Time Compressed

Way back on October 14th, I stopped in at Home Depot for some 9V smoke alarm batteries. I walked into a winter wonderland. They were in full Christmas mode. The next day, I repeated the experience at Costco.

Growing up, we didn't see Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was the official kick-off of the season with Santa Claus riding on the last float. Perhaps time goes slower for children than adults.

Perhaps time is indeed going forward faster with each passing day. I'm reminded of the scripture: "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt." Amos 9:13 (KJV)

As I go through my daily routines and try to squeeze in the many tasks on my to-do list, may I remember to put what's truly important at the top: 1) My relationship with the Lord - praying, worshiping, getting into the Word, 2) My family and friends, and 3) The calling of God on my life to write.

This year, as we approach the Christmas season, I want to slow down and savor what is precious.

Writers:  How do you keep November and December from becoming a pressure cooker ready to blow?

Readers:  What are some of the important Christmas traditions you want to revive for your family?

Photo Credit:  Marek Bernat

Productivity or Adrenaline?

Most of the time, I'm playing Beat the Clock. I run from one task to another, squeezing in the little interruptions that inevitably occur. After weeks, no months, of this activity, a storm brought all of it to a halt.

1.  No shopping.

2.  No errands.

3.  No work.

4.  No waking by the alarm clock.

5.  No deadlines.

Wow! Now, I can get all those things done around the house. My head buzzed with all the possibilities:

1.  Write a ton of blog posts.

2.  Cook - something I rarely do.

3.  Deep clean my house.

4.  Clean out a closet.

5.  Send out a newsletter.

Some of those items got accomplished. The adrenaline pumped as I zipped from one job to another, checking things off my to-do list. Then, a funny thing happened: my get-up-and-go deserted me.

As I got quiet and prayed, the desire to rest and re-charge came to the forefront. I'd exchanged one form of crazy schedule for another. I grabbed my Kindle and lounged on the couch, all the while feeling a bit guilty. Two hours later, I got up. The pleasure of doing something I loved restored my energy.

There's a difference between productivity and living off adrenaline. One leaves you with a sense of accomplishment, while the other drives you to exhaustion. Could this be a secret of time management?

In an age of time-saving gadgets, we're deluded into thinking we can do it all. We can't. Our spirit, soul, and body all need quiet times, fun times, and kick-back-and-relax times. Hopefully, I won't forget this revelation and go back to my insane schedule.

Writers and readers: What are your thoughts on productivity versus adrenaline-induced activity?

Photo Credit:  Jonathan Naundrup

My Upside Down Day

Everywhere I go I hear the same refrain: How do I find time to write?

When I'm on a book project, every moment I can squeak in counts. At times, I rebel and take a mental health day or work on my neglected chores. My latest WIP is coming down the home stretch. It will need editing and the keen eyes of my critique partners and early readers. From there, it gets shipped off to my agent.

Do I get to rest after that? Umm, no. Out of the Mist, the third book of The Moses Trilogy, needs another read through and some tweaking. My other books are being prepared for re-issue, and the launch will require a great deal of work.

The second book in the new series is hopping up and down in my head as we speak. So, another novel is on the horizon and ready to gallop into my life.

Most of the current book was written in the evening. 1,000 words takes about two hours to produce. That time of day is not my optimum writing time, but I couldn't figure out a way to fit it in during the morning. 

To complicate matters, the Lord's been on my case to spend more time with Him when I get up. Although I talk with him during the day, those uninterrupted moments were too short. He definitely has first dibs on my mornings.

Guess what? I turned my day upside down. My average pre-craziness time now looks like this:

5:00 A.M. - 5:30 A.M. - Bible reading and prayer

5:30 A.M. -  7:00 A.M. - Getting ready for work, breakfast, morning chores, and online time. (This might seem like a lot of time, but it goes SO fast.)

7:00 A.M. - 7:30 A.M. - Write!

Bedtime comes earlier - 9:30 P.M. - or I can't get up at 5:00 A.M.

Being able to write when I'm the most refreshed and alert has increased my productivity and quality. I can knock out 300-400 words in a half hour. The remaining word count is finished in the evening. It's such a boost to have that much completed before my day officially begins. I can even get a few things done and maybe relax.

