Here's an interesting fact, money, they say, cannot buy happiness. It can buy stuff, and there is some misconception that "stuff" equals happiness. And I suppose for some people it does. I think I may have been one of those "some people" at different points in my life.
I've recently been introduced to this blog called the minimalists. Their blog is essentially about decluttering your life. That having "stuff" isn't what will make your life fulfilled. That perhaps there's more to it, like adding value to someone else's life, or volunteering, or *gasp* doing a job you love instead of job to earn a pay check. It's all very interesting to me, and something I think has landed squarely at the forefront of my attention when it's most needed.
I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a person who hangs on to stuff. Just ask anyone who knows me. I'm constantly getting rid of things. Sometimes its things I've out grown - either physically or mentally. Other times, its just stuff I no longer feel I need/want. And then sometimes its just stuff that's been replaced with bigger/better/brighter stuff. Either way, I'm constantly donating my unwanted stuff to either a garage sale or a local charity.
And because I am not a keeper of things, I am amused when I can clean out a drawer in the kitchen and still find stuff to get rid of. No lie. I just did it this weekend. I opened my utensil drawer and started pulling everything out. With each item I thought about when I last used it. (I'm a big fan of 'if you haven't used it/worn it in a year - get rid of it). And then I saw things that didn't make sense. I had three...THREE miniature spatulas. THREE. Who needs three small spatulas (you know, the kind you'd use for getting cookies off a cookie sheet). So I tossed two.
Today I listened to a TED talk by these two guys who started the blog I mentioned above. There's plenty of interesting tid bits in this talk, but one thing really resonated with me. They talk about how when you make more money you buy more stuff. More gadgets, more decorations, more furniture, etc. And at the end of it all, you have stuff, but that stuff does not equal happiness. Which, logically I know. Here's what else I know...
I know that for so many years I made crap for $$ in my career. Then one day I got fired from a job I just sorta liked. Then I got a contract job that suddenly paid me $30K more a year than I was making. Within two months I had gone from making $60K to $90K. That's a HUGE influx of cash for me. And suddenly I was able to walk into a book store and buy a book without thinking about a "budget".
I was in debt from making nothing, so I got out of debt. And before I knew it, I was in debt again. I kept asking myself, "How can you be making so much more $$ and be in debt?" The answer, it turned out, wasn't easy.
Instead, I figured out that the "being able to" is what I was addicted to. I could buy something, so I did. It makes no sense to me now, but I can totally see why it did then.
Fast forward several years, I'm at a good place financially. I have just about everything I want or need, and I spend money on things that may or may not be something I should spend money on. I save, I have a 401K etc, and I still find $$ to spend. And I'm ok with this.
Here's what I'm not ok with, I'm not ok with spending said $$ on something I may toss out in a year or more. I'm not ok with spending $$ on something that isn't exactly what I want and then NOT returning it. I'm not ok with accumulating stuff to have stuff.
So how do I get out of this circle of stuff? I toss stuff. I buy stuff. I toss more stuff.
Today I challenged my FB friends to the 30 days of decluttering. I created a FB group for anyone who wanted to join in. I have no rules for this decluttering - I think decluttering will have different meanings for each individual. If in 30 days any of them get rid of just one box of stuff and feel like their life is better because of it, then I'm ok with that.
I will be working on not only going through my drawers, closets, scrapbook room (gah) etc to really determine what I need. Furthermore, I am going to really focus on my spending habits. Truly think about the items I may be purchasing. We'll see where this goes.
So I challenge you too. Think about taking some time to declutter. Clean out that "junk drawer" in the kitchen.
My list of things to declutter and simplify:
1. My house cleaning supplies
2. My Tupperware drawer
3. My closet
4. My book shelf
5. The scrapbook room
6. The junk drawer in the scrapbook room
I'll be pondering this more.
One last question...are you a keeper of stuff?
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
New School Jitters
On the
eve of starting a new job (we hope - I'm still not 100% sure I'm starting tomorrow), I'm struck with some thoughts. The warm sun, for
now, is blaring through the window heating my insides. The TV is yammering on about some crime being
committed and how the CSI folks are going to solve it. I've seen this one
before, so it allows my mind to wander.
