This entry in the 2014 Graduation Blog series is on Time Saving Tips. Saving time really boils down to 2 things: organization, and good time management. If you’re good at these things, it shouldn’t be a problem to find ways to get things done faster and easier. If not, it may take a bit of effort to get into a flow. But it can be done and once you get the hang of it, it’s easier to see ways of getting things done more efficiently.

Here are a few tips to help you get started, whether you’re off to college, off to work, or off to get that new apartment or home set up:

1.       Set your priorities and schedule according to what matters most. There are only so many hours in the day, and endless possibilities on how to spend it. Obviously, work and/or school are first, and those are not multiple choices. But there are countless “distractions” out there and people are always pressuring you to do this or try that. It’s literally impossible to do it all. In fact, the reason why there are many seasons of life is so you have a chance to do more over time – but you can’t do it all at once. Decide what you like best and make that a priority for your free time. Other things can be tried on a “when I have time” or “on the back burner” basis. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day for you to do everything that even you want. You have to make decisions based on what’s in your heart, not on what others would really like for you to do.

As a side note on this; it’s alright to be non-negotiable on one or two things. For example, my Bible reading time and my writing are absolutely not up for negotiation – period. I can be flexible with social time, reading, volunteer work, and even housecleaning, chores and errands, but those two things are not “back burner” eligible. Everybody needs one or two things that are theirs and theirs alone.

2.       Don’t be afraid to say “no.” Believe me, others aren’t afraid to say no to you. If this scares you, get over that. The only way to keep balance in your life is to set acceptable boundaries and stick to them. It may make people mad for a little while, but soon enough they’ll get over it, and they’ll better understand and respect how you spend your time and energy.

3.       Give up things that aren’t working for you. If a certain activity, hobby, club or organization isn’t working out for you the way it used to, don’t be afraid to let it go. Don’t invest in something that isn’t paying off for you in some way, be it spiritually, emotionally, or financially. I’ll tell you how this can be a money saving tip as well in my next blog entry.

4.       Set up an organization system and keep it daily. I’ve often been accused of being excessively (or rather, obsessively) organized, but in reality it doesn’t take that much to make this work. It takes an investment of time, but if you establish a system of organization that works for you and maintain it daily, it’s well worth it. It takes a lot less time to find that bill if you take 2 minutes to file your paperwork at the end of the day, or to find your keys if you take a second to put them in the same place every time you’re done with them. 

5.       Utilize spot cleaning. I’m a master at this. You can spruce up your house in less than an hour with Clorox wipes in the kitchen and bathroom, a feather duster around the house, bleach in the toilets, a broom and Swiffer mop on the floors, and a vacuum in rooms that are used daily. And if you clean up messes as they happen and check around once every other week, it can go faster. I only deep clean my house once every 6-8 weeks. In between, I spot clean as needed. 

6.       Schedule your week. I do an exercise every Sunday that I call “Mapping My Week.” I check my calendar for meetings or other obligations, check around the house for things that need to be done, and come up with a schedule to get things accomplished. I also plan my outfits and the meals I want to cook each day. This can take as little as 5 minutes, and it’s well worth it. Now for those of you who say “that’s anal,” bear in mind that this schedule is flexible. If I schedule cage cleaning for Tuesday and that doesn’t work, then I can switch my Tuesday plans with Wednesday or Thursday. The point is to take time to plan an even distribution for getting things done so the week goes smoother.  And , of course, I schedule “down time” as well. I always have 1 or 2 nights that I leave free for flex time if I get off schedule, or for stuff I enjoy if I don’t need that flex time. This is really effective time management, and with calendar apps on smartphones it’s really easy to keep up with dates, deadlines, and all you need to do. Use those apps and take the time to work with them at least once a week. I learned it my freshman year in college, and it continues to serve me well, even 17 years after graduating.

7.       Take care of your health. Take your medications. You’re awesome, but you aren’t so charming and fabulous that you can go off the meds. Your doctor gave them to you so you can feel good and have a healthy life every day with less illness, so take advantage of modern medicine and pop that pill every day if your doctor told you to. Eat right and exercise. Drink plenty of water. Get enough sleep. Take care of your body, and it will stand a lot better to whatever life may bring.

