By Don Wetmore
Time Management
Don Wetmore
Everyone has problems. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are minor annoyances that consume a few minutes of our day. Others are major challenges that can occupy our thoughts for weeks, months or years.
Regardless of their size, unresolved problems have something in common: they consume our time, energy and attention. They become a drag on our personal productivity. Even when we aren’t actively dealing with a problem, it can occupy valuable space in our minds, distracting us from the things we want and need to accomplish.
Over the years, I have come to believe there are only three basic solutions to every problem.
- Fix it.
If something is wrong and you have the ability, authority and resources to correct it, take action. Don’t let a manageable problem become a bigger one simply because you keep putting it off.
Perhaps you have a difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding, a financial matter that needs attention, a broken relationship that needs repairing, or a project that has gotten off track. Identify what needs to be done, determine the next step, and do it.
The longer you postpone dealing with a fixable problem, the more time and energy it is likely to consume. Action brings relief and restores control.
- Accept it.
Some problems cannot be fixed, at least not by us. They may involve other people’s behavior, circumstances beyond our control or events that have already happened.
You cannot change yesterday. You cannot control what someone else thinks or does. You cannot always change the circumstances in which you find yourself.
But you can change how you respond.
Acceptance doesn’t mean you like the situation or agree with it. It means you stop wasting energy fighting a reality you cannot change. Instead, redirect that energy toward the things you can influence.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop trying to change what cannot be changed.
- Leave it.
Sometimes the best solution is to walk away.
There may be a relationship that is consistently destructive, a commitment that no longer makes sense, a business arrangement that isn’t working, or an activity that takes more from you than it gives back.
We sometimes stay with things simply because we’ve invested so much time, money or emotion in them. But yesterday’s investment should not dictate tomorrow’s decisions.
Leaving isn’t necessarily quitting. Sometimes it’s making a wise decision to move on.
Here is a simple exercise. Think about the three problems that are currently taking up the most space in your mind. Write each one down. Then make a decision: fix it, accept it, or leave it.
Don’t let unresolved problems become permanent residents in your mind.
You have a limited amount of time and energy each day. Spend them on the people, activities, and opportunities that move your life forward.
Remember, you don’t have to solve every problem the same way. But you do have to decide what you’re going to do about it.
Don Wetmore is a certified business coach and the author of “The Productivity Handbook” and “Organizing Your Life.” Contact him at 203-394-8216 or ctsem@msn.com.