I find myself in third grade starting a new school again. Specifically it's Sacajawea Elementary in Great Falls Montana. I went to 4 different schools in 3rd grade. This one, for whatever reason, stands out the most. It could be because the MomUnit had separated from the original father and we were living in a small apartment that barely had room for the three of us. I can't tell you the name of the teacher, or the name of any kids in my class. I can, though, vividly remember learning cursive there. Or practicing writing - okay maybe not so vividly.
Each time I started a new school I would revert to a personality that had served me well in previous new school situations. I was an outgoing, happy, go-lucky little girl - just shy enough to add some mystery to who I was and why I was a new student. I didn't, of course, realize what I was doing at the time. It's only been years later in thinking about how I started each new school that I realized it was, in essence, a defense mechanism to keep myself - mentally - safe.
As the years passed, I found myself the new student several more times. In fact, I went to 12 different schools during my educational years. I never really begrudged that lifestyle. I think moving so much helped me be the person I am today. That being said, there's a certain amount of anxiety that rears its ugly head before a new school or new job.
The thoughts that run through my mind are likely not that unfamiliar or that different from most folks. I don't assume I'm that unique. I think it's inherently common to be "oh no I'm the new kid on the block coming into a situation where relationships have already been built." ACK…
What will the new job be like?
Will my new office mate like me?
Will the new team like me?
Can I do this job?
Oh, god, what have I done?
I know there's a "process" I go through when starting a new job (or going to a new school in the old days). I've never really documented it or put it out there verbally, but I decided it's time to put these thoughts to paper. Or out on the Interwebs.
First thing I do is try to decide what type of reputation do I want to have. It doesn't seem like you need to think about that, and generally speaking the reputation I want to have is consistent with my personality type. A person with integrity. A person who communicates well. A person you'd want to have by your side in a crisis (though admittedly I can become a drama queen when there's a crisis.)
When I think about this reputation, I naturally shift to what skills am I going to need the most in this role? What skills will I need to sharpen? Where are my gaps? I don't normally write this out, but it's part of the learning of a new job I think. It becomes part and parcel of inserting yourself into a new role, a new team, and with a new boss.
From there I generally start to build my stakeholder map. It's very PM of me to do this. I need to know who the key players are, how they affect me and my job, why I should care about them, etc. When I start any new project, part of my project plan is determining who the key stakeholders are. I build a RACI (basically a responsibility chart) for the most part. In a new job, it's no different. A new job is essentially a new project, right?
Once I've gathered that intell I begin to put the pieces together of what this job is I'm doing. What are my tasks? What are the schedules? What are the key pieces I need to deliver in the first 90 days and hit them out of the ball park? This I document, and review on a regular basis. In any new job, but especially at Hotel Californiasoft, things change quickly in a new role. It's imperative you keep yourself in the know of those changes. If you don't, you'll fail.
So now I have my stakeholder list and the key tasks with schedules documented. Now becomes the getting to know the key stakeholders. Setting up time to meet with them to not only introduce myself and provide them with details as to what I'm doing, but to get a handle on who they are and what makes them tick. Learning about other people's personalities really help in the long run when you need to get them to work for you or do things for you. You'll approach a developer differently than you'd approach a director for example.
One of the main people I interview and get to know is the new boss. Presumably I've had some meetings with him/her about the job, and this person (we'll use the pronoun him for the purposes of this new role since the new boss is a guy) will have helped me build the stakeholder map and task list. But what's vitally important to my success is learning my bosses work style. I learn how to manage my manager and in that I learn how to best work with my manager. It's imperative to have a conversation with my new boss about how he wants me to communicate with him. Does he want daily meetings for the first month? Does he want status reports? How does he prefer I communicate questions? Ask all these questions and then stick to how he prefers to work with you.
And so once the first day is over, and I find myself at home and my mind is swimming. It's almost guaranteed I'll dream about work and convince myself that I don't belong in this work. I know well enough to stop, breath and realize it's all part of the new job process.
Then that day will come when you feel like you've finally put all the pieces together and think you can actually succeed in this role. That's the sweet spot to me. That's where I want to be and quickly.
I do find I approach a new job as if I have a clean slate. I mean, after all, everything I've done up to this point has prepared me for this job, right? All my past job experiences, successes and failures, will only help in this new role. I cannot wait to start fresh and utilize my skills and knowledge to be successful.
