7 ways to prevent frustration
I, more than anyone, know that frustration is a huge obstacle to achieving your goals. Not only does it slow you down, but it also reduces the quality of your work and relationships. As pervasive as it may seem, frustration is easily removed from your brain. I have discovered a few tricks throughout my life, some of which you can use too.
- Stay organized: Most of the frustration in my life comes from not being able to find things in my house. There is nothing worse than not being able to find your keys, cell phone or shoes. To avoid losing your possessions, try to make routines, where you always do the same thing with the same object. For example, if you always lose your sunglasses after taking them off, start putting them on the same counter or in the same drawer every time you get home, and soon you’ll be able to find them there no matter what. Another place to keep well organized is your desk. Be sure to file all your emails in folders, all your documents in folders, and make sure you name everything logically. A good trick is to name your documents with a title and a date, because sometimes you need to find things you wrote at a specific time. Also, clean your computer regularly, as this leads to less clutter. Clutter is the enemy!
- Take it easy: There are many times where frustration is caused by the frustrated mentality, which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense. When you do something wrong, or can’t find something, you keep pushing until you reach a more exasperated state, leading to eventual burnout. To combat this natural, self-destructive fervor, try to calm down when you’re feeling frustrated. There are a plethora of ways you can do this, including taking a break, having a drink of water/tea/some other relaxing beverage, or even meditating. Taking a break is by far the most effective technique, because it allows you to entertain your mind for a while, which really helps reduce your frustration level.
- Do the fun things: Many activities that cause frustration are because you don’t want to do them. Many times, you are forced to do it or have an obligation. So when you’re in the middle of these detestable facts, try to make things a little fun, by making a game out of them, or maybe singing songs. Anything you can do to make time go by faster helps and calms you down as well.
- Decelerate: As you get more and more frustrated, you usually try to do the task you’re failing faster and faster, which only leads to a higher failure rate and thus more discontent. More than half the time, this increase in speed goes unnoticed, but if he thinks you’re starting to speed up, slow down immediately.
- To feel comfortable: I know from personal experience that physical discomfort is a big part of overall discomfort. If your environment is strange and not a good fit for the task you are trying to complete, feel free to change it. I remember one time, I was trying to rewire a cable behind my desk and it kept failing, over and over again. My back, shoulders, neck, and hands ached because I needed to squash everything to fit behind my desk. I could tell I was getting really annoyed, bordering on verbal profanity, and decided I needed to shake things up a bit. So, I moved my desktop, and in less than a minute, everything was connected correctly, and more importantly, I was no longer frustrated!
- Move on: If you are puzzled by a trivial task, forget it! If it’s not necessary and you feel like breaking something in half, don’t. I seem to get really frustrated with superfluous details, which makes the whole process of making anything much less enjoyable. So if there’s a 100 screw you can’t install, leave it at that. If you’re still determined to put it down, you can come back to it later, once you’ve come to your senses.
- Know yourself: Before taking on a task, consider whether you are well prepared to do it. Judge this not only by your skill in that specific area, but also by the frustration that comes with it. Once you have considered all the factors, do (or don’t do) the activity. For example, if you hate gardening but really love gardens and can’t afford a gardener, it’s probably wise to plant yourself, even if you get frustrated. On the other hand, if you love gardens, you can afford a gardener, but you get irritated with gardening, it is definitely better to hire the gardener.
These four tips are incredibly helpful, especially the last one. If you know how you’ll react to certain things, you’ll know what to avoid, outsource, and use the other three tips. Frustration is probably the biggest obstacle to success in business, academia, and life, so if you can get past it, it’s for the better.
