How to Work with Annoying People, part 5

I heard a woman from NASA speak recently. I can't remember her name, but she had a funny line about the astronauts. She mentioned that there are times when the astronauts don't get along. She said let's face it . . . would you like your boss to pick your roommates? That made me laugh because that's basically what's happening when astronauts go into space . . .and it's what happens with people we work with in the office. We don't get to pick these people, which means you get lots of different personalities that maybe shouldn't be together.

This week's I'm talking about how to work with an annoying person, and my tip this week is to keep records. Make note of the times that they are doing something that annoys you. Number one, it will either confirm or disprove that they are bothering you. Sometimes we think someone is annoying, but really they've only done a couple of annoying things to us. . .but we start to exaggerate and think that EVERYTHING they do is annoying. Also, if you keep records, you'll actually be able to call them on it by pointing out specific things they've done. We all have bad memories, and you don't want to tell someone they're bothering you if you don't remember all the things they've done to bother you. And third, by keeping a record, you see if their behavior has changed after you've talked to them about their annoying habit. Records will show you progress or no progress.

Don't forget my weekend tips. On Saturday I give you a tip on finding the funny yourself – since I've sold comedy material to everyone. And on Sunday I have a live clip of my clean comedy.

That's it for today. Take care and enjoy your journey.