8.       Take care of your stuff. Keep up maintenance on your home and your car. It’s a lot easier ,less time consuming, and less embarrassing to have a low tire plugged than to find your car with a flat tire when you’re trying to leave work one day. If it doesn’t seem to be working as well as it used to, have it checked out. I learned this the hard way with our dishwasher a few months ago. It wasn’t running like it usually did, but it was the holidays, and we were busy. Rick had just been sick, I got the flu, and our parakeet was ill with what turned out to be a terminal illness.  We were overwhelmed with life and  thought “we’ll look at it later,” until it flooded our kitchen floor one day in late February and we had to order a new one, right when the parakeet’s health took a turn for the worse and we had to have him put to sleep. Putting that dishwasher problem off didn’t save us a thing. In fact caused it to come to a head at a worse time! We would have been better off being put to the trouble sooner rather than later. Don’t wait for it to die before you pay attention to it. It take less time to maintain and troubleshoot than to repair and replace.

9.       Multitask with discernment. Multitasking is a popular thing right now, but it’s not always the best way to get more done in less time. In fact, sometimes it can take longer, or result in mistakes that could have been avoided if you had focused 100% of your attention on that task alone. It’s one thing to clean the house while a load of laundry is running. It’s quite another to try to balance finances and watch television. Know yourself, your responsibilities, and what you do well enough to know what you can multitask and what needs your full attention. Doing it right the first time is always more efficient than having to go back and make corrections later.

10.   Read the instructions, all the way through, all the time, and follow them. Perhaps this should have been first, because it’s the tip people miss the most. Instructions are provided so you can get the most common questions answered and so things can get done correctly and as quickly as possible. Assuming that you’re too smart for that or that you know a better way is stupid. They exist for a reason, and it would behoove you to read and follow them. Plus, since so few people actually do it, you can appear incredibly intelligent when you know the right answer without fiddling, fumbling and farting around trying to guess it because you were too good to read a few paragraphs that said how to do it right the first time.

I hope these tips are helpful to you, whether you’re starting a new chapter of life or just need some advice on how to fine tune the life you have. Maybe you’ve made some of these discoveries yourself, or maybe this will help you fine tune the way you’re doing things. Either way, I hope it’s helpful it streamlining your life and finding ways to do things faster, easier, and more effectively so you can have more free time to enjoy.

I hope you’re enjoying this mini blog series. The next entry will be Money Saving Tips, and the final entry in this series will be General Tips.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

It was recently suggested that I should occasionally blog about tips and tricks to help people out with their lives. I’ve seen this advice before, but it’s usually geared toward non-fiction writers. Frankly, I didn’t think that my readers would be very interested in this kind of thing, as the purpose of this blog is to show how my reality feeds my writing. But what the heck, I thought. Maybe there’s something I’ve discovered along the way that would be helpful to people.

 One thing I’ve frequently been complimented on is time management skills. I was fortunate to receive good training on this my first semester in college, and now that I’m juggling a full time job and a building writing career, it’s invaluable. So today, I’d like to share some time saver tricks I’ve learned over the years. Hopefully, this will allow you to spend less time doing what must be done and more time doing what you want to do. 

Tip #1 -  Schedule similar tasks together. This is also called “block scheduling,” and it’s the habit that saves me the most time of all. In fact, when done properly, I believe this is what the term “multi-tasking” refers to. Group tasks together that require similar resources to complete. For example, at work I’ll work on Board meeting items, and then I’ll work on outstanding disciplinary issues, because they frequently cross over into Board items. Once I get the paper off my desk, I’ll check email and telephone messages for other items related to this and respond to them before moving on to the next group of tasks. Or at home, I’ll clean bird cages on nights when Rick cooks and I clean the kitchen, because I’ll have all of the cleaning stuff out already, and be ready to sweep the floor and take out one big bag of trash when I get both done.  And doing all of your “going” together (running errands away from home) not only saves you time by visiting every place you need to go in an area, but it saves gas in making one trip to do it all. 

Tip #2 – Map your week. Every Sunday night, I do an exercise I call “mapping my week.” I look at my schedule for the next week and plan what I’ll wear to work each day, what meals I plan to cook on my nights to cook, and when I can do chores, errands, or work on my writing. Some people think this is “anal,” but the truth is that it’s extremely helpful because you avoid unpleasant surprises, like finding out that the shirt you want to wear today is dirty because you wore it to church Sunday and you haven’t done laundry yet this week. Plus, you can work flexibility into your “mapping.” For example, let’s say you schedule laundry for Tuesday and cage cleaning for Wednesday, but find out that garbage pick up is a day early this week. No problem - you can switch your Tuesday and Wednesday chores, and it still works out. Mapping your week isn’t so much about when it gets done as it is about planning how to get it done. It divides things that need your attention over the next 6 days evenly so you can be sure you have what you need to get the tasks done, and prevents you from stressing out or wearing out by week’s end. And by the way: don’t forget to schedule some “down time” in your weekly mapping too.  


