What I'm reading: Screenscam, by Michael Bowen; Kiss Me Deadly, by Michele Hauf.My April contest is almost over - don't miss out on a chance to win a batch of goodies. Click the contest tab to enter. And thanks to all my followers: I hit the 300 milestone on Sunday.Not long ago, I attended a workshop on time management. I couldn't stay for the whole presentation—I had to leave on time, but the speaker wasn't finished yet. (Her time management skills didn't seem to carry over to workshop time.)
While I didn't agree with everything she said—such as blocking out one hour a day for exercise—she did make a lot of valid points. (And I don't dispute the value of exercise, I just follow a different regimen.) She also said she checks her email on a fixed schedule (never first thing in the morning), regularly deletes messages that have been sitting around too long (if it's important, they'll get back to you), and only checks her phone messages at specific times. That was a little too regimented for me. Then again, I'm not inundated with phone calls. But I do have aging parents, and the thought of telling them that if there's an emergency, they should leave a message and I'll get back to them between two and three is a bit over the top. My circles aren't the 'call and chat' types, although I spent a lot more time on the phone back in my 'stay at home mom' days.I also don't have a day job. And, at the moment, I'm not working on deadline, so I have a lot more flexibility with my time. That doesn't mean I use my time efficiently.One 'trick' she suggested was one I used to use when I did have kids at home, worked, and things seemed to pile up until they seemed too daunting to tackle, and I thought it worth sharing.
What's been going on: I was interviewed by another blogger -- check it out: http://www.annycook.blogspot.com Or the direct link to the post, for when it scrolls down the page.
My Point of View handouts are printed. And now, back to my normal panic. After a relatively calm weekend, it's time to get back info countdown mode for real.A week! I definitely have to start a list. I found out I had one of my all-to-frequent ditz moments when I sent my 22 chapters of When Danger Calls to my editor. Like forgetting to hit 'attach' before hitting 'send.' So, whether or not she works on weekends, she couldn't have looked at my changes and answered my questions. I sent it last night at around 10 PM. Hope she has a chance to look at it.I also touched base with one of my writing research sources (Thanks, Major Tom!) who gave me some ideas for things to put into the scene where my editor said, "Show these 7 minutes on the page, please). So much for trying to duck around writing combat scenes, things I know little about. List thoughts.My husband has accepted responsibility for investigating if we're going to need yellow fever shots. I still have to get more socks, but we got him some shoes more appropriate for the closing banquet at the conference. I went through our American Express charges. Ouch! Packing. Money. Work. Of course, the Treasurer wants to be prepared for the report he has to give at the conference board meeting. Who's got the data he needs? Who do you think. There go a few more hours. Arrange a ride to and from airport. Lights on timers. Water heater off. Turn off hoses to washer & dryer. Air conditioner off. All doors locked. Paper and mail stopped. Transfer bookmarked URLs to husband's laptop. Compare packing notes -- we don't both need camera cables to download pictures, do we?
With a month-long out of the country trip on the horizon, my "things to do" grows exponentially, and along with it, my stress level. It's evident in the little things -- like, our kitchen faucet has a pull out feature. To fill my coffeemaker, I pull out the nozzle, position it over the water reservoir in the coffeemaker and fill it. Easy, saves the hassle of filling a container and transferring water. But the other day, I went from step one to step three, turning the water on BEFORE the nozzle was over the coffee maker. I spent a day "training" my "boss" how to handle the membership for the organization I work for because I'll be gone so long. It's nice to know he now has a clue what I actually do, but I lost a big chunk of time taking him to and from the airport and showing him how everything works. I had a conference call to South Africa with the meeting people dealing with logistics and setup (and somehow volunteered to put their badge label printer which they're ordering and having shipped to me into a suitcase in return for them meeting us at the airport and storing that suitcase with conference materials and wardrobe.) Figure out what clothes I need for the tour, what I need for the conference (since I'm working, there's a minimum standard). Shoes? How much underwear for a month? When/where will there be time to do laundry? Do South African hotels include hair dryers like US hotels? Hair appointment on the 17th. Should I have it cut really, really short in case they don't? I did cancel the paper. I can't refil my meds on line yet--they won't let you reorder before a certain date. Email sent requesting an exception. Have to pick up a referral for lab work, then get said lab work before my doctor's appointment. Have to finish my POV workshop handout. Have to do the POV presentation. Book signing Nov. 3rd. Website promotion days. Make more chapter booklets for the signing. Pay bills. Arrange to have bills paid while away. What bills? Make list. Be glad my husband doesn't expect a three course meal for dinner every night. I look at my calendar, my mental to do list, my jotted notes (yeah, I should write it down all in one place, and I'm sure I'll get around to that, too) and hope everything comes together before I get on the plane to South Africa.I've turned in my final draft of Hurricane Breeze. I haven't received edits for When Danger Calls (which I should get next week -- more things to panic about). I'm at about 84,000 words in my WIP, which I wanted to turn in before I left. Only it's at that 'time to explain who everyone is and how everything happened' stage, and I haven't actually decided on all the details. I had a good brainstorming session with my daughter yesterday (Skype comes in handy when you're continents apart) but there were still niggling plot issues surfacing at 5 AM. Maybe I need to take sleep off my to do list.
While I didn't agree with everything she said—such as blocking out one hour a day for exercise—she did make a lot of valid points. (And I don't dispute the value of exercise, I just follow a different regimen.) She also said she checks her email on a fixed schedule (never first thing in the morning), regularly deletes messages that have been sitting around too long (if it's important, they'll get back to you), and only checks her phone messages at specific times. That was a little too regimented for me. Then again, I'm not inundated with phone calls. But I do have aging parents, and the thought of telling them that if there's an emergency, they should leave a message and I'll get back to them between two and three is a bit over the top. My circles aren't the 'call and chat' types, although I spent a lot more time on the phone back in my 'stay at home mom' days.
