Don't waste your time complaining!

      I have a colleague who has shown me the wasteful, unproductive habit of complaining about stuff you can't fix! He distracts himself from productive tasks by focusing on issues that none of us have any capacity to fix or improve.

     In all our work and play, we always run into elements that obstruct us, that annoy us. It's inevitable. Whether it be people or instruments or processes, any occupation/industry has these challenges. Nowhere is perfect!

     What magnifies these challenges in terms of time expenditure is complaining about items you can't fix. Many of the complainers are habitually-so - to the point you know they are going to complain before they even say anything! It is, of course, important to be aware of these problems, since one day they may be able to be dealt with or, in most cases, you need to devise workarounds so these problems aren't holding you back.

     But complaints in themselves often only slow a team down. They are detrimental even if they raise an important point to consider for later on. Moreover, time spent complaining is time that could be instead used productively. No matter what your role or industry, directing yourself and those you work with toward those productive avenues is your main task. For this reason, you and your team must avoid complaining!