Resolve: "solve again."
What's the point of that? Why 'solve something again' - resolve - when you can put Productive Pessimism to work to ensure it doesn't become a problem in the first place, and therefore doesn't need a solution.
Many of us find we need some kind of 'psychological jump-off point' - how often do you find yourself saying "I'll start X project at 10.30am", only to feel, if you turn to it at 10.31am, that something is 'wrong', and you tell yourself that you can't possibly start until 11am now?
The start of a new year is a huge psychological jump point. Not only do we feel a sense that we 'should' be doing something different, as a way to mark what we want to believe is a significant turning point, we're often more than ready for the invigoration of something new after what can sometimes feel like a frustrating fallow period for many people.
At the end of the day, there is nothing magical or mystical about January 1st. The date changes; that's all - and that's everything.
All that happens is that the date changes - that means if you're not feeling up to much, if you're busy, if you have to go into work, if everything that can go wrong does? You can just start your changes on January 2nd, or March 22nd, or August 12th, and it doesn't matter.
As a Productive Pessimist, I'm not a fan of 'New Year, New You!' - it sounds like a threat, and every change should be chosen, even if it can't be chosen joyfully.
The way I tend to look at changes which use the jumping point of January 1st from the perspective of the previous year: what went wrong in 2023, and how am I going to correct that in 2024?
I've included some things to consider from business, personal productivity which have a generalised relevance - for a specific, tailored, supported journey through to success, from a Productive Pessimism perspective, drop an email theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com to book a session.
What's the point of that? Why 'solve something again' - resolve - when you can put Productive Pessimism to work to ensure it doesn't become a problem in the first place, and therefore doesn't need a solution.
Many of us find we need some kind of 'psychological jump-off point' - how often do you find yourself saying "I'll start X project at 10.30am", only to feel, if you turn to it at 10.31am, that something is 'wrong', and you tell yourself that you can't possibly start until 11am now?
The start of a new year is a huge psychological jump point. Not only do we feel a sense that we 'should' be doing something different, as a way to mark what we want to believe is a significant turning point, we're often more than ready for the invigoration of something new after what can sometimes feel like a frustrating fallow period for many people.
At the end of the day, there is nothing magical or mystical about January 1st. The date changes; that's all - and that's everything.
All that happens is that the date changes - that means if you're not feeling up to much, if you're busy, if you have to go into work, if everything that can go wrong does? You can just start your changes on January 2nd, or March 22nd, or August 12th, and it doesn't matter.
As a Productive Pessimist, I'm not a fan of 'New Year, New You!' - it sounds like a threat, and every change should be chosen, even if it can't be chosen joyfully.
The way I tend to look at changes which use the jumping point of January 1st from the perspective of the previous year: what went wrong in 2023, and how am I going to correct that in 2024?
I've included some things to consider from business, personal productivity which have a generalised relevance - for a specific, tailored, supported journey through to success, from a Productive Pessimism perspective, drop an email theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com to book a session.
Productive Pessimism for Business in 2024:
. "There's no point trying to start a new business - no one is succeeding at anything right now!"
The fact that everything seems to be falling apart for everyone is a great reason to begin to look at what you could do - because there's no pressure. You're almost expected to fail, so you can just consider this a "playing with concepts" session.
. "I can't afford to take my business forward - the way the government over-reacted to the pandemic has just destroyed everything we had planned! It's going to take years to recover!"
Stop trying to go back to where you were "when the pandemic hit." If it hadn't been the pandemic, you'd've come up with some other excuse. The pandemic was a huge neon sign telling you to spend some time in reflection - clearly, you need help to do that. If you had a 5yr plan you'd already started in 2020, you'd be coming to the end of it now anyway - if you didn't pick the plan up where 2020 left it, part of you knows that it wasn't going to work, no matter how smooth that 5yr sailing was.
. "I can't afford to take my business forward - the way the government over-reacted to the pandemic has just destroyed everything we had planned! It's going to take years to recover!"
Stop trying to go back to where you were "when the pandemic hit." If it hadn't been the pandemic, you'd've come up with some other excuse. The pandemic was a huge neon sign telling you to spend some time in reflection - clearly, you need help to do that. If you had a 5yr plan you'd already started in 2020, you'd be coming to the end of it now anyway - if you didn't pick the plan up where 2020 left it, part of you knows that it wasn't going to work, no matter how smooth that 5yr sailing was.
