When I started this blog, I planned to be very consistent with it by posting as regularly as I possibly could but somehow, it always ended up as a victim of neglect. Given my new resolution to become a consistent blogger (well, at the rate I am going, I doubt that I can even dream of becoming a ProBlogger!), I am thoroughly ashamed of myself for the neglect I subject this blog to!
What can I say? I have been spending way too much time on my other blog, my website and my freelance work that this poor writing blog got chucked aside as the fourth priority. I have also neglected my other writing places such as Hubpages, Helium and Shvoong.It is not because I have writers block or anything. Even if I have that, we all know, I have my very own tips to get rid of writers block. Nowadays with even more work at my day job (and more stress too), I could sadly say I have very little time to indulge in my private pet project: fiction writing. All these are on top of time for my family.
So, what do I do? How do I ever do so many things in so little time? Well, time management is the key. I know, I have posted an entry of my hopeless attempt in time management before but I have since come up with a system to try to get everything done in times when my plate is too full to handle.
The steps I take:
1. Prioritize - Divide my tasks and assignments by priority. Example: set aside compulsory family time everyday, then write down a list of tasks and assignments I have to do. Write it by priority, the top being the most in want of attention. Sample:
1. Family time
2. House chores
3. Day job writing assignments
4. Two freelance articles due by Friday
5. Research for two more articles for next week
6. Search job boards to bid for more freelance work, place bid
7. Update blogs
8. Research for website and update of website
9. Learn up more about internet marketing, etc.
10. Research and write fiction projects
2. Divide the to-do list according to the available time each day - for example, I will be spending between 8am to 7pm on my day job (including commuting time). From 7pm onwards, I will have to divide the time to do the ten things in my list.
3. Keep to the timetable created from above and avoid all distractions - yep, that means no TV, no online chatting (unless it is for work), no hanging around gossip forums for hours and most importantly stay away from Facebook, Myspace and similar social networking sites (unless it is to keep in touch with your freelance clients). These are the worst time-waster ever!
4. Let your family in on it - ask your family members to cooperate by giving you peace and space to do your work without interruptions. They could also help out with some of the house chores.
5. Use pockets of available time wisely - you know when you have to wait for the computer to boot up or while waiting for a page to load, don't just sit there staring at the screen - use that time to do other things like organize your paperwork or write down new article ideas or even read books as part of your research.
6. Multi-tasking - the reason for high-tech computers is to make our life easier so use it to multi-task. Do your research and check your emails at the same time, just open more windows.
There it is. I have been applying it and though I am still a bit behind schedule on some things ( like this blog), at least I am getting there. The day will come when I will be able to do everything efficiently and even drop by at other blogs to read and leave comments (as I should have done for ages!) in a return favor to those who have dropped by here and left comments.
Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts
Saturday
Paid to blog!
It is indeed a wonderful way to end the year. PayPerPost just paid me $20 for by blog post last month.
I know, I know, it is not much and I have not been active in my blogging recently but hey, $20 can buy me lunch and even part of my dinner. That's not bad at all!
Other than that, I found that I do not qualify for most of the open opportunities there. Sigh...it has something to do with my rating or ranking, I think. Must be all the slow inactivity of recent times. And of course, my lack of links with other bloggers. I should really start linking with more blogs and leaving more comments and make myself known.
Err...that is if I ever find the time.
With the year drawing to an end and everyone around me pledging to a whole new list of new year's resolutions, I refuse to jump onto the bandwagon to make a resolution to read other blogs, leave comments and make more links.
I think it utterly pointless to make a list which we may not keep. Also, why a list for a year? Why not a lifetime list of things to do?
Seriously, if we have a goal or dream to achieve, is one year really enough? What about the goals of achieving true happiness, contentment and peace? Will one year be enough? Sure, short term goals such as losing the final ten pounds or getting a new haircut or giving your wardrobe a makeover could take one year.
But then, these short term goals often don't mean much. More often than not, most people who made their resolutions find themselves breaking it. So, what's the point?
Sigh. I will endeavor to visit more fellow bloggers' blogs, leave comments and link more. If only to get more traffic to my blog so that I will be able to take up more of the PPP opportunities. Considering I have Hubpages to update, job boards to check, projects to complete, a hyperactive toddler to care for and a day job to pay the bills, I'm gonna need the time travel watch Hermione Granger used in order to attend more classes...Perhaps, she won't mind lending it to me now that the whole series ended already. :-)
I know, I know, it is not much and I have not been active in my blogging recently but hey, $20 can buy me lunch and even part of my dinner. That's not bad at all!
Other than that, I found that I do not qualify for most of the open opportunities there. Sigh...it has something to do with my rating or ranking, I think. Must be all the slow inactivity of recent times. And of course, my lack of links with other bloggers. I should really start linking with more blogs and leaving more comments and make myself known.
Err...that is if I ever find the time.
With the year drawing to an end and everyone around me pledging to a whole new list of new year's resolutions, I refuse to jump onto the bandwagon to make a resolution to read other blogs, leave comments and make more links.
I think it utterly pointless to make a list which we may not keep. Also, why a list for a year? Why not a lifetime list of things to do?
