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Spuddle

Jul 27, 2021 | Mindset, Performance Management

The word spuddle means “to put in a great deal of effort and achieve only very little.”

Let’s face it, all of us spuddle sometimes. It’s just a matter of how often and for how long. I spuddle when I have a proposal to write, when I have eaten a big lunch (especially when the big lunch contains cheese!), and when I have a headache.

Some of the ways I have learned to spend less time spuddling are as follows:

  • I notice common themes around my spuddling to figure out when it’s most likely, and to thwart it when I can see it coming.
  • If it has to do with a proposal or program, I look at previous versions and use them to start. I find it’s much easier to re-write and edit than to start from scratch.
  • I ask a colleague to talk through a challenging project. Together we identify a first step, and I just take that first part on.

When do you spuddle and what tips do you have for others to get past their spuddling?

2 Comments

  1. Valerie Keels

    Hi Karen! I had to smile with the topic of today’s e-newsletter. I’d actually never heard the word “spuddle” before, but know exactly what it is. I don’t have an recommendations for avoiding it, but it brings to mind a saying that my son often says, “the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.” That sums it up perfectly for me.
    Be well! 🙂

    • Karen Snyder

      Great to hear from you and thank you for commenting, Valerie. When you wrote your comment, I hope it was with
      intention, and not a random spuddle!

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