. "No one wants to spend money these days - they all think they can do what we do in their bedroom on their smartphone!"
But they're happy to pay for that smartphone. People will literally throw £1,000+ at companies every time an updated version of their preferred smartphone comes out. A smartphone isn't essential, they're not even that 'luxury' in terms of finish and function. They don't help people do anything they couldn't already do significantly cheaper in other ways. Yet people pay up without thinking - so, what are the phone companies offering people that you're not? (And no, the answer isn't 'a smartphone.')
But they're happy to pay for that smartphone. People will literally throw £1,000+ at companies every time an updated version of their preferred smartphone comes out. A smartphone isn't essential, they're not even that 'luxury' in terms of finish and function. They don't help people do anything they couldn't already do significantly cheaper in other ways. Yet people pay up without thinking - so, what are the phone companies offering people that you're not? (And no, the answer isn't 'a smartphone.')
Productive Pessimism for Personal Productivity in 2024:
. "I need to be more organised"
What are you trying to organise? Being organised simply means laying down a path from where you are to where you want to be - have you looked to see whether the ground you have to cover actually needs a path? Is there a path already there? Are you planning your path across the shortest distance?
. "I need to stop procrastinating"
No. You need to identify what you should be working on. We don't 'procrastinate' about booking a holiday, or meeting up with friends at a great restaurant. We don't procrastinate ordering a takeaway, or kissing our romantic partners. If you're procrastinating, then you need to change direction - and The Productive Pessimist can help you identify the best direction for you.
. "I need to change everything! I'm just not happy where I am in life."
Good. Not being happy is actually the best state for human beings. (If that doesn't make sense to you, drop an email to theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com to book a session and work it through.)
What are you trying to organise? Being organised simply means laying down a path from where you are to where you want to be - have you looked to see whether the ground you have to cover actually needs a path? Is there a path already there? Are you planning your path across the shortest distance?
. "I need to stop procrastinating"
No. You need to identify what you should be working on. We don't 'procrastinate' about booking a holiday, or meeting up with friends at a great restaurant. We don't procrastinate ordering a takeaway, or kissing our romantic partners. If you're procrastinating, then you need to change direction - and The Productive Pessimist can help you identify the best direction for you.
. "I need to change everything! I'm just not happy where I am in life."
Good. Not being happy is actually the best state for human beings. (If that doesn't make sense to you, drop an email to theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com to book a session and work it through.)
Productive Pessimism for Life in 2024:
. "I need to meet a partner in 2024"
No, you don't. You either need to become comfortable with yourself, or you need to meet people who add value to your life.
. "I need to lose weight"
Why? Unless there is a real medical reason (not just "But people die from obesity!" - people die from everything, eventually. If people who are visibly not 'fat' have the same health conditions that we're told are "connected to obesity" - then the connection isn't there. It's not real. You've been lied to.) The likelihood is you won't be able to lose weight, so you need to explore other ways to feel comfortable with the body you have.
. "I need to quit my job"
Excellent! This is the kind of statement I love to hear as a Productive Pessimist! Drop us an email at theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com to get to work - and why wait until January 1st?
This New Year's Eve, we're going to be dropping something a bit special... keep an eye on this page around midnight on January 1st, 2024, UK time.
No, you don't. You either need to become comfortable with yourself, or you need to meet people who add value to your life.
. "I need to lose weight"
Why? Unless there is a real medical reason (not just "But people die from obesity!" - people die from everything, eventually. If people who are visibly not 'fat' have the same health conditions that we're told are "connected to obesity" - then the connection isn't there. It's not real. You've been lied to.) The likelihood is you won't be able to lose weight, so you need to explore other ways to feel comfortable with the body you have.
. "I need to quit my job"
Excellent! This is the kind of statement I love to hear as a Productive Pessimist! Drop us an email at theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com to get to work - and why wait until January 1st?
This New Year's Eve, we're going to be dropping something a bit special... keep an eye on this page around midnight on January 1st, 2024, UK time.
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