Writers:  When is your best time to write? Please share how you manage to get your word count in for the day?

Readers: What does your daily schedule look like? Do you get up extra early to accomplish something before the daily race begins?

Photo Credit:  Duchessa

 

5 Changes I'm Making in the New Year

Christmas preparations are in full swing. This year, I got a late start due to some major life events - Mom needing extra care, purchasing a car, a family wedding, and plumbing woes for starters. Some of the lessons I learned this year include:

1.  Get.It.Done.Now.  While I'm not usually a major procrastinator, this year I wasn't as disciplined and paid for it. Now, I'm playing catch up.

2.  I learned I need some space to refresh and re-group. I said "no" to several projects, and it paid off big time when life hit.

3.  Making random notes of interesting facts, comments, ideas, and news bits gave me material for blog posts and scenes in my latest book.

4.  Buy Christmas/holiday gifts throughout the year. I wish I'd done more of this. I wouldn't be fighting the crowds and traffic now.

5.  I could have carved out more writing time if I'd developed a better schedule. Social Media will be restricted to specific time periods. I love Facebook, but it nearly ate me alive this year.

Writers and Readers:  What changes are you making to your schedule in the New Year?

Photo Credit:  parylo00

Redeeming the Time

I've been thinking a lot about Methuselah lately. You know, the oldest guy who ever lived? He was 969 years old when he died.

His name had a special meaning: When this child dies, the flood will come. As he grew older and older, I'm sure his great, great, great grandkids checked up on him to make sure he was still alive.

Even though he lived a long time, he still reached the end of his life on earth. I can imagine a conversation he might have had with one or more of those young whippersnappers. "You know, Noah, it seems like yesterday I was a youthful 200! Time sure does move fast."

We're so busy these days that it seems like we're either getting up or going to bed with little in between. Maybe it's time to slow down, to consider where and how we spend the most precious, non-renewable resource we have: our time.

God's Word tells us to redeem the time for the days are evil. The emphasis is always on God, family, and work, with specific times of rest and play factored into the equation. Everything's been turned upside down with leisure becoming the ultimate goal in life for many folks.

How this looks for each of us within God's parameters will vary. It's something I'm considering as new demands for my limited time surface.

Writers and readers: How do you prioritize your time? Please share.

Photo Credit:  gilsworth

To-Do List or Wish List?

As a kid, the arrival of the Sears Catalog was akin to the changing seasons. Mom and I would sit down and go through it page by page, commenting on items we liked.

At Christmas, their Wish Book made me dream of dolls, toys, clothes, and decorations for our house. While it gave me many ideas, only a small percentage of things on my personal Wish List found their way from Sears to our mailbox.

At times, my To-Do List seems more like a Wish List. At the end of the day, numerous items roll over to the next day's list. The recurring items like writing, the gym, laundry, and grocery shopping have to get done. Special projects in the house and for marketing rarely get a check mark.

Here are a few ways I manage those items that languish on my To-Do List for weeks and months:

1)  Break the job into bite-sized pieces and take 15 minutes to work on it each day or several days a week. My guest room was becoming a catch all, so one morning I took 20 minutes and de-cluttered. The next step was to clean out the closet. I knew several items needed to go into the garbage, so I'd grab a few and discard them on my way out the door.

2)  Guest Posts and Interviews - These are great ways to promote your books or writing talents. Some bloggers require you to answer 12-15 questions. Whew! That takes a lot of time. A guest post requires coming up with an idea, writing, editing, and submitting it along with pictures, book covers, blurbs, and links.

I try to get a reasonable amount of lead time, and then go to work on the project immediately. Once I decide on what to write, I open a Word document and jot down notes. Questions for interviews are also transferred to a Word document. I'll answer a few questions each day until it's finished. The one thing I NEVER do is wait until the last minute. I get it to the blogger as soon as possible.  It's a great stress reducer.

How does this affect my To-Do List? I have each of those parts listed. Even if it carries over to my list for weeks, I can check off individual items and see I'm making progress (or not making progress).

3)  BIG Projects - Writing a novel is a big project. Spring cleaning is a big project. Planting a garden requires a lot of work. How do I keep these moving along without letting my house have 3 inches of dust or laundry piled to the ceiling?

