Quotes of the Week from Me:

“Dare to be different.”

“Don’t think too hard.”

“Not all solutions are perfect. Sometimes a square lasagna is stored in a round container.”

Quotes of the Week from Others:

“First we eat, then we do everything else.” – M.F. K. Fisher

“Who you are authentically is alright.” – Laverne Cox

Quick Optimism:

Work hard when things are going well and when they are not.

Work hard when you feel great and when you don’t.

Work hard when you have more to do. There is always more to do!

Contrarian side note: rest and relaxation count as “more things to do” – they often help us get more prepared for working hard during the good times and bad. So, when there is “nothing more to do,” go relax, it’s something to do!

Question of the Week:

Are there lessons in the mundane? The short answer is yes. You just need to pay attention.

Sometimes we waste easily accessible resources. We ignore them. They lack that feeling of “new” or “exciting” and can lead to overcomplicating the circumstances at hand. It’s an obvious generalization, but what if it was possible to stop ourselves before we think too much? What if we could find simpler solutions for problems of all sizes? It might feel boring, but would it be more efficient?

This past week my two solutions were opening a book and a circular container.

Opening a Book. Don’t think too hard.

The other day I went to bed with a plan. Wake up and run on the treadmill. I have been trying to run more but the super bright, red numbers on the treadmill monitor have been giving me a headache. Even with the lights on, the numbers jump and wiggle in the periphery and it makes it that much more difficult to get on the treadmill. I found one of my son’s books to prop up over the numbers. It worked pretty well after my shirt had fallen for the third time in a row. Nothing seemed to work perfectly until I found the book.

Then I realized that the book wasn’t big enough. The ledge it sat on was thin so I couldn’t just use anything. And the whole point of covering the numbers was to also be able to uncover them to check my pace and time elapsed. The book kept sliding over and exposing the numbers and the issue continued.

A few days passed and I went downstairs for another run, somewhat dreading the bright numbers issue. My wife had used the treadmill the morning before and I found the book sitting there, opened with the pages facing down. Now it covered the numbers and didn’t shift at all while running.

What a great, mundane solution.

Circular Container. Dare to be different.

Our tupperware cabinet is a wreck. Piles of plastic and glass options with different shapes and sizes. It has become one of our toddler’s favorite play areas. More often than not, the entire cabinet is emptied onto the floor.

At certain points throughout the day it can become too much to neatly organize or find the perfect sized container for the food I want to save in the fridge. I had a square lasagna to put away and the first perfect match I found was a circular container with its lid. Fresh and clean.

Not all solutions are perfect. Sometimes a square lasagna is stored in a round tupperware, it fit perfectly.

Efficient solutions can hide behind mundane solutions. You don’t always need more materials or more information. You can just reassess and find what works in the moment. Open the book. Choose the first container. Save time and energy.