Tip #3 – Utilize your lunch hour. It might not seem like much, but that’s 5 hours over a week. I’ve taken my laptop to the office with me to work on my writing, taken my tennis shoes to the office to take my walk around the complex, run errands, and caught up on personal calls and/or emails during those hours – and that’s time I didn’t have to spend doing it before or after work. And when it comes to writing, consider this: on a typical work night, I can get in 2 hours of work without clashing with housework or other chores and/or errands. So taking my laptop to work on 2 days gives me an extra night’s worth of work during the week. That’s one night I can spend with Rick and the birds. So brown bag your lunch and use those 60 minutes to knock some things off the “to do” list. 

Tip #4 – Use your calendar and reminder apps. They don’t call them smart phones because they’re smarter than you – they call them smart phones because they make you look smarter. Even basic cell phones come with a calendar feature, so learn how to use it and put in appointments and events with reminders long enough ahead of time to get a good start on preparing for what you need to do, or to remind you of repeating tasks. And be sure to check these features often. Let technology help you!
 
Tip #5 – Work your assigned hours. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I’ve known people that reasoned that they could take an extra long lunch and work a bit later, or come in on Saturday, or take work home and do it Sunday afternoon. While that might be necessary every once in a while, I’d caution against making it a habit because it turns into a time waster and lends to disorganization. Work loads are supposed to be assigned based on core work hours, so work the hours you’re assigned and you’ll be more productive. Think about it: you aren’t likely to get a response from somebody if you leave them a phone or email message after hours or on the weekend – and what if they “put you on the back burner” and you need quick follow up? Or the system is down because they’re doing maintenance during that time, and it never delivers? Or you need to check with a colleague on something, and you don’t have their cell phone number (and would they answer a work related call on a weekend if you did have it)? Deferring your work has the potential to increase your workload by adding steps. So work your assigned hours and save your personal time for you, your home, and your family. 

Tip #6 – Maintain your health. I know a lot of people that postpone going to the doctor until “their schedule settles,” or won’t get medicine because they’re waiting for payday. This is a dangerous game. Your health is the foundation of everything, and you can’t perform your best if you’re sick or injured. Take care of yourself and make time to go to the doctor. Take your medication every day. If you have trouble paying for it, talk to your doctor about affordable options. If getting by the pharmacy is a pain (as it can be), sign up for a mail order pharmacy that you can order medicine through with a few clicks and have it delivered to your door. Make time to take care of your health. Because without proper self care, you aren’t going to effectively manage anything in life. 

Tip #7 – Don’t skimp on sleep. I know we’ve all pulled “all nighters” or late nights to get things done, but the older you get, the more of a detrimental effect this has on you. It’s not a habit to get into. Map out your week so you can “wind down” in time to rest for at least 30 – 60 minutes before bedtime and get 8 hours of sleep each night. Don’t even try to work every minute of every day. You aren’t as productive if you’re tired and making mistakes, so stop before you wear out. 

Tip #8 – Delegate. I know a lot of people roll their eyes at this, but I’ve learned why leaders do this through months of staff shortages. Nobody can do it all, nor should they try. Utilize other peoples’ talents and engage them in cooperative efforts to keep things going. Let people know what you need before the buck stops with you, and consider “hiring out” on occasion. I know money is tight in this economy, but sometimes time is more valuable than money and it’s worth spending a few dollars to get a helping hand. We occasionally call a lawn service that works for many families in our area to cut our grass when we’ve been sick or overscheduled. I also hired a  graphic artist to do a cover for Move, and asked her if she’s mind being “on call” form me for future self-published projects. Both do great work, are dependable, and are reasonably prices so their services are a true blessing to me when the going gets hectic. 

