The Power of Fifteen Minutes

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Noël

One of my favorite working tools is actually an iPod. No, it’s not that I like to listen to music or an audiobook while I’m doing something (thought I do), but that it has a sleep timer. It has intervals from fifteen to one hundred twenty minutes, though I only use the fifteen minute option.

I love that thing. I love it because I’m a busy woman. I have a lot going on – I’m self-employed, have a part-time job, have a household with people going in and out, and a schedule that’s always changing.

There are times when I look at a task and I feel overwhelmed with it. At those times, it’s really hard to get myself going. I am a champion procrastinator. Remember that self-employed bit? I can only procrastinate so much before I’m procrastinating my son out of food[1].

That’s when the timer comes in. You’d be amazed at how much you can get done in fifteen minutes of focus. Now while I got the idea from Flylady [2], I don’t only use it for housework. I use the idea to work. When I’m feeling daunted, I just set my timer for fifteen minutes and work. That sounds goofy, trivial and dumb, but there’s many a project I’ve gotten done fifteen minutes at a time. The time sounds like such a small amount, I know. That’s the beauty of it. You can force yourself to do almost anything for fifteen mintues. If you do that a few times a day, you’re actually accomplishing a great deal. Things often don’t take as much time as we think they will when we focu—

Ah, music stopped. Break’s over and I have to get back to work. For those of you writers who go for word count, I’d written 320 words before the music went off. Now imagine four or five sessions of fifteen minutes while writing. That’s an adequate word count for a day’s work, innit?

[1] And I have a teenaged boy with a teenaged appetite. Oy!

[2] To be honest, except for cooking dinner, no one task ever takes a whole fifteen minutes.

Afternoon Tea

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Noël

Because the man of the house teaches at a local college once a week, so really doesn’t have time for a real meal, I serve afternoon tea those nights. I’ll do up some sandwiches, slice up some fruit and/or veggies, and maybe add a little cheese. That’s just so we can sit down for a few minutes and he can talk to the boy. I could make dinner early, but he doesn’t like teaching on a full stomach, so this is what I do.

The cucumber bits are actually cumber slices with some turkey salad between them. I got the idea from Barb, who came up with them for bento. Well, her idea was chicken salad, but we had a turkey Monday night, so I figured a poultry salad of some sort would work out.

It did. Tasty. I pass the idea on to anyone who might want to have fingerfood ideas that don’t rely on bread.

Impulse Purchase

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Noël

Actually the purchase wasn’t as impulsive as all that. I’ve been wanting an electric kettle for a couple of years, but just haven’t gotten off my lazy butt to get one.

The people I’ve known who have had them have typically been US military who’ve been stationed in the UK and fallen in love with the things. I can see why. They boil the water fast, then turn off. It’s simple. It’s so obvious and useful, I’m surprised they aren’t standard household equipment in the US.

Now, you Brits who read my blog can laugh, but up until a couple of years ago, electric kettles were difficult to find in the US. Now, they’re more common. You can find them even in rural areas like mine in the grocery store.

I like this over a kettle on the burner. Why? It boils the water fast, then shuts off. I love that. I know it sounds goofy, but I can’t think of how often I’ve grumbled at the kettle on the stove whistling away while I’m trying to get one more sentence written.

Yes, I’m a big-time coffee drinker, but not only do I enjoy my tea, it’s not unusual for me to make coffee a cup at a time with the cup-top brewer, especially on days when I’m the only one at home and don’t really want a whole pot of coffee. I’m enough of a spazz, thanks.

I’m curious. How many of my American readers have one of these, and what kind of UK influence have you been exposed to?

Eating Dinner Together, or Maybe Tea

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Noël

I like the household to eat together when we can.

Thing is, we’re all really busy. Sometimes we have events going on at night where a big meal is really out of the question. Certainly greendalek doesn’t like to teach on a full stomach, but will often make himself a wrap before going out to teach for the evening.

So, I’ve adopted the custom of afternoon tea on those nights. If we have to be somewhere too early for a big meal to be feasible, but want to sit down together, I’ll do up a plate of cheese, crackers, fruit and other light but quick to prepare and healthy dainties (for the three of us, this is something that’ll fit on a single dinner plate) and brew up a pot of tea. We’ve done it the last couple of nights and I think it’s been a success. We’ll only sit down for twenty minutes or so, but I think those twenty minutes to have a nibble and a cup of tea are a nice way to reconnect.

A friend of mine pointed out a Time Magazine article from a few years ago about families eating dinner together. Apparently there is a link between eating meals together and how well children do in school and in life.

While we usually do eat together, and are not as overscheduled as many, even we have busy nights. I wonder if some sort of custom of gathering together for tea might not be a good solution for a lot of people. You could choose light, healthy foods that you don’t take much preparation, and the cup of tea for the warmth, and you’re all good. It takes nothing at all to get together, isn’t expensive and is even kinda fun.

And You Can Work in Your Underwear!

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Noël

Whenever those “work at home” scams hit my inbox, working at home in your underwear is often one of the “selling points” of the scam.

I won’t say I’ve never worked in a state of dishabille. I do sometimes.

But you know, Flylady has a point when she talks about “dressing to your shoes”. You do need a mental cue that says, “Okay, this is worktime![1]”

Do I ever work sitting propped up in bed? Goodness me, yes, I do! Finished my last project exactly that way. Sounds pretty cool, dunnit? I’m not saying it isn’t fun. It’s a lot of fun. Knowing that my “office” is my laptop, and can go anywhere is really, really cool. I’m not gonna lie to you.

But friends, work is still work. I might be working naked,[2] but I’m still working. The project still has to get done. If I take off to flit around all day because no-one is staring over my shoulder and my deadline isn’t for another week, work doesn’t get done. Cyberloafing in a formal office? Dandy. Go for it. Work isn’t getting done there, either.

But there’s a big difference between me and the person who practices the 5 Habits of the Highly Successful Slacker. He’s figured out a way to get paid without producing much.

I can’t.

I get paid when the job is done[3]. How I did it, when I did it,[4] what I was wearing when I did it… None of that matters. All that matters is “Did you finish?” and “Was it of good quality?”

Sure, sure, ideally you’ll treat your office job like that. If you do, you’ll probably have a really good, successful career and that’s awesome. The reality is that it’s awfully easy not to.

I like being my own boss and working to the job rather than to the clock.

But those “Work at home in your underwear” scams just make me roll my eyes. It makes it sound like you’ll be making a lot of money, but you won’t be working.

Don’t fall for that nonsense. You know, TANSTAAFL and all that smack.

[1] Mine is turning off my email, getting off the social networking sites, and closing chat.

[2] Though living as I do in Northern New England, it really hasn’t warmed up enough that I want to do that!

[3] Or more likely at specific milestones of the job.

[4] Providing I meet the deadline.