And much like starting a new school my stomach will twist and turn, my thoughts will be relatively scattered, and I will put on the positive, happy face and step into the unknown. Stay tuned to see how this chapter turns out.
I find myself in third grade starting a new school again. Specifically it's Sacajawea Elementary in Great Falls Montana. I went to 4 different schools in 3rd grade. This one, for whatever reason, stands out the most. It could be because the MomUnit had separated from the original father and we were living in a small apartment that barely had room for the three of us. I can't tell you the name of the teacher, or the name of any kids in my class. I can, though, vividly remember learning cursive there. Or practicing writing - okay maybe not so vividly.
Each time I started a new school I would revert to a personality that had served me well in previous new school situations. I was an outgoing, happy, go-lucky little girl - just shy enough to add some mystery to who I was and why I was a new student. I didn't, of course, realize what I was doing at the time. It's only been years later in thinking about how I started each new school that I realized it was, in essence, a defense mechanism to keep myself - mentally - safe.
As the years passed, I found myself the new student several more times. In fact, I went to 12 different schools during my educational years. I never really begrudged that lifestyle. I think moving so much helped me be the person I am today. That being said, there's a certain amount of anxiety that rears its ugly head before a new school or new job.
The thoughts that run through my mind are likely not that unfamiliar or that different from most folks. I don't assume I'm that unique. I think it's inherently common to be "oh no I'm the new kid on the block coming into a situation where relationships have already been built." ACK…
What will the new job be like?
Will my new office mate like me?
Will the new team like me?
Can I do this job?
Oh, god, what have I done?
I know there's a "process" I go through when starting a new job (or going to a new school in the old days). I've never really documented it or put it out there verbally, but I decided it's time to put these thoughts to paper. Or out on the Interwebs.
First thing I do is try to decide what type of reputation do I want to have. It doesn't seem like you need to think about that, and generally speaking the reputation I want to have is consistent with my personality type. A person with integrity. A person who communicates well. A person you'd want to have by your side in a crisis (though admittedly I can become a drama queen when there's a crisis.)
When I think about this reputation, I naturally shift to what skills am I going to need the most in this role? What skills will I need to sharpen? Where are my gaps? I don't normally write this out, but it's part of the learning of a new job I think. It becomes part and parcel of inserting yourself into a new role, a new team, and with a new boss.
From there I generally start to build my stakeholder map. It's very PM of me to do this. I need to know who the key players are, how they affect me and my job, why I should care about them, etc. When I start any new project, part of my project plan is determining who the key stakeholders are. I build a RACI (basically a responsibility chart) for the most part. In a new job, it's no different. A new job is essentially a new project, right?
Once I've gathered that intell I begin to put the pieces together of what this job is I'm doing. What are my tasks? What are the schedules? What are the key pieces I need to deliver in the first 90 days and hit them out of the ball park? This I document, and review on a regular basis. In any new job, but especially at Hotel Californiasoft, things change quickly in a new role. It's imperative you keep yourself in the know of those changes. If you don't, you'll fail.
So now I have my stakeholder list and the key tasks with schedules documented. Now becomes the getting to know the key stakeholders. Setting up time to meet with them to not only introduce myself and provide them with details as to what I'm doing, but to get a handle on who they are and what makes them tick. Learning about other people's personalities really help in the long run when you need to get them to work for you or do things for you. You'll approach a developer differently than you'd approach a director for example.
One of the main people I interview and get to know is the new boss. Presumably I've had some meetings with him/her about the job, and this person (we'll use the pronoun him for the purposes of this new role since the new boss is a guy) will have helped me build the stakeholder map and task list. But what's vitally important to my success is learning my bosses work style. I learn how to manage my manager and in that I learn how to best work with my manager. It's imperative to have a conversation with my new boss about how he wants me to communicate with him. Does he want daily meetings for the first month? Does he want status reports? How does he prefer I communicate questions? Ask all these questions and then stick to how he prefers to work with you.
And so once the first day is over, and I find myself at home and my mind is swimming. It's almost guaranteed I'll dream about work and convince myself that I don't belong in this work. I know well enough to stop, breath and realize it's all part of the new job process.
Then that day will come when you feel like you've finally put all the pieces together and think you can actually succeed in this role. That's the sweet spot to me. That's where I want to be and quickly.
