Tag: Robert Chute

Posted on

Track failure to win (and how to save money on your phone bill)

Track what you’re doing to become more productive. On this podcast, I want to warn you about people who do INTENSITY wrong (by going all caps, pushing hard and never touching the brakes. We get into how I’m treating my knee injury, the benefits of saunas and heat shock proteins and how I saved a ton of cash with a phone call to my telephone company (and you can, too!)

I’ve come to a point in my life and practice where I have to focus very carefully to make sure I’m doing the right things. It’s very easy to get sucked into activities that waste time and are unproductive. (Listen to last week’s episode to delve into how we can end up focusing on the wrong things.)

Helpful Links About Saunas:

Here’s a list of health benefits using saunas.

Here’s the link to Dr. Rhonda Patrick on the science of heat shock benefits.

Note: On the show I mention that I stay in the sauna for up to 20 minutes at a time. Your mileage, tolerance and sauna temperatures may vary so follow the instructions that are posted or in the instructions on your sauna.

Here’s what I’m doing to stay on track

Netflix has new episodes of Sherlock. I’m overjoyed but when I checked my Garmin pedometer the other day, I realized I had a mere 1800 steps for the day. 10,000 steps a day is recommended (or two hours of brisk walking, depending on whom you consult.) Sherlock isn’t going anywhere. I got off the couch.

I have to make sure I’m going somewhere. I went for a long walk, listened to some strutting music and swung my arms hard. I came back refreshed and, newly energized, tackled a few things I needed to deal with instead of collapsing back to the sofa.

What to do, what to do, what to freakin’ do?

A comedian I love, Mike Schmidt, has a motto: No Zero Days. It means you have to deal with stuff you don’t necessarily want to deal with. This week, I’ve done that. Aside from the usual day to day workload, I choose one thing I don’t want to do and tackle it. For instance, I rescheduled a dentist appointment, cancelled my TV and cleaned up the house. Look, ma! I’m adulting!

Want to contact me?

Email expartepresss@gmail.com.
 

Wait. You cancelled your TV? Has there been a coup? Is this the end of the world?

I’m the only one in the house who watched television. I love Better Call Saul. I have a love/hate relationship with The Walking Dead. I like Jon Oliver and I want to see the final season of Game of Thrones. However, that stuff will eventually show up on Netflix or I’ll catch the highlights on the web. Maybe I’ll buy the GoT DVD someday. The issue is that television isn’t worth the time or money. It distracts me from reading and writing. Since that’s what I’m put on Earth to do, it was time to prioritize (and save on the budget.)

We’re getting to the stage where you’ve probably already gotten rid of your landline if you ever had one. Television is going away, too. There are alternatives but the best one for me is to focus on being a producer, not a consumer. That’s one more key to keeping me on track to success.

The Power of Spreadsheets

As I mentioned last week, I’m using Google Sheets to identify and record variables that limit my productivity. Remember this lesson from Do the Thing: that which is not measured is not changed. I’m changing. I track the times of day I write, where I work and my mood. I track progress by chapter and number of words changed in three categories: writing, revision and editing. I’m experimenting with which variables to track, what’s too little to record and what’s too much. 

I’ll get back to you with deeper results soon but I can tell you this: the act of recording alone makes me more productive. Working against the clock makes me work harder and faster and (surprise!) with greater joy. Just glancing at my Garmin and seeing only 1800 steps and 9 PM made me get out and hoof it. That’s another measure to watch (and possibly plot on a spreadsheet.)

For in depth discussions of time management and productivity, check out my book, Do the Thing. Like it? Please review it.

Toss this podcast a five star review wherever you listen in, as well. I need the money and attention.

 

Speaking of money…

Click the BECOME A PATRON link at AllThatChazz.com to get lots of nifty rewards. Special thanks to patron of the arts, reader and listener, RF Kacy for his contribution. Cheers, mate!

Last idea tonight:

Get more sleep. I’m headed to bed early so I can get up and crush it tomorrow, starting with a trip to the sauna. I’ve got deadlines and lots of stuff to do. So do you. Wanna do more? Write down what you’re going to do and write down what you did. You will do more!

Stay on track and do the thing!

~ Chazz

PS Check out all my books at AllThatChazz.com: sci-fi, crime thrillers, assorted apocalyptic scenaria.

Pick up the last stress-busting book you’ll ever need here.
Posted on

Motivation: Don’t work so hard at the wrong things.

Motivation: What’s Yours? What works?

A comment about motivation being “all that matters” really got me going this week. It didn’t motivate me. It irritated me. Worse, it was in the first line of a self-help book. I suspect there are many self-help books out there that intimidate or try to shame people into fulfilling their dreams. 

