Rules of the Game in Battling the Time Monster

Some of us let circumstances rule our time. Take the kids to school, go by the dry cleaners, helping others do their work, or just answering the phone. These little things can eat up a lot of time and make it hard for you to get anything done.

But before we tackle these things lets get down the rules.

1. What is really important – you know the non-negotiable items that can't be put off or delayed. Such as family, health, education, career, spirituality. How do you rank these things?
2. Then come up with negotiable. The kids in soccer, baseball, football, the volunteer time at church, the group of friends that get together once a week to gab.

Once you know what things you are willing to change and those things that can’t. Then you can start carving out time to do the things you want to do.
Small bits of time like:

1. Watching commercial – most mother’s use these breaks to cook, clean, or do small chores around the house.
2. Daydreaming – now this one is important if you’re using this time to say plot out a scene, or decide on which direction you want the story to go. It can be very valuable for deciding what you want to do next.
3. Waiting for appointments – this can be use to catch up on articles that you need to read or work through the mail or write bills.
4. Riding in the car – this can be use to find out what the kids are doing, setting in your mind what has to be done, and what can wait.

It may sound like you’ve got to stay busy every second of the day. But no one can do that, just determine how much down time you need and work that into the schedule too.

For example if you can’t sit for a long time without getting bored or restless. Set up your breaks so that you go to bathroom, get a drink, eat, delivery items to other people, any thing that still gets a task done, but gives you a break too.

But I’m tired of thinking I want to rest!

Find the items that don’t require a lot of thought and spread them throughout your day to give yourself a break. If you don’t have any, give yourself a time-out. Two minutes to think about nothing. Set a timer and go. Then when it’s over remind yourself that you’ve had a break and you’re ready to face that next hurdle. (Important: the time-out has to be without interruption or you’re not going to feel like you got a break.)

Ride the wave or swim against the current. Both can be fun.

Managing the Time Monster

Lesson One - Scheduling your lifeThe one thing that I think we all struggle with is time. It is the great equalizer. Everyone only gets 24 hours in a day. I don't care how rich you are, or how smart you are. We all have the same limited number of hours in the day.

Break your projects into bit size pieces.
I read an article that said that most of us are so busy that the most time we can spend doing one task is about five minutes.

Okay, what can you do in five minutes?

• Mop the floor.
• Write a novel, a scene, a sentence, a word. (Not counting the time it takes to boot up you computer.)
• Drive the kids to a baseball game.

I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. Most task take more than five minutes.

The trick is to take a large task and break it up.
"Mop the floor. (this is my personal hell)" – but look at it this way.
What part of the floor needs the most attention? The corner where Johnny didn’t clean up his mess, the spots where dirt has collected, the dust bunnies that are growing in the corner. (Bunnies multiply quickly)

Got five minutes? A wet paper towel can fix these spots. The floor looks nicer and you can wait now, until you can get someone else to do the floor or have more time.
I know this was a simple example but if you can break down your tasks to bite size chunks. They are easier to swallow and you can get more done.

Don’t let the waves pull you under.

Tina

Lost in Plain Sight or Lost in the Crowd

Yesterday, I lost my computer glass. I knew where I had left them, yet they weren’t there. I searched the whole house, thinking I may have taken them to a different room, only to find them later behind the table where I had laid them.

This is how I think most of us feel at times in today’s world. We are standing in the middle of a crowd, or at the grocery store walking down the aisle. Some one starts talking behind us. We turn, only to find that they are not talking to us at all. They’re on a cell phone carrying on a conversation with someone else.

In plain sight, but not seen.

So what?

Big deal.

What’s your point?

I guess I'm just trying to say "you’re not alone."

Everyone shares these feelings. Just take a moment to smile at them. You never know how it might brighten their day, and it reminds them they are not alone.

Hope you are having a great holiday season and the next year begins you everything you hope for,

Tina

Getting Ready to Bug-IN Event Announcement

It's almost the end of the world. Winter Solstice is right around the corner. Are you ready to survive and thrive? 

Welcome to the BUG-IN WITH ROMANCE BLOG EVENT!
We're a group of mostly romance authors that are worried about general fox-hole morale when the shit hits the fan. So you've got your bug-out bags packed, your medicine stocked up, your 2 weeks of food stuff hidden in the air-space behind the dry wall in your home (just in case the government shows up to confiscate your horde of food), you've stored away some candles and extra batteries, and you're ready to go. Well, what about Mom's sanity? What about those almost twenty year old daughters hooked on romance novels? What about...How are you planning to while away the boredom in your little safe place? We've got you covered. Win some romance novels and tick off your preparedness checklist with us as we countdown to THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT. 

Each author will be giving away a paperback copy of her book, a book about her Bug-In subject, or one of her favorite reads. So, stick around to enter to win each day. The blog event is a true blog hop in the sense that it begins with one blog post and moves on each day to another participating author's blog. Each day the hostess will post the link to the next day's blog post and contest. All you do is start today, here.

And don't forget to pop over tomorrow to learn some interesting survival info and enter to win a prize! Sheree Coleman--bug-out bags http://cheri-spincycletexas.blogspot.com/ (LINK TO TOMORROW'S POST)

 

I'll see you all back here on my day Dec. 1 when I'm talking about camp cooking.

 

 

 

But first I thought I better cover the more basic idea of building a fire.

 

Some of us may not have prepared by having a camp stove or a solor oven. We might be stuck cooking over a open fire. In that case the most important think to have on hand is matches.

 

Matches - I personal prefer the long wooden kitchen matches. Best to get your box now before the rush so stock up today.

 

How to build a fire.

 

First, you will need to collect several things,

1. rocks - these will be used to lay out around the perimeter of the fire. This will keep the fire from spreading.
2. wood - both large and small pieces. (wood should be as dry as possible.)
3. kindling - leaves, small twigs, scrap of paper, pinestraw.
4. bucket of water.

Next decide where you want to build the fire - at least ten feet away from tents, overhanging limbs, other flamable items.

 

• Clear an area on the ground where you want to build the fire about a two foot circle.
• Mark the perimeter with the rocks you have collected. (for fire control also have a bucket of water ready.)
• Lay down a layer of dry kindling in the center.
• Stack small sticks in a tee-pee pattern around the kindling allow air to flow into the fire.
• Light the kindling with match.
• Keep add increasing larger sticks and wood to the fire until it grows to the desired strengh.
• An be sure to extinquish complete when you are done.

Now, you have a fire you are one step closer to cooking on an open fire.

See back here on my bug-in blog day Dec. 1.

Tina