I do find I approach a new job as if I have a clean slate. I mean, after all, everything I've done up to this point has prepared me for this job, right? All my past job experiences, successes and failures, will only help in this new role. I cannot wait to start fresh and utilize my skills and knowledge to be successful.
And much like starting a new school my stomach will twist and turn, my thoughts will be relatively scattered, and I will put on the positive, happy face and step into the unknown. Stay tuned to see how this chapter turns out.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Check, check, check
For years I've kept what I affectionately call the "Jenny Do List". It gets moved every month and I keep track of how long shit has been on the list. Just because I really like to see just HOW lazy I am.
Being that I now seem to have a permanent job in the unemployment line (song lyric...know from where?) I figured the least, very least, I could do was get that list done.
Today I cleaned out the garage. It was the last thing on my list of things to do. I've been patiently waiting for nice-ish weather so I can have the garage door open. Today was that day. I organized, repacked, reorganized, repacked and swept the garage. It's clean!
There are still a few things I need to figure out how to get rid of (Mrs. Landlord at one point decided to hack at a tree out front that's a pain in our collective arses. The branches are in a bag that needs to be disposed of somehow. I suppose I could cut them down and put them in the garbage.
There's also now some boxes that need to be recycled. Today is trash day so the recycled bin is FULL and now I have to wait until it's empty.
So now what?
I'm done with all my scrapbooking.
I've searched for a job all week.
I've cleaned out every single cabinet in the kitchen and all the bathrooms.
I've cleaned out and organized the laundry room.
I've cleaned and organized the closets.
Ugh...what else?
I need a job. I'm starting to feel very antsy and a bit discouraged. I'm anxious too and I hate all those feelings.
I'm taking my anxious, antsy and discouraged butt out for a wog. That's what I'm going to do.
Being that I now seem to have a permanent job in the unemployment line (song lyric...know from where?) I figured the least, very least, I could do was get that list done.
Today I cleaned out the garage. It was the last thing on my list of things to do. I've been patiently waiting for nice-ish weather so I can have the garage door open. Today was that day. I organized, repacked, reorganized, repacked and swept the garage. It's clean!
There are still a few things I need to figure out how to get rid of (Mrs. Landlord at one point decided to hack at a tree out front that's a pain in our collective arses. The branches are in a bag that needs to be disposed of somehow. I suppose I could cut them down and put them in the garbage.
There's also now some boxes that need to be recycled. Today is trash day so the recycled bin is FULL and now I have to wait until it's empty.
So now what?
I'm done with all my scrapbooking.
I've searched for a job all week.
I've cleaned out every single cabinet in the kitchen and all the bathrooms.
I've cleaned out and organized the laundry room.
I've cleaned and organized the closets.
Ugh...what else?
I need a job. I'm starting to feel very antsy and a bit discouraged. I'm anxious too and I hate all those feelings.
I'm taking my anxious, antsy and discouraged butt out for a wog. That's what I'm going to do.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
My screwdriver
So here I am in the 3rd week of unemployment. I'm bored. I've managed to get most everything on my list done. The things that remain require purchasing of some objects so I'm not going to do them now (read: not spending any $$).
Did you ever see Sleeping with the Enemy with Julia Roberts? In the film she's a kept woman abused by her OCD husband. Controlled is putting it mildly.
Anyhow, there's a part in the beginning where they are sitting at the breakfast table. He asks her what she's going to do today and she replies "I'm going into town to buy a screwdriver." He asks why and she responds, "Because we don't have one." Basically telling the viewer that she's bored and has nothing better to do but make up things to do.
I am going into town to buy a screwdriver.
My "screwdriver" is wiping down all the light switches.
My "screwdriver" is wiping out all the cabinets.
My "screwdriver" is buying a plastic container (cheap) to organize the paint brushes.
My "screwdriver" is moving, rearranging, moving back my entire scrapbook room. (At least I got to vacuum under things.)
And the list goes on.
I admit, I've enjoyed this time off. I've gotten to read a lot...a LOT and get caught up on all my TV shows I've taped. Now, well now I'm bored.
Yesterday I laced up the shoes and started the Couch to 5K process again - just for something to do (and well yes it's good for me). Today I would go out but I'm super sore so am resting a day.