I wrote a self-help book and I want to dispel a couple of ideas that are potentially dangerous. My book is called Do the Thing! It’s filled with tricks and tips to manage time and pain, cut stress and boost energy. Toward the end of the book, I include a surprise which I will boil down to the rich creamy point here: motivation is not everything. Work is not everything. To succeed, you need much more than motivation and someone hanging over your shoulder shouting at you to work harder. You need to work smarter, acquire skills, build alliances and take time off to recharge.

You see the symptoms of the rush to greatness everywhere. People are pushing so hard and trying to do too much. I see the problem on Facebook a lot. Idealized versions of our lives are on display there.

Meanwhile, a startling number of people think they’re the only ones who are working hard. They don’t want to support loafers. They don’t want their tax money going to undeserving people. I wish more people who got social assistance actually could goof off. Instead, their working as many hours at Walmart as they can. The “sharing economy” is really the “gig economy” and it seems everyone has to have a side hustle to get by.

I was reminded of this listening to one of my podcast recommendations this week. The 5 A.M. Miracle mastermind Jeff Sanders has a health scare. He’s a motivated, active and healthy guy who got a wake up call recently. A trip to the hospital in an ambulance reminded him that all work and no play makes Jack a dead boy. Listen to Mr. Sanders’ podcast here.

The other podcast recommendation I have for you this week comes from The Joe Rogan Experience. Joe interviewed journalist and documentarian Sebastian Junger. He talks about the dangers of affluence and the importance of movement and being social. (That’s where I got some of the ideas for this episode.) Go to the source at this link.

Key Question: What’s your motivation?

Is you dream to find fulfilling work? To control your time? To travel? To make enough money at what you love that you’ll still have time with your family and friends? (Don’t tell me you want to win the lottery. We all want that but, aside from buying a ticket, there’s nothing you can do to make that happen.)

Fear, anger and spite can get you going, but what will keep you motivated for the long-term? What inspires aspiration in you? What legacy do you want to leave? Are you working for security in retirement, putting off all fun until you’re old? 

I’ll tell you what motivates me. It used to be fear of failure. Once you fail enough, that’s not as scary as you might think. In fact, if I’m not careful, I could fall into resignation on that score. No, what motivates me now is that I don’t want to fear bills. I don’t want to fear for my health. I want to get paid for what I’m good at and do what I enjoy. I’m tired of being fearful. What motivates me as an entrepreneur and as an artist isn’t bravery. It’s becoming successful enough that I can do things for my family and not live in fear of the next VISA bill. 

I’m working on it. Despite that major tax bill I’ve complained about on the podcast, (Hear about that here,) I’m taking some time off from a couple of my side gigs so I can focus on writing and publishing books. That’s my long-term plan so I can retire from manual labor, anyway. That’s why I need to concentrate my energy on it. 

I hope this topic has stimulated your thinking. What motivates you? Are you doing what you need to be doing? Are you getting enough sleep and recharging with rest and information?

Let me know what motivates you in the comments at AllThatChazz.com.

Want to support this podcast by helping out with bandwidth costs? There are rewards for doing so! To earn stunning kickbacks for your generosity, click the Become a Patron link at AllThatChazz.com.

Here’s the direct link to my Patreon page.

Special thanks to RF Kacy for helping out with bandwidth costs.

~ Robert Chazz Chute is a manual therapist whose focus is stress management and rehabilitation from injury. His clinic link is MassageTherapyScience.com.

Best known for This Plague of Days, he is a writer of SFF, horror, crime thrillers and some non-fiction. His blog about writing is ChazzWrites.com and his author site for readers (with links to all his books) is AllThatChazz.com.

Posted on

Focus: How to relax in the moment, in a moment

Focus on this for ten minutes:

On today’s episode of the All That Chazz Stress Relief Podcast, we’re going back to basics with a visualization. We’ll quickly dig in on how to develop focus in the time it takes to take a breath. Be sure to hang in to the end of the podcast to get your taste and you’ll feel how quick and easy it can be to release your stress. I also have a comedy podcast recommendation and a link to a song that neuroscientists claim reduces anxiety by 65%!

Last week my focus was money. About that…

Like the podcast? If you want to support this show and earn stunning rewards for your generosity, click the  Become a Patron link at AllThatChazz.com. Here’s the link directly to my Patreon page.

Special thanks to RF Kacy for helping out with bandwidth costs.

Useful links:

Can a Song Chill You Out?

Neuroscientists claim the music at this link will reduce your stress and anxiety and slow your heartbeat. (Thanks to author Andrew F. Butters for the link.) It’s not Enya (and I swear I won’t Rick Roll you.) Click here and have a listen to the song yourself.

Do the Thing!