Seriously, if we have a goal or dream to achieve, is one year really enough? What about the goals of achieving true happiness, contentment and peace? Will one year be enough? Sure, short term goals such as losing the final ten pounds or getting a new haircut or giving your wardrobe a makeover could take one year.
But then, these short term goals often don't mean much. More often than not, most people who made their resolutions find themselves breaking it. So, what's the point?
Sigh. I will endeavor to visit more fellow bloggers' blogs, leave comments and link more. If only to get more traffic to my blog so that I will be able to take up more of the PPP opportunities. Considering I have Hubpages to update, job boards to check, projects to complete, a hyperactive toddler to care for and a day job to pay the bills, I'm gonna need the time travel watch Hermione Granger used in order to attend more classes...Perhaps, she won't mind lending it to me now that the whole series ended already. :-)
The secret to time management...
Is not that easy to find if you have an over-active toddler at home, a demanding day job and a household to run.
These past few weeks of trying to establish myself as an e-freelancer while managing a household and showing a modicum of commitment to my day job, I found myself practically out of breath and running around like a sugar-high toddler.
Darn it, why didn't I ever chose to be born a multi-billionaire and not have to be so bothered with trying to break even from freelancing so that I could stay home for LR?
Day dreams aside, I found myself crashing into bed (yep, you read it right, I really do crash into bed) at around 1am the earliest and 3am the latest. Every day.
Can you imagine the beautiful eye shadows I have obtained from these endless late nights or shall we say, early mornings?
So, I decided to come up with a plan to manage my time so that I could at least go to bed by midnight. After all, I still do need my beauty sleep to keep those panda attributes, wrinkles and other late-night related ugliness from marring my very natural..err..beauty..;-)
The plan goes like this:
Morning plan:
Get up at break of dawn, hurry through my exercise routine (Must always spare time to exercise!), prepare breakfast and pack my lunch, complete some chores, hop into the shower, grab anything from the closet and throw it on (no more spending 10-15 minutes staring at my clothes and wondering what to wear), feed LR, clean him up, change him and out the door to drop LR at the babysitters' but sometimes hubby does that so could spare at least 20 minutes when it is his turn.
Time: 30 - 50 minutes
Work-time plan:
Complete my assignments at record time, sacrifice lunch time by munching on my homemade sandwich while completing my assignments, grab some spare time in the afternoon to check emails/bid for projects at job boards/ monitor job boards/ blog, leave at around 5.30pm.
Time: between 8 - 9 hours
Evening plan:
Curse at the horrendous traffic jams, pick up LR, go home, prepare his evening snack, feed LR, play with LR for awhile (I couldn't find it in me to cut this special time short), bathe and change LR, read bedtime stories, sing nursery rhymes and tuck him into bed, do more house chores, do some light yoga stretching, shower, spend some time with hubby, then finally, take out the laptop to check emails/bid for projects/ monitor job boards/ blog.
Time: between 5 - 7 hours.
Aww...shucks. With this plan, I still end up going to bed at around 2am. I really am at a loss. It is not as if I wasted my time faffing around. Sigh...I better come up with better plans.
These past few weeks of trying to establish myself as an e-freelancer while managing a household and showing a modicum of commitment to my day job, I found myself practically out of breath and running around like a sugar-high toddler.
Darn it, why didn't I ever chose to be born a multi-billionaire and not have to be so bothered with trying to break even from freelancing so that I could stay home for LR?
Day dreams aside, I found myself crashing into bed (yep, you read it right, I really do crash into bed) at around 1am the earliest and 3am the latest. Every day.
Can you imagine the beautiful eye shadows I have obtained from these endless late nights or shall we say, early mornings?
So, I decided to come up with a plan to manage my time so that I could at least go to bed by midnight. After all, I still do need my beauty sleep to keep those panda attributes, wrinkles and other late-night related ugliness from marring my very natural..err..beauty..;-)
The plan goes like this:
Morning plan:
Get up at break of dawn, hurry through my exercise routine (Must always spare time to exercise!), prepare breakfast and pack my lunch, complete some chores, hop into the shower, grab anything from the closet and throw it on (no more spending 10-15 minutes staring at my clothes and wondering what to wear), feed LR, clean him up, change him and out the door to drop LR at the babysitters' but sometimes hubby does that so could spare at least 20 minutes when it is his turn.
Time: 30 - 50 minutes
Work-time plan:
Complete my assignments at record time, sacrifice lunch time by munching on my homemade sandwich while completing my assignments, grab some spare time in the afternoon to check emails/bid for projects at job boards/ monitor job boards/ blog, leave at around 5.30pm.
Time: between 8 - 9 hours
Evening plan:
Curse at the horrendous traffic jams, pick up LR, go home, prepare his evening snack, feed LR, play with LR for awhile (I couldn't find it in me to cut this special time short), bathe and change LR, read bedtime stories, sing nursery rhymes and tuck him into bed, do more house chores, do some light yoga stretching, shower, spend some time with hubby, then finally, take out the laptop to check emails/bid for projects/ monitor job boards/ blog.
Time: between 5 - 7 hours.
Aww...shucks. With this plan, I still end up going to bed at around 2am. I really am at a loss. It is not as if I wasted my time faffing around. Sigh...I better come up with better plans.
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