Archive for November 17, 2009
Blogging Tip: Notebooking
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So, I’m a bit… scatterbrained. Needless to say, there are a zillion things that run through my mind a day, many of them I’d like to write about, most of them forgotten. Or even if I do remember, I’ll sit down to write and have so many things floating through my head that I can’t focus.
I do well with lists and writing things down so a few weeks ago I put two and two together and *duh!* I bought myself a notebook just for blogging. It’s about 5X7 and an inch thick, but the best part is that it’s divided into three sections, allowing me to separate my note taking into 3 different task categories: Blog Maintenaince, Blogging, and Monetization.
As I think of things to write about, or things that I need to work on, I jot them down in my notebook. Later when I have time to write or work on the blog, a quick reference of the notes can get me started in the right direction in just a few minutes.
Also every few days I can intentionally set aside a few minutes to work on some kind of blog maintenance or monetization issue and since I have them all written down, I can knock 2 or 3 tasks off the list in a minimal amount of time.
Streamlining is good.
What tools do YOU utilize to stay on top of blog tasks or writing topics? Or if you’re not a blogger, what kind of projects do you work on that might benefit from a handy dandy 3-subject notebook?
Works For Me Wednesday is hosted by Kristen @ We Are That Family!
Tackling, lists of threes.
Today I’m trying something new. Simpler. Hopefully better. With our recent traveling, cramming in school, attending fall parties and running of errands.. our house is being taken over. By the clutter bug.
It happens when you come home from vacation at 11:00 at night and don’t put all your stuff away. It happens when you hurry out of the house as soon as school is done to make a trip to the store, return home just in time to eat supper and finish supper just in time to put the kids in bed – without making sure all the school items, groceries and dishes got put away.
In other words.. it happens.
I can’t, shouldn’t, won’t slack off on school to recover on the housework – not with as many vacation and holidays we’ve taken in the last month. So we press onward. I can’t, shouldn’t won’t ignore the clutter until the weekend when we’re not doing school. I need to try to find a way to overcome the clutter while getting school done at the same time. And I need to do it now – before the clutter grows.
Because, Y’ALL. Clutter is like rabbits. It multiples. Rapidly.
So last night I made a list of threes. 3 specific chore items I want to get done today, 3 items I need to do for myself today, 3 items I need to have the kids do today and 3 other items that really need to get done (or at least worked on today.) It’s still a full day’s workload, and at the end of the day, the house isn’t going to look a thousand, a hundred or even 50% better than it did this morning. But if I practice MAINTAINING while working on my threes (staying on top of the kids to put things away when they are done using them, taking care of dishes right after lunch, etc.) then every day this week, the house should get a little better and a little better and a littler better.
It’s about biting off manageable pieces. Ordinarily I’d make a gigantic long list of EVERYTHING that needs to be done, and I’d work real hard today and maybe tomorrow, too, but then I’ll collapse from exhaustion at some point. Not today.
Today I begin working smarter. Not harder. How’s that for profound?
My list of 3’s for today is as follows:
- Three Chores
- Wash all the hand dishes
- Clean off the sink & counter in the master bath
- Sweep/Mop the kitchen/dining area
- Three “Me’s”
- Sort the vitamins into the weekly pill box and take today’s. (I never remember to take them! But I do if they’re in the pill box…)
- Bible Study
- Exercise
- Three for the Kids
- All school
- Clean kids’ bathroom/hall
- 30 minutes cleaning/organizing in their rooms
- Three Others
- send invites for Prince’s bday party
- promote bloggiversary
- work on best friend’s website
Tackle It Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom – what are YOU tackling?