Tomorrow I plan on doing some re-organizing of my recipes (they're all pretty organized already). Scrapbook stuff is organized. Receipts are organized (not too many cuz I'm not buying anything). Went through my file cabinet and tossed 7 year old taxes, old manuals, old stuff in general.
Now I'm bored.
On the job front, I have a few irons in the fire, but nothing solid yet. I'm still trying to keep a positive feeling about one potential job, but as each day passes and I don't hear, I just assume it's a no. I've emailed them and have heard nothing. So moving on.
Did you ever see Sleeping with the Enemy with Julia Roberts? In the film she's a kept woman abused by her OCD husband. Controlled is putting it mildly.
Anyhow, there's a part in the beginning where they are sitting at the breakfast table. He asks her what she's going to do today and she replies "I'm going into town to buy a screwdriver." He asks why and she responds, "Because we don't have one." Basically telling the viewer that she's bored and has nothing better to do but make up things to do.
I am going into town to buy a screwdriver.
My "screwdriver" is wiping down all the light switches.
My "screwdriver" is wiping out all the cabinets.
My "screwdriver" is buying a plastic container (cheap) to organize the paint brushes.
My "screwdriver" is moving, rearranging, moving back my entire scrapbook room. (At least I got to vacuum under things.)
And the list goes on.
I admit, I've enjoyed this time off. I've gotten to read a lot...a LOT and get caught up on all my TV shows I've taped. Now, well now I'm bored.
Yesterday I laced up the shoes and started the Couch to 5K process again - just for something to do (and well yes it's good for me). Today I would go out but I'm super sore so am resting a day.
Tomorrow I plan on doing some re-organizing of my recipes (they're all pretty organized already). Scrapbook stuff is organized. Receipts are organized (not too many cuz I'm not buying anything). Went through my file cabinet and tossed 7 year old taxes, old manuals, old stuff in general.
Now I'm bored.
On the job front, I have a few irons in the fire, but nothing solid yet. I'm still trying to keep a positive feeling about one potential job, but as each day passes and I don't hear, I just assume it's a no. I've emailed them and have heard nothing. So moving on.
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Interviewing
So I'm in week two of the Great Unemployment Adventure 2.0. While I'm "enjoying" the time off, I'm ready to get back to work. The interviews are happening and are being scheduled, though I'm still waiting for that one job offer.
I have a couple of friends who are also looking for jobs. Some for over a year. It surprises to me that it takes so long to find a job, but I also realize that being willing to take contract jobs really ups the possibility. I was having a conversation with an unemployed friend and was a bit surprised she really didn't know, or understand how to find a job. Her "process", for lack of a better word, is to keep checking with some of the same companies sites over and over. She's very focused on wanting to work for these companies. But doesn't look any further. She's also put her resume up on Monster and is "stunned" nothing is happening.
Here's the thing, looking for a job is a job. There are ways to make it easier, but at the end of the day, you have to be creative in your job hunting. You need to know what type of job you want, what type of company you want, and be willing to say no to a job offer that you know in your heart isn't the right job.
There are a bunch of sites out there to help you find job posting. I use Indeed.com to help. Essentially Indeed does half the work. It goes out and searches job postings all over the Internet with key words - in my case project manager. I get a daily email with brand new job posting. I look through them ALL - this is important. You have to read them all cuz you never know when the title of a job description isn't accurate and the job description might have more details. You just gotta take the time to read them.
I also think you have to keep your applications organized. I have a, wait for it, excel spreadsheet of my applications. I keep all the information there to remind me of the job posting should I get a call. I not only keep the URL of the job description, but I also copy and paste the job description information into OneNote - because the URL has, and will, be useless once they take the job posting down.
Places I've found useful to look for jobs besides Indeed.com are LinkedIn and Craig's List. All are good places to start, but you really do need to make a job out of finding a job.
I've had some good interviews and feel after each on the same. I've done the best I can and now it's just a wait and see. So far nothing has worked out. I'm convinced the right job will come along and I'm ready to do what I need to find that job.
In other exciting news, the Seahawks won the Superbowl. If you live in Seattle you certainly couldn't have missed that. I have never seen the city get so hyped up over a team. But man everywhere you look you see the number 12 for the12th man.
