Snow Problem

Most of your who are a) reading these words, and b) live somewhere in Earth's northern hemisphere, have doubtless begun to take notice of the annual shift in the weather that occurs over the final two months of the year. Furnaces have been tuned up, clothing that provides additional warmth is out of the closet and circulating in the regular lineup, and stockpiles of such cold-weather essentials as Kleenex tissues, hot chocolate, and ice scrapers have been replenished.

Old Nongendered Person Winter is either already arrived or on the brink of settling in, and those who enjoy such seasonal pastimes as skiing and snowboarding are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the first serious snowstorms. Other people are anticipating the arrival of said storms with far less enthusiasm and for more mundane reasons. Lots of snow, after all, means lots of snow removal. There will soon be sidewalks and driveways to clear, requiring hours of hard labor each day.

You have to keep pace with the weather when it comes to shoveling snow. If you let things slide, then people walk on the snow, or vehicles drive on it, and then the problem becomes much harder to deal with. Let it go long enough, and you could wind up dealing with a hard-packed frozen surface that complicates everything from checking the mail to leaving the house for a quick run to the local grocery store. At some point the only option is to pray for a week of 40-degree temperatures.

The best way to prevent such headaches is to deal with snow as soon as it accumulates. If there's snow on the ground, then it's time to grab a shovel and start clearing off those sidewalks and driveways. The same sort of thinking should apply to your certification and training efforts. If you skip a few days, or a week, during your training and study, then you start to lose ground on what you've already learned. Let a month go by and even a surprise thaw can't bail you out.

Instead of giving in to the urge to skip out, or take it easy, make a plan for your certification study and training efforts. Carve out a chunk of time that can be dedicated to learning, either daily or at least weekly. Instead of periodically needing to catch up, to review and relearn material you already covered, you'll make steady measurable progress toward your goal. Don't slip on the ice of laziness and fall flat on your face. Sticking to your plan day after day will ensure success.