Tip #9 – Keep at least 1 “quick meal” on hand at your home. We all have those days that are unexpectedly busy, and find the unpleasant surprise that, on top of struggling to 5:00, we have to put a meal on the table. Or how about the email or text from the spouse saying “working late, be home whenever?” This can make fixing dinner a challenge, and make picking up fast food awfully tempting. I suggest keeping at least one or two “quick meals” in your house that you can make with as little time and effort as possible. Heat and serve pizzas are the most obvious solution to this problem, but there are other options like sloppy joes, soups, salads, or those Stouffers meals that you can microwave in 18-20 minutes. And if you know you have a tough day coming up, consider a crock pot meal that you can put in the pot before work and have done when you walk in the door.  

Tip #10 – Keep your house, office, and car organized. This might take a one time investment of time, but it’s well worth it. Digging around to look for things wastes more time that you realize, and you can save precious minutes if you know where to find what you need when you need it. That being said, the level of organization you choose to have is up to you, as long as you can find things quickly and with little effort. Filing cabinets or piles of paper on the floor? Or get rid of the paper and go digital? It’s up to you, as long as you know where it is. 

Tip #11 – Arrange your schedule to line up with your priorities. We all have a tendency to take on too much, and it’s beneficial to take stock of life every now and then to ask what fits and what doesn’t. Sometimes, this may require giving up some things that we like in order to make room for things that we like better or that line up more with our priorities. For example, I had to give up volunteer work at my church when my job because more demanding and my writing started to build and require more time. It wasn’t an easy choice to make, but my life filled up and I couldn’t dedicate the time and attention to it that I had before things changed in these two areas. I also had to limit my cross stitching to small projects during “slower” seasons with my writing, but  I know I’ll have to “shelve” this hobby when Splinter is released in November to make time for the promotional work I’ll need to do. There’s only so much time in a day and we only have so much energy, and sometimes that requires that we make hard decisions. Fortunately, life is ever changing, and there’s always the possibility that a season will come when there’s time for volunteering and cross stitching again. 

I hope these tips are helpful in getting your own time management system established, or perhaps working better than the one you have. Of course, feel free to comment with any other tips that you’ve discovered to save precious minutes in each and every day. 

That’s all today. Have a great week. 

Bye!

Ah, back to school time! I have to be honest – this is the time of year when I don’t envy teachers or students at all. I don’t mean to sound snarky; it’s just the truth. I remember the “back to school” dread that would start as soon as the retailers would crank up the commercials in late July from my own school days. It was downright depressing to go back after a nice, long break and make that adjustment to the lazy days of summer to the crazy school days again. One advantage of having a year-round job is that my schedule doesn’t get disrupted like that any more. The disruptions are for much shorter periods of time. It’s easier to rebound from a two day meeting or a three day conference than the nine months on/three months off school schedule.  But I guess that’s a personal preference, and it’s all in what you’re used to. 

Still, we do all go through schedule disruptions from time to time, and everybody has busy seasons. Whether it’s rebounding from having three months off, a cross-country conference in a time zone three hours behind you, the explosion of activity during your busiest time of year, or covering for a colleague that's resigned or is on long term leave, there are tips and tricks to keep your balance through the transition. It’s not easy to move through these phases, but you can ease the burden by:

Not skimping on sleep. I know there are times when you need more hours in the day, and the easiest way to get them is to sleep less. Don’t do it. Your body needs time to rest and recover, and getting enough sleep is your best defense against the ravages of stress and illness. Trust me: You’ll be a lot more productive during your day if you get enough sleep at night. So don’t burn the midnight oil, or get up at 4 a.m. to “get a leg up.” It won’t work if the 3 p.m. crash fogs your concentration to the point where you can’t focus on anything at all. 

Taking your lunch hours and breaks and don’t do overtime unless it’s required.  I picked up this gem at an administrative assistant’s conference about 10 years ago, and it’s proved golden. Just like skimping on sleep, it’s easy to reason that you’ll get ahead if you skip your “off time.” And just like skimping on sleep, you’re cheating yourself by not allowing breaks that will refresh you and give you energy to get more done while you’re there. There might be times when it’s necessary, but keep it to a minimum and don’t make it a habit. Remember, work/school are there to serve your personal life – not the other way around. It’s a symbiotic circle where things are supposed to work in harmony. If your school/work becomes a parasite feeding on your personal life, it’s time to take stock and get things back in proper balance. I realize there are times when things or issues take over your life, but these should be for short seasons. If it establishes itself as a way of life, it's become a parasite and it's time for correction. Remember your priorities, and remember that time to yourself every day – even if it’s just 20 minutes – is essential for keeping you sharp and in balance to do your best at all you do. 