I have a couple of friends who are also looking for jobs. Some for over a year. It surprises to me that it takes so long to find a job, but I also realize that being willing to take contract jobs really ups the possibility. I was having a conversation with an unemployed friend and was a bit surprised she really didn't know, or understand how to find a job. Her "process", for lack of a better word, is to keep checking with some of the same companies sites over and over. She's very focused on wanting to work for these companies. But doesn't look any further. She's also put her resume up on Monster and is "stunned" nothing is happening.
Here's the thing, looking for a job is a job. There are ways to make it easier, but at the end of the day, you have to be creative in your job hunting. You need to know what type of job you want, what type of company you want, and be willing to say no to a job offer that you know in your heart isn't the right job.
There are a bunch of sites out there to help you find job posting. I use Indeed.com to help. Essentially Indeed does half the work. It goes out and searches job postings all over the Internet with key words - in my case project manager. I get a daily email with brand new job posting. I look through them ALL - this is important. You have to read them all cuz you never know when the title of a job description isn't accurate and the job description might have more details. You just gotta take the time to read them.
I also think you have to keep your applications organized. I have a, wait for it, excel spreadsheet of my applications. I keep all the information there to remind me of the job posting should I get a call. I not only keep the URL of the job description, but I also copy and paste the job description information into OneNote - because the URL has, and will, be useless once they take the job posting down.
Places I've found useful to look for jobs besides Indeed.com are LinkedIn and Craig's List. All are good places to start, but you really do need to make a job out of finding a job.
I've had some good interviews and feel after each on the same. I've done the best I can and now it's just a wait and see. So far nothing has worked out. I'm convinced the right job will come along and I'm ready to do what I need to find that job.
In other exciting news, the Seahawks won the Superbowl. If you live in Seattle you certainly couldn't have missed that. I have never seen the city get so hyped up over a team. But man everywhere you look you see the number 12 for the12th man.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
A Few More Goals
I think you all are aware that I'm a big fan of organization. I figure I spend more time organizing and then reorganizing than I do actually doing anything. Case in point, my scrapbook room. Just when I think I have it organized enough to actually work, I find something else to organize. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Along with this organization quirk (I call it a quirk but I'm so glad I can and do organize) I tend to get rid of stuff in the house on a regular basis.
And on top of that, as organized as I am, there are still things that don't have a place to live.
You won't be too overly surprised that I read a blog called Everyday Organizing. She just posted a blog post that I have to talk about and comment on because I'm going to revise a couple of goals and update a couple of items on my task list. I'm going to be opening hood on some habits that I'm not proud of here, but hopefully it'll help someone, anyone, with organizing and being an organized person.
First her blog post is about her 2014 goals. And I am going to adopt them to some extent.
Her first goal is to get rid of everything that doesn't belong in the house. She calls herself an "over-purger" and I think I'm going to adopt that new nickname. I too tend to get rid of stuff really quickly and then at times need whatever it is I got rid of. The majority of time though, the things I'm tossing on a regular basis I don't really ever miss.
I've slowly become somewhat of a minimalist - in every room by the scrapbook room apparently. I work through rooms and start plucking stuff to "get rid of." The problem is, some of this stuff never makes it to the garage, then to the garage sale pile or the good will. Upstairs in the "den" I have a pile of items that have been up there for over a year that needs to go down into the garage. A YEAR.... It has everything to do with pure laziness and nothing to do with the organization bug.
So I'm adding this to my goals. Not only am I going to make sure nothing is in the house that should be, but I'm going the extra step and getting that stuff to the garage. Some will go to the annual garage sale, some will just go to the goodwill. That extra step is critical to me. I need to get it out of the garage too in order to consider it "out of the house."
Kristin's second goal is a place for everything and everything in its place. My problem with this is the kitchen counter. That counter collects piles like nothing I've ever seen. And many times I just keep piling stuff and not putting it away. Then one day it bugs me enough to clean off the counter (usually the night before the cleaning lady comes).
I'm adding a task/goal to put things away within a day. And if there isn't a place for it, find one.
Anyhow, I started transferring the "Jenny Do List" and noticed that there are 4 items on this list that were put on the list in February 2013. Are you kidding me? Tasks that are almost a year old and haven't been done? Ugh. They are easy tasks, but again, the lazy wins. This year I've added a column if you will to my task list that I do every month, I am adding a note as to when it was put on the list. I'm curious just how lazy I can be. I think I know, but now that I'm aware of this, I wonder if by putting the date when it was added will help trigger the "get it done".
