I was determined to take it easy and just relax. I had worked every day for 10 straight days and envisioned a day by the pool maybe even with a cold beer and a good book. I like relaxing, it’s enjoyable and good for you so why wouldn’t anybody do it as much as possible?

I’ll tell you why, because of stuff, that’s why.

Stuff is designed to stop you doing what you really want to do, Stuff expands to fill available time, Stuff arrives when you least expect it and Stuff does its utmost to throw you off track. It has a contract to adhere to because its job is to test you to the limits of your endurance and then just a little bit more. Like a maternal aunt that doesn’t realize she outstayed her welcome in 1988 Stuff will hang around ad infinitum if you don’t throw it out.

So what is Stuff?

That’s a tricky question because it can morph into anything you don’t want it to be. It could be a toilet overflowing when you are about to go to the movies, it could be a knock on the door that ends up being a 30 minute conversation you didn’t want, it could be a call to your bank that ends up being 45 minutes long of which 40 minutes is on hold, it could be losing your Internet connection and the phone company saying it’s a router fault and the router company saying it’s a problem with the phone line, it can be a million different things or just one.

So yesterday I got hit by Stuff early on and never recovered. I did deal very harshly with some ants, collect some groceries, write a post. mop the floors, clean out my car, cook dinner, collect a part for the TV but nothing that I actually wanted or intended to do.

Can Stuff be beaten?

Oh yes, it surely can if only we remember how. Unlike nature, Stuff loves a vacuum. It loves it because it is its job to fill it and fill it quickly. So don’t give it chance! Plan out your day even the ones that do not involve work. If you need 4 hours to chill and relax then write it down in your planner or on your calendar as you would any other appointment, the same goes for the gym, or meditating or even watching TV if that is what helps you relax. Be brutal and selfish with your own time because Stuff hates that.

This sounds like a lot of trouble and if Stuff never manages to get its talons in you then it may be unnecessary. However, if you are one of an increasingly large percentage of people that gets to the end of the day and wanders where it went and why you didn’t get much done then it may be a sensible consideration.

Tim Brownson is a qualified English born Life Coach, NLP Master Practitioner and Hypnotherapist. He is based just outside Orlando, Florida but coaches people all over the US and UK. His time is split between telephone and face-to-face coaching helping people fulfill their potential and get more out of life. He can be contacted via http://www.adaringadventure.com

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