Do the Thing! is my stress management book. You’ll find out how to reduce stress, relieve pain and boost your energy, too. This is the perfect bathroom book. Packed with quick nuggets of information, each short chapter will motivate you to make positive changes and fix what’s not working.

Dump what doesn’t serve you and read Do the Thing! by Robert Chute. Click here to grab it now!

 

Stress Less with Comedy

Long time listeners will know that I enjoy the Scathing Atheist, the Skepticrat and the God Awful Movies podcasts. There is a new podcast in the mix: Citation Needed. Tom and Cecil from Cognitive Dissonance explore one new subject each week with the funny guys behind those three shows. Plumbing they’re pseudo-expertise through the wonder of Wikipedia, they break down weird happenings in the world and have a lot of fun doing it. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it will become a part of you (or at least a part of every week.)

To find Citation Needed:

Make sure you find the right podcast called Citation Needed. (You’re looking for the one with Eli Bosnick, Noah Lugeons and Heath Enwright.) Here’s their link: http://citationpod.com/

~ Robert Chazz Chute is a manual therapist whose focus is stress management and rehabilitation from injury. His clinic link is MassageTherapyScience.com.

Best known for This Plague of Days, he is a writer of SFF, horror, crime thrillers and some non-fiction. His blog about writing is ChazzWrites.com and his author site for readers (with links to all his books) is AllThatChazz.com.

Posted on

Vacations: Problems, Solutions and More Questions to Consider

Is it time for your next vacation? What if you can’t afford a vacation. Pop quiz, hotshot! What do you do? What do you do? (I love me a very dated reference from the movie Speed. Such a dumb, fun movie! Also, it was the last time Jeff Daniels was badass in a physical way.)

Sorry for the delay in releasing this podcast. After updating my software, my computer is screwing up in a huge way! Onward!

On this week’s show, we consider your alternatives to a tropical vacation. Staycations are, of course, an option for many. But maybe you can’t afford that, either. When tax season rolls around, I’m cranky for just that reason: I have to work harder to make sure I can pay the government’s bill on time.

Here’s the vacation information we cover on this show:

  1. Cheaper alternatives (camping, staycations and day trips.)
  2. Enjoying what you’ve got (be a tourist in your own town.)
  3. Don’t vacate and save the stress.
  4. Vacating might mean more work and more stress. Make your work more pleasant instead.
  5. Get a new job, retire into part-time work, seek fulfillment or wait for a universal minimum wage.

Finally I discuss the value of work and The Dirty Jobs conundrum. (Host of Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe, is the name that escaped me as I was recording this podcast. Sorry to Mike and his fans.) There’s the work we have to do, the work we want to do and the work in between the extremes. It’s a lot to cover in 15 minutes or less!

Catch phrase Contest

This podcast needs a catch phrase. Got a suggestion for the All That Chazz Stress Relief Podcast? Snd your suggestions my way at expartepress@gmail.com. If I choose yours to end the show each week, you’ll get bragging rights, a shout out and I’ll send you a paperback of my time travel novel, Wallflower, or a hard copy of Do the Thing! Your choice!

Want more Reward Choices?

Check out my Patreon page to see all the rewards that sponsorship gets you! Just click the Become a Patron button at AllThatChazz.com and see what you can get for being cool.

Not everybody has the money to give money so please leave a review wherever you picked up this podcast! Cheers!

The Obligatory Disclaimer

I wrote Do the Thing! for anyone interested in better managing their time, pain, stress and energy. I podcast each week for the same reason. However, don’t take medical advice from a podcast. For that, you need in person help from a professional. If you’re in doubt as to whether you require assistance in person, ask your doctor in person. No podcast can replace a proper professional health consultation. So there.

Do the Thing! is Robert’s book about many facets of better life management. It’s packed with tons of helpful ideas and points to ponder on the toilet. Available in ebook and paperback. 

A former journalist, Robert Chazz Chute is a manual therapist with 24 years experience helping people ease stress and rehabilitate pain issues. He’s also the author of many books of fiction. Check out his sci-fi, crime thrillers and apocalyptic epics at AllThatChazz.com.

Posted on

Death: How to Deal

Death is a fact of life but we’re generally not very well equipped to deal with it. In fact, most of us ignore it as long as possible. It’s not a satisfactory long-term strategy. Death comes for us all. I got quite a surprise in this regard this week and I want to share how I dealt with it. We’re going on a little field trip and I hope you will find the journey useful.

Stress, Death and Grieving is No Joke

If you’ve lost someone or are dealing with serious physical or emotional issues, a podcast or a book isn’t going to solve the problem. Seek professional help in person and do take care of yourself.

Today’s recommendations

If you missed my blog post about my favorite sleep hack, you’ll find it in the post previous to this one at AllThatChazz.com. If you want a lot more ways to get a better night’s sleep, I share lots more tips in my book, Do the Thing! Find it on Amazon under my author name, Robert Chute or click the link.