So there you go, a peak under the hood of Chez Jenn's and how it is to live here. What about you, do you have things on your task list that just don't get done? What stops you?
And have you done your goals yet?
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Turkey Day Prep
Thanksgiving is upon us. Just 8 days away and we'll be sitting in the living room wishing we hadn't taken that second helping and planning for dessert. I happen to love turkey day. I love cooking it. And I love the leftovers.
So many people I know just dread the cooking of Thanksgiving. They think its a difficult meal, but the reality is, at least to me, it's simple. It does take planning, there's no doubt about that. Lucky for me, I'm a planner.
Because I'm a process person, and a type A personality, and I love forms, I created a turkey day planning sheet. Its crazy and a bit over the top, I admit, but did I mention I love forms?
The first step in planning the big day is determining who all is coming. Once you know your guest list and people have RSVP'd, you can decide what size turkey to get.
Oddly enough the news is reporting that there's a BIG turkey shortage this year. They're saying bigger than 16lbs is going to be hard to find. I can remember turkey days where we had a 25 pounder and/or two turkeys. The biggest Thanksgiving I remember we had 27 people...whoa. That is a tough dinner to cook.
Anyhow, let's assume you just need a 16 pounder. The mistake many people make is not allowing enough time for the turkey to thaw. I've done it. I had a mostly frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning and had to figure out how to thaw it. A huge pot of cold water and a couple of hours will help. Swapping out the water every 30 minutes helps too.
So about 3 or 4 days before, I do my grocery shopping. I have my planner and I know what's being served by me and what's being brought by guests. My grocery list isn't set up differently from my normal grocery list.
Off to the store. This does two things. First it gets the task done. Second it gives you a couple of days to make sure you have everything. There's a chance you may have missed something, and you can run to the store before turkey day.
Day of I do a work back schedule. I start with when I want to eat and then I work back from there to know when I need to put the turkey in. The schedule looks something like this...dinner's at 3pm.
With that plan in hand, I know I can lounge around all morning and get myself together.
See, easy. Anyone can make a turkey dinner successfully.
So many people I know just dread the cooking of Thanksgiving. They think its a difficult meal, but the reality is, at least to me, it's simple. It does take planning, there's no doubt about that. Lucky for me, I'm a planner.
Because I'm a process person, and a type A personality, and I love forms, I created a turkey day planning sheet. Its crazy and a bit over the top, I admit, but did I mention I love forms?
The first step in planning the big day is determining who all is coming. Once you know your guest list and people have RSVP'd, you can decide what size turkey to get.
Oddly enough the news is reporting that there's a BIG turkey shortage this year. They're saying bigger than 16lbs is going to be hard to find. I can remember turkey days where we had a 25 pounder and/or two turkeys. The biggest Thanksgiving I remember we had 27 people...whoa. That is a tough dinner to cook.
Anyhow, let's assume you just need a 16 pounder. The mistake many people make is not allowing enough time for the turkey to thaw. I've done it. I had a mostly frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning and had to figure out how to thaw it. A huge pot of cold water and a couple of hours will help. Swapping out the water every 30 minutes helps too.
So about 3 or 4 days before, I do my grocery shopping. I have my planner and I know what's being served by me and what's being brought by guests. My grocery list isn't set up differently from my normal grocery list.
Off to the store. This does two things. First it gets the task done. Second it gives you a couple of days to make sure you have everything. There's a chance you may have missed something, and you can run to the store before turkey day.
Day of I do a work back schedule. I start with when I want to eat and then I work back from there to know when I need to put the turkey in. The schedule looks something like this...dinner's at 3pm.
With that plan in hand, I know I can lounge around all morning and get myself together.
See, easy. Anyone can make a turkey dinner successfully.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
A List by any other name is still a list
I think I've mentioned before, but I'm a list maker. Sometimes I have lists for my lists.
Along with being a list maker, I'm also a prolific note taker - especially at work. I carry a notebook around with me that I jot things down in and may or may not go back to it. But it's there should I need to "remember" someday. Especially as I get older I've noticed I tend to write more down then before. Writing stuff down helps me remember - its a win win.
BeagleBabe recently sent me this link for the Bullet Journal. Given my type A personality, my prolific not taking, and my love for lists, I fell in love with this idea. Go ahead. Go take a look. I'll wait.