Learning time management skills. I was lucky to have a good instruction in one of my college freshman classes that made teaching time management skills her first priority of the semester. That lesson has helped me through all of life ever since. I’ve had some refresher courses and these are things that never change – if anything, they find more ways to save you time and help you be more productive with the time you have. Some examples of things you learn are how to group like tasks together, keeping a schedule and calendar, advance planning and preparation, and blocking out personal time. If you’ve never had a time management course and you don’t naturally have these skills, it’s worth your while  to fit it in your schedule. In fact, I’d put it on the “necessary for modern life” training list along with typing, computer/software training, and driver’s training. 

Keeping your home/car/office clean. What’s on the inside shows on the outside. I know that cleaning and organization take time, but it’s well worth it if you can find what you need without looking everywhere for it, or when you aren’t having sneezing fits from digging in a drawer or cabinet that’s full of three years worth of dust. Keeping your space clean is good for your mind, body and soul. Organization helps you to be more efficient and saves you time, and cleaning keeps you healthy by clearing out germs and things that can carry them or cause allergy and sinus problems. Plus, you just feel better mentally when things are neat and organized. Cleaning and organization doesn’t have to take a lot of time, either. Sure, you have to make the initial investment, but once you’ve done that then it’s maintenance. Put things back when you take them out, keep your systems going, and make Clorox wipes and your Swiffer mop and duster your new friends to keep things neat and tidy in a hurry. 

Staying on your medications. I know I’m going where angels fear to tread, but I feel it’s necessary to address this because it’s important.  I mean no offence, but it’s a simple fact that sometimes people get the impression that “I’m fine” and go off medication to save money, or because they don’t like the side effects. Don’t do it. Your doctor put you on medication to help you lead a normal, balanced life, and cutting that off will throw whatever needs fixing out of whack again. And yes, people can tell if you go off them too, because it shows in ways that you don’t notice, so don’t think you’re so clever that you can hide it. Your family, friends, and colleagues don’t believe that your sniffling and sneezing is “just an allergy attack,” that your frequent restroom visits are “something that didn’t agree with me for lunch,” or that your frantic hustling around the office and losing your temper is “just stress and a bad day,” especially when it goes on for a week. People might be dumb, but it’s never in a way that’s convenient. The one thing that smart and dumb have in common is that they always show at times that are darned inconvenient and frequently embarrassing for you. Plus, you will get sick and need it again all too soon. Someone once told me that stopping your medication because you feel better is like cancelling your pest control service because you don't see bugs anymore: you don't see the bugs because the pest control works, and you don't feel bad because the medicine works. Don’t play that game. Maintenance medications are a blessing that everybody should take advantage of. You don’t have to suffer and there’s absolutely no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed about needing it – in fact, if you take it regularly and the dosage is right, then nobody will know you’re on it at all unless you choose to tell them! Do yourself and others a favor and take your medication. If you have trouble paying for it or the side effects don’t go away in time, talk to your doctor about adjusting your dosage. Let them do their job by keeping you well so you can do your job of serving the world through whatever you do with good health and a clear mind. 

I’m sure there are many more tips and tricks for making life easier when life gets busy, but these are good, basic things to help you get started. So don’t fear that date circled in red on the calendar. This too shall pass, and if you work wisely and efficiently then it will pass with as little pain and suffering as possible. 

That’s all today. Take care and have a good rest of the week. 

Bye!

Rick and I made the somewhat unsettling realization today that time's up. Oh, there are 2 weekends before Christmas, but both of those weekends are full of plans. Time's up on the gift buying and holiday  prep for us. From here on out, all we can do is ride it out - and squeeze in the last of the "to do's" on lunch hours or any other brief intervals that we find a break.

I think this is the case with a lot of people. The second week of December is when "crunch time" hits. People are in a hustle to get things done, everything piles up, and stress levels skyrocket to astronomical levels. I look for a lot of traffic and accidents on the Interstates as people hustle to get those loose ends tied up before gearing up for those holiday festivities, be it last minute meetings, a hustle to knock out the shopping, rushing to holiday parties, or making preparations or travel arrangements for family gatherings. No doubt, some will hold out until the last minute, hoping for a Christmas miracle that seems to elude them every year but for some reason they believe this will be the year it works (or they believe that Mayan Doomsday crap and think the world is gonna end before Christmas, so why bother?).