A separate list for each item can be helpful. Granted, one has to actually look at the list and maintain it. This is not my strong point, so it takes more discipline.

Some projects I've pared down to the bare essentials. The garden will be limited to flowers this year. While I love growing vegetables, they require far more attention than easy-care blooms. (I make sure the flowers I pick work well for my planting beds and are drought tolerant.)

Writers and Readers:  How do you keep your To-Do List from becoming a Wish List? I could sure use more suggestions.

Photo Credit:  Fanginhoon

Watch Those Minutes

I don't know about you, but when I get on the computer, hours can fly by without me noticing. With my work status changing from part-time to full-time, that dynamic has to change. I've already made some revisions in my schedule:

1. I'm going to bed earlier. On the weekends, I was staying up until after midnight. Most of this time was spent surfing the Net. While it was fun and I picked up some useful stuff, it wasn't worth the time expenditure.

2.  I'm getting up earlier. Mornings are my most productive time of the day. The whole idea is to allow the brain to function at maximum capacity.

3.  Tech savvy I'm not. One of my goals is to learn more shortcuts with Social Media. My Facebook posts automatically show up on Twitter, while my blog posts are tied to my Goodreads Author Page.

4.  Minutes add up. When I have 5 minutes before going to work, I don't sit and watch them go by. I take the garbage out, water a plant, add items to my grocery list, clip coupons, etc.

5.  The laundromat is close to my home, so while my clothes are in the washer, I go home and do some Social Media tasks and have breakfast at the same time. The dryer takes 40 minutes, so I can clean the bathroom, do some writing, pay bills, run the dishwasher or take care of something else that requires more than a few minutes.

It won't be easy, but with careful planning and God's grace, I'll be able to keep up with the important tasks in my life.

Writers & Readers:  Will you help me out? What are some ways you save time?

Photo Credit:  skingolf

 

All Aboard!

I'm coming across posts on time management, so let's go with that theme today. On one of these blogs I commented that my extra bits of time were devoted to reading. I don't need more time, but rather productive time. Spending time journaling, reading my Bible, and praying when I get up gives me greater clarity and keeps me calmer.

Here are some links to get you back on track:

1. Jeanette Levellie zeroes in on time wasters.

2.  Jill Kemerer talks about producing or frittering away your time.

3.  Jennifer Brown Banks, at Pen and Prosper, discusses strategies for finding time to write.

Writers and Readers:  How do you find extra time to write or participate in an activity you love?

Photo Credit:  timobalk

Of Purses, Plots, and Prioritizing - Part III

Along with the blessing of a new job comes a shift in priorities. To fit this rock into my time jar, I've had to empty it and sort them all out. My devotional time, family, church, writing, sleep, and the job constitute the biggest demands on my daily allotment of 24 hours.

How do I fit all the smaller stones, pebbles, and sand into my already packed jar? What stays and what gets set aside?

Here's the breakdown of my smaller items and my decisions:

1) My house. I find that the clean-as-I-go method helps keep things under control. My shower gets wiped down every day. A quick dusting as I go through a room works wonders. Then, there are the rough days when I get behind. When that occurs, it's time for serious cleaning.

2) Surveys. I've virtually cut them out of my life except for one company that I particularly enjoy.

3) Swagbucks. My time is now divided in short segments for this activity. On certain days, I allow myself a bit more time, especially when I'm preparing for a food shopping trip.

4) Couponing. Okay, let's not get crazy. A girl has to get her bargains. Still, I've streamlined the process and cut down on the number of coupon blogs I visit. I focus on the ones that provide the best information for my local area.

5) Blogging. Ouch! Cutting back on blogging means major pain. Visiting all my friends and followers brings joy and inspiration to my day. You may have noticed I don't catch every post you publish each week. Unless I eliminate sleep, it's impossible. I haven't forgotten you and will do my best to stop by your place and comment as much as I can.

As far as my own posting, I'm so grateful for the scheduling feature. I've been able to stay current because I write my bits ahead of time. The Friday Round-Up is shorter with only one link. You're busy too, so maybe one link is enough. For now, I'll stick with my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday routine and see how it works out.

Thanks for your patience as I work through my personal time crunch. I appreciate all my writing/reading friends. Do you have any time management suggestions or experiences you'd like to share?