You may not have been as awestruck as I was, but let me fill you in on what I've now done with this bullet journal idea.
The idea in general, I love. Unfortunately, I'm not as busy of a person as one might need to be for this process to be useful - at least in my personal life. AND I'm a big fan of Microsoft OneNote for work and didn't want to carry around a notebook with notes, but use OneNote instead.
So I modified OneNote and it's tagging to be kinda like the bullet journal idea. OneNote already has predefined tags for things like a check list (check box), a question (question mark) and something important (red exclamation mark). A little poking around in OneNote and I found that you can modify these tags, and add tags they already have. So I went to work.
I took the Bullet Journal's basic ideas of bullets for events, information, tasks. That was the easy part. The part that was more difficult was the "moving a task forward" tag. But alas, OneNote has a ton of tags and I found an arrow pointing right that would suffice. Here's what I ultimately ended up with as my top 9 tags.
I also changed my monthly project list / sync with the boss layout. Previously I had a table in OneNote that listed all my projects down the left side. Then in a column to the right of each project I would write notes based on my sync with the boss. I've discovered that having dates associated with notes were needed. My boss would frequently ask when we chatted about something and without any date indicators I had no idea. I have a list for each month, so I could tell her a month, but not a specific date.
So I modified my table slightly. I now have the dates of our syncs down the left side. Across the top I have a column for each project/task/discussion point. During each sync I make sure I write out what our conversation was, my actions based on that and any other details I may need. Let's say, for example when discussing the budget today she says, "I'd like you to review the budget with me on X date." I can now go to the cell that is the budget and the date and put myself a note that says to prep to speak to the boss about the budget.
Here's a small example.
I've used this for a month now and it has gone a long ways with keeping me focused, on task, and efficient.
I know that organization is extremely personal. What works for me won't work for everyone, but I thought I'd share my new process in case it can/does help someone.
Now, I can scratch writing today's blog off my list.
Along with being a list maker, I'm also a prolific note taker - especially at work. I carry a notebook around with me that I jot things down in and may or may not go back to it. But it's there should I need to "remember" someday. Especially as I get older I've noticed I tend to write more down then before. Writing stuff down helps me remember - its a win win.
BeagleBabe recently sent me this link for the Bullet Journal. Given my type A personality, my prolific not taking, and my love for lists, I fell in love with this idea. Go ahead. Go take a look. I'll wait.
You may not have been as awestruck as I was, but let me fill you in on what I've now done with this bullet journal idea.
The idea in general, I love. Unfortunately, I'm not as busy of a person as one might need to be for this process to be useful - at least in my personal life. AND I'm a big fan of Microsoft OneNote for work and didn't want to carry around a notebook with notes, but use OneNote instead.
So I modified OneNote and it's tagging to be kinda like the bullet journal idea. OneNote already has predefined tags for things like a check list (check box), a question (question mark) and something important (red exclamation mark). A little poking around in OneNote and I found that you can modify these tags, and add tags they already have. So I went to work.
I took the Bullet Journal's basic ideas of bullets for events, information, tasks. That was the easy part. The part that was more difficult was the "moving a task forward" tag. But alas, OneNote has a ton of tags and I found an arrow pointing right that would suffice. Here's what I ultimately ended up with as my top 9 tags.
I also changed my monthly project list / sync with the boss layout. Previously I had a table in OneNote that listed all my projects down the left side. Then in a column to the right of each project I would write notes based on my sync with the boss. I've discovered that having dates associated with notes were needed. My boss would frequently ask when we chatted about something and without any date indicators I had no idea. I have a list for each month, so I could tell her a month, but not a specific date.
So I modified my table slightly. I now have the dates of our syncs down the left side. Across the top I have a column for each project/task/discussion point. During each sync I make sure I write out what our conversation was, my actions based on that and any other details I may need. Let's say, for example when discussing the budget today she says, "I'd like you to review the budget with me on X date." I can now go to the cell that is the budget and the date and put myself a note that says to prep to speak to the boss about the budget.
Here's a small example.
I've used this for a month now and it has gone a long ways with keeping me focused, on task, and efficient.
I know that organization is extremely personal. What works for me won't work for everyone, but I thought I'd share my new process in case it can/does help someone.
Now, I can scratch writing today's blog off my list.