I'm right in there in the thick of it with you, folks, and I'm here today to share some tips I've learned from 37 years of Christmases to help you manage that load and get things done without anxiety attacks, pulling hair, or drinking an entire liquor store. This year instead of panicing, why don't you try:

1.    Letting go of unnecessary things. Is there something in your life that you can put on hiatus until January? If so, put it on hold.I usually don't work on new writing projects during the month of December. It's just too frustrating to try to hammer writing time into my schedule when it's already packed with so many other things. I still do promotional things for my published works, but that's not as time consuming as writing, rewrites, edits, proofreads, etc. Are there any projects or volunteer activities that you can shelve for a month? It might be worth it to free up your schedule - and your mind.

2.     Making plans, not excuses. I know some people who spend so much time making excuses for not doing what they're supposed to do that they could have just gotten it done in less time. What a waste. Stop procrastinating and rehearsing excuses for why things didn't get done. Take some time to sit down with your schedule, make a list of what needs to be done, and organize a schedule to do as much as you reasonably can. This is actually how I manage my "to do" list. It's amazing how quickly you can knock that list out if you commit to doing 2 things on it a day, and take advantage of open time that you find.

3.   Taking occasional breaks. Don't jam pack your schedule. Have at least 30 minutes to an hour a day that's free for you to do what you please. You're going to burn out if you don't have some time each day to relax and recharge your batteries. Likewise, plan some activities you enjoy in there, even if they don't have anything to do with the holidays. Rick and I, for example, already have our tickets to see The Hobbit next Saturday. That's going to be our break from the work/home/family/friends/volunteer/whateverelseneedsourattention demands of life next weekend.

4.    Getting enough sleep. A lot of people tout the benefits of getting up extra early or staying up late to get things done, when there are fewer distractions. I've found that this might be beneficial every once in a while, but as a regular part of life it's counterproductive. You aren't as effective if you're tired, and you get more done if you're well rested and energetic. Likewise, it's better for your health because skimping on sleep actually makes you more prone to catching illnesses (and plenty are going around). Go to bed on time every night and get up on time every morning. Keeping a steady daily schedule is the best thing you can do. I've found that I get much more accomplished during the day if I get my 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

5.     Rewarding yourself for accomplishments. I know time and money are tight this time of year, but try to find ways to reward yourself for getting major things done every now and then. Buy yourself a little something when you finish the holiday shopping that you're sure nobody else will get you. Take a couple of hours off to read, engage in a hobby, play a game, or watch TV when you get the Christmas cards written. Take time out to surf online media or call a friend when you get the house cleaned. Take a break at work when you get a major thing wrapped up to take a short walk. Find small ways to reward youself for a job well done and you'll find yourself motivated to stay the course and cross the finish line to a great holiday.

Yes, it's crunch time folks, but that doesn't mean we have to be crushed under the weight of all that needs to be done. With some self-discipline and planning we'll make it. Because Christmas is coming on December 25 whether you're ready or not. The best way to be ready when it arrives is to prepare and work steadily toward the goals for that day ahead of time.

That's all today. Take care and I hope you have a great start to the new week.

Bye!

I think what I really need is to cut my life back to basics and take stock of what I have and how to best nurture the things most important to me.

Fall is naturally the busiest time of year for me, and coiencidentally it's when people want to "get together" the most too. Football season is usually the excuse for this - "let's get together to watch the game!" And I've been a social butterfly these past couple of months and participated in all sorts of gatherings, visits and get togethers.

But folks, this butterfly needs to retreat to her cocoon. No offence, but the Carolina's bye week didn't come soon enough for me this year. I need to sit out a few. The season is going on, but my "to do" list and my schedule don't get it. There are things I need to tend to around the house and with the technology committee at church. I know I said I was going to take a hiatus from my in-progress writing projects, but I really do want to get back to them with as few distractions as possible, and that means I need to put my nose to the grindstone and get things done now. And if you want me at my best during the busy holiday season, well, I need a break.

I mean no offence, of course. I just need some time to myself every now and then to catch up, rest up, take stock, and move on. I need to recharge my batteries and right now I'm running low. I've come to the conclusion that I must be an anomoly, because this seems to be a need that not many other people have. Other than my family, only Rick and one other person has admitted to needing time to themselves. It seems others actually clamor to fill those empty spaces in their lives to the point where there's no quiet, no hiatus, no opportunities to simply "be" and exist in communion with the Lord and the world. Doing, doing, doing. Well, I admire their energy and their tireless dedication to their social schedule, but I'm not afraid I can't operate like that. My life is very full right now and all the "blessings" keep me quite busy. It can be a challenge to find those moments and days with an empty spot on the calender. And they aren't usually give, so it looks like I'm going to have to take them.

