to learn is business or personal development related, each app has something for everyone, including fiction and audio dramas. I invite you to check them out and let me know what you think.

5 Ways to Get Your Post-Holiday Motivation Back

It’s the Monday after the long Thanksgiving weekend and I’m dragging. I started working out with a friend last week and when he texted this morning to see if we were working out, I almost told him no. Then was the normal mad dash out the door followed by the post-holiday work lethargy. My energy and motivation are shot. All I want to do is close my office door, crawl under the desk, and go to sleep. I’ve even been hit by the struggle bus trying to write this article.

This feeling isn’t new is it? It’s probably not the first time we’ve wanted to hit the pause button on life for a moment because we aren’t looking forward to what’s next. So what do we do? We check our email, remember we need to text a friend something really quick, fall down a social media or YouTube rabbit hole, or find basically anything else to do instead of the tasks at hand. “If I don’t think about what I need to do, then they don’t need to get done right?”

The problem with this lack of motivation is even when we are “relaxing” we don’t feel relaxed because of the stuff looming over our head. Then we’re twice as stress out when we finally get around to doing when needs to be done.

Here are 5 things I do when I’m feeling stuck and unmotivated to get the ball rolling again:

Make a List – Lists can be overwhelming to look at but they also give us clarity about the things we need to get done. They can help us rely less on our fickle minds to remember what needs to get done. Though I don’t believe we should be used daily, when we are lacking motivation they can be extremely helpful.

Take five minutes to write down everything needing to be done both today and during the week. Then rank them in order of importance to focus on the highest value tasks first. Then check the list to see which items can be delegated, delayed, or deleted, removing them from the list. What’s left are all of the most important tasks we have to complete.

Pick a Small Win – Once we have the list of tasks, we need a small win. This means we find something quick and easy to check off the list getting the motivation ball rolling. This could be writing an email, making a phone call, or any other task which will take you 10 minutes or less. If you don’t have a quick task on your list grab one from those you delegated, delayed, or deleted.

What this does it trick you into feeling good about yourself. This feeling of, “oh thank God that’s done,” is extremely satisfying even if it’s quick and minimal. Once you get past the “oh fuck, I don’t want to do anything,” you can move onto higher value items off the list.

10/10/10 – This is something I’ve picked up from the Nerd Fitness website and I’ve used it a few times myself. (Yes, this means I’m doing push-ups and lounges in a button down shirt and slacks… because I can!) What I’ve found this does, for me, is get the blood flowing and kicks up the endorphins, getting me out of any funk I might be in at the moment.

If you aren’t able to regular push-ups, you can modify them by doing them on your knees or doing them off the desk or chair. If the lounges are an issue, you can do squats, jumping jacks, or skip them all together. While the push-ups and lounges help get more of the body’s muscles revved up, it’s all about getting the body moving. Go try it for yourself.

Remove Distractions – This can be easier said than done but you want to eliminated as many distractions as you can. Turn off your phone, close the door to your office, put on sound machine, use a website blocker, or any combination of the above to ensure you aren’t bothered. If some of these things are “too important” for you job or the task you’re working on, then obviously don’t eliminate them. The point is to remove as many distractions as humanly possible. We want to get into a flow state, while working, and any distraction will take us out of this flow. Then we are forced to fight to get back into the flow.

30 Minute Rule – I’ve found this extremely helpful when I need to work on a project. After I remove as many distractions as possible, I institute the 30-minute rule. I set a timer for 30 minutes and work as hard as I can for the entire time. Once the timer goes off, I take a 5-minute break. I can check email, mess around Facebook, play a mobile game, or anything else I want to do. After the 5 minutes are up, I set the timer again for 30 minutes, and start working again. If I happen to be in a flow state and want to continue passed the 30 minutes, I can but this process ensures I’m getting at least 30 minutes of productive work done.

Feel free to try one or try them all. The goal here is to break through the funk to get to the productivity on the other side. The longer we indulge the slump the harder it is to break free. I hope you find these as helpful as I have today. Now go kick some ass.

Are You Ready?

When we hear the phrase “Are You Ready” it can mean several different things. It could mean are you ready to go or are you ready to do this? It could mean are are you ready for what’s about to come or it could mean are you ready of what’s next? How about are you ready for a change?

If you’re anything like me, life can feel a little stale and stagnant. It’s the same thing day in and day out which can be draining. It can feel like all we do is waking up, going to work, coming home, going to bed, and repeat. Am I right? Sound familiar?

It can easily feel like we are stuck in a rut we don’t know how to get out of anymore. We show up, put on a smile, and move on with our lives. It sucks right? Can’t it get tiring trying to fake it all the time?

Of course we want to change but it easier said than done. Change takes time and effort and we are running short on both of them. We are drain from the everyday tedium and it’s difficult to find the energy for something new, something to help us grow. We fire off in a million different directions, all at once, hoping something will land but nothing rarely sticks. When it does stick it isn’t for long.

But change is the reason I started this blog. I was tired of spinning my wheels but getting nowhere. When I finally had enough, and decided I wanted to go somewhere, I started writing my stuff to share. I decided to us one of my “bullets” to develop a writing habit. I think it’s been good so far.

Now it’s time to make another change. Thursday marked the end of my first official month of blogging with a total of 25 posts under my belt. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine, when I started, I would have written five times a week for this long.

As much as fun as it’s been writing as much as I have, it’s been stressful. Finding the time to write is difficult and there is so much more I want to do with this blog. Starting Monday, I’ll be posting three times a week and I’m looking to make each post more actionable. I’m not sure what this will look like but I know it will a work in progress.

For now what I’ll say is I’m excited and ready. I’m ready for this change and to continue to keep this process going. I’m ready to continue evolving, continue growing. I’m ready… are you?