The quote I read today was from The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac. It has a disorienting style that I’m liking more than On the Road. If you read the 50th Anniversary Edition, I recommend you don’t skip the introduction. Very worthwhile.

Looking for fiction to distract yourself from stress?

Check out my suspense, sci-fi and crime thrillers at the links down the right hand side of the page at AllThatChazz.com. As a fiction writer, my pen name is Robert Chazz Chute.

Hey, I still need a catch-phrase for this podcast! 

Please send me your suggestions to expartepress@gmail.com. If I use yours, I’ll send you a free paperback copy of Do the Thing!

Want more rewards?

Click the Become a Patron button at AllThatChazz.com and you’ll find your rewards for sponsorship on my Patreon page. Special thanks to RF Kacy for contributing to this podcast. You can sponsor the podcast, too, and get stuff! Check out the reward levels and find your comfort zone to help with bandwidth costs. 

Not everybody has the money to contribute money or buy a book so please leave a happy review wherever you pick up this podcast. Thanks!

~ Robert Chute is a former journalist and has been a massage therapist for 24 years. He works with clientele in need of stress and pain management and injury rehabilitation. For more on his practice in London, Ontario, go to MassageTherapyScience.com.

Posted on

One of my favorite sleep hacks

Unless you’re a cat, you need to sleep more.

I have a sleep disorder but I manage it most nights pretty well. There are plenty of ways to improve your snoozing (and I cover more in my book Do the Thing! so please do pick that up and enjoy.) It’s important to sleep. We need rest and very few of us get enough.

Here’s one of my favorite sleep hacks:

  1. Use your alarm clock but not in the way you’re thinking.
  2. Set a bedtime, just like when you were a kid. Make it the same time every night and make it early enough that you get more time in bed to sleep.
  3. Set your alarm to tell you when to get ready for bed.
  4. When the alarm goes off, go to bed.
  5. If you set your bedtime early enough, you won’t need your alarm clock to wake you up. Waking up to an alarm is a terrible way to wake up anyway! Who ever thought that was a great idea? Unless you’re a firefighter, waking up to an alarm makes no sense.

For these and many more tips on stress, pain, energy and time management, go read Do the Thing! now.

And go set your alarm before you forget!

~ Robert Chute writes visionary science fiction, apocalyptic epics and violent crime thrillers. When he’s not doing that, he’s a biomechanic who helps people with stress and pain management. Check out his weekly podcast to help with your life management issues.

Want a time travel thriller to read before bed? Check out Wallflower, the only time travel book that features Kurt Vonnegut as a character (unless you count Kurt Vonnegut books.)

Posted on

The Big Calorie Lie and a Powerful Visualization

Visualization Makes a Better Day

A good diet is not as simple as calories in/calories out. The kind of calories (and the hormones released are variables, too.) On today’s show, I talk briefly about the big lies nutrition labels tell us. Then, to ease your stress, we dig into a powerful visualization designed to make your life easier.

Start with the key: a deep breath brings and an easy visualization slows your nervy nervous system and brings your mind back to the present moment.

On Sponsor, Patrons, Rewards and Advertising

This show is brought to you by my book, Do the Thing! I don’t cover everything in the book on the podcast. This is more of a complement to that. For a ton of ideas to improve your life and achieve a higher degree of productivity and success, go pick up Do the Thing!, available on Amazon in ebook or paperback.

Would you like to advertise your product or service on the show, get a poster or your name in my next book? Patreon rewards are for you! Find out more on my new Patreon page.

Your support helps cover bandwidth costs. I really need this podcast to pay for itself so if you’d like to support the show and earn rewards for your patronage, check out the treasures by clicking here or hit the orange Patreon button on the Home page at AllthatChazz.com. Thank you so much!

Extra special thanks to my first patron, RF Kacy!

Not everybody has the money to give money. If that’s you, no worries. Please support the podcast by giving it a happy review on iTunes, subscribe, tweet it and tell your friends! Sharing is caring. Cheers!

The disclaimer I stole from Tim Ferriss’s blog (because he’s so good):

“The material on this blog is for informational purposes only. As each individual situation is unique, you should use proper discretion, in consultation with a health care practitioner, before undertaking the protocols, diet, exercises, techniques, training methods, or otherwise described herein. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the information contained herein.”

Robert Chute is a massage therapist with 24 years experience who works in stress, pain management and injury rehabilitation. A former journalist, Robert is also the author of many books, ranging from non-fiction to science fiction, horror, fantasy and crime thrillers. If you’re interested in his fiction, you’ll find his books under his pen name, Robert Chazz Chute.