I'm burned out. I need to clear off my plate to I can be true to my priorities and focus on what really matters - not on what the world says should matter.

So I'm starting today. I'm sitting out the USC-Florida game. I know, it's a big one and how could I. It's simple, really. The need for quiet in my soul outweighs "the big game." As I said, I need some time to catch up on some stuff around the house and with church so I'll be free to resume work on Move next month when I end my writing hiatus, and what better time than by focusing on that while the rest of the world (around here) is tuned into the big game. Plus, I still have Feathered Frenzy to finish, and I already have an idea for my next writing project which is a novella I hope to start in 2013. And promotion work on my already published works never ends. So there's lots to do there and I really need to get focused and get back to work on my writing soon, and taking care of the other things on my plate will really help with that.

I know life won't always be like this. I'm quitting volunteer activities in 2013, so I won't have to make decisions based on things like this soon. That was another decision I made this week. I need fewer meetings in my life and the truth is that I need to focus my time away from work on home, family and writing and that doesn't leave time for much else. I wanted to be more involved at church, and I will certainly continue to be a greeter and help with activities as I can, but I can't be bound to a committee anymore. It just doesn't work in my busy life.

As for the rest - well, eventually I'll retire from work, so that won't always be eating up most of my weekdays, but that's far away as I'm not even at the halfway point of my career. Frankly, I do have concerns about being bored if I didn't work, but those aren't concerns I need to ponder now or any time soon. Until then, it's the immovable object in my life and I have to work around it. Those aggrivations and annoyances aren't going to stop and I have to march on and do what must be done because it's my responsibilty and financial support, now and in the future. That's a reality for most people and it's something that should be easy to understand and respect.

Yes, life is busy, and sometimes it won't give you what you need so you have to take it. That's what I'm going to to today. Because if I don't take care of myself and my needs, then I'm not much good to anybody else, now am I?

That's all today. I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

Yep, that's the right word to describe my schedule these days. It seems there's always something going on. Over the past few weeks we've visited with family, visited with friends, did work on our committees at church, and cleaned house. Work is chaos with license renewals for our biggest program and the legislature making the final push to get things  running before regulations time out this month and next month. This has been a brutal session because they're questioning everything with fees down to the jot and tittle and guess what? There are fees in one of my regulations.The June 7 close of the session will be a huge relief - for better or for worse. So that's meant a lot of meetings, on top of meetings I've already had.

Add to that the fact that I didn't feel 100% well with my sinuses 2 days this week but couldn't take off because I had meetings (big surprise), that our big "Share Our Stuff" spring event is tomorrow morning at the church, and I started writing my new book (Move), this week and - yea, insanity.

Incidentally, it's not really out of place for me to start writing a book when things are crazy. It seems the inspiration always hits when I don't have a minute to spare and it seems I have to sledgehammer time into my schedule to peck some research here and a chapter there. I can't explain it. Things will be calm and I'll have writer's block, but let my schedule fill up with dots on every day of  my calendar in my iPhone, and the muse is firing off left and right. Maybe the high level of activity feeds inspiration, or gives me more to draw off of. I have to admit that I pounded out a chapter today durning my lunch hour with no problem. In fact, sometimes I find it easier to write scenes there that are in a work related setting. Maybe it's because I'm already in a work-mindset and I can draw inspiration from what I've been dealing with recently. Yes, it's easiest to write in the quiet with free time, but sometimes those short slices of free time feed my muse, I guess by allowing me to draw inspiration from recent experience.

Or maybe I'm just weird and have a busy lifestyle where I've adapted to being able to write anytime I can find a minute. I learned in college that there's no such thing as dead time. They taught me to be a master at handling my schedule and I learned I can squeeze things into every minute of every day. In fact, sometimes I have to plan to take time off. I guess I'm driven. It seems I always have some personal project going on top of everything else. No sooner do I finish the birdhouse village than I'm off and running on my next novel. This one should keep me occupied for a while - and there's no telling what's next.

That's all for today. Happy Friday to you. I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!