This is Stevea Robbins. Welcome to the Get It Done Guy's quick and dirty tips to work less and do more.

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Personal word of mouth is how we build our audience. I don't like conflict. Conflict brings up messy emotions, and they're such a mess.

I mean, if we could just remove emotion from the equation, the world would be much simpler.

We would all be logical, and everyone would understand that the best course of action is the one that I recommend.

There would be no bickering or disagreements.

Even art could be conveniently created, according to the parameters considered most pleasing

to the human nervous system, and we could all use mathematical notation everywhere.

But since we're stuck with emotion, the best we can do is learn to manage it in advance.

The best way I know of managing conflict is to manage it when you're calm and not in conflict,

obviously.

When you're in a relationship or a work group or starting a project or doing a joint venture

or getting a new roommate or a cubicle mate or putting together a new team or onboarding

a new polyamorous family unit, solve your conflicts in advance.

When you're all in a good mood, munching on gummy bears, exchanging backrubs, and eating

Oreo ice cream cake, that is the time to resolve your conflict.

You resolve it by creating a resolution plan.

Normally when you disagree, you have a mature adult discussion.

If things are thrown, they're thrown at the wall, not at the other person, and then you

offer a tantalizing piece of Oreo ice cream cake as a piece offering and everything changes.

By the end of the meeting, everyone happily jumps on the consensus bandwagon and life is perfect.

But what if the things you throw are sharp and pointed and they seem to be aimed at the

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