When I was younger (e.g. a few weeks ago) the idea of doing chores on my Saturday caused much distress. Saturday was a day off. Saturday was a day for relaxing. Work was for the week, not the weekend. However, on Saturday the 27th of July of this year I came to a startling realization: If you prioritize and get to it then Saturday is pretty long. There is time enough for work and play.
Let's take my Saturday and break it down.
7:00--First wake up.
8:00--Second wake up.
I usually wake up about 7:00 most days, and since I'm awake I get out of bed. Saturday's are no exception. This is an important point: If you want to have plenty of time to do things then get up at a reasonable hour. Lounging in bed and refusing to rise just wastes the day. This is followed by another important point. You'll notice that I went back to bed for another hour in seeming contradiction to my first point. However, this wasn't laziness; this was sleep deprivation. I haven't been sleeping well. Catching up on sleep is important. Here's the second point: Sleep deprivation makes everything harder. Get plenty of sleep. Seriously. If you are depriving yourself of sleep to give yourself more time to get things done your work will be sloppier, your decision making slower, your concentration impaired. You will need more time just to do everything. You will be slower! Save yourself time and get enough sleep.
8:30--Work out.
The Saturday morning workout is becoming a regular thing for me. I'll talk about that next post. I eat breakfast (a banana) as I drive to workout. Most of the time multitasking just slows us down, but with something as automatic as eating a banana it is a definite time saver and gives me the energy I need for that workout.
10:00--Second breakfast.
Because you need to refuel and rehydrate after a good workout.
10:30--Mow the lawn.
Here's where some of the real time saving comes into play. My usual tendency is to delay mowing the lawn. I like to make excuses about the grass getting dry so the mower doesn't clog, giving the batteries for the electric weed whacker time to charge (why don't I check those the night before!), not wanting to start too early and disturb the neighbors. However, do I spend this time wisely? Nope. I usually just lounge around the house watching cartoons or playing mindless games on the Ipad. They aren't things I really want to spend my day doing, but they are buffers against the things I don't want to do. Point three is something most parents already know but I seem to forget: If you procrastinate it will just take longer. You might as well just get to it.
As an added bonus I got to watch the kids play on their bikes while I mowed. That killed two birds with one stone.
11:30--Prepare the kids lunch.
I think this is a vital part of time management for parents. Feed the kids when they're hungry; feed yourself when you are hungry. It keeps the children from being whiny (about food). Put aside whatever you are doing and spend the time putting lunch together. While they eat they are (hopefully) less likely to bother you and you can return to whatever task you were doing in peace. If you try to finish first you'll just get slowed down by their constant cries for food.
12:00--Finish mowing.
12:45--Set up pool for children.
I was hot. I was sweaty. I was tired. I just wanted to shower. Food called my name. However, if I delayed setting up the pool then I would have to get hot, sweaty, and tired again later. That would deter me and the pool wouldn't get set-up. Besides, I was already in the backyard. Point four: Rest is important, but rest when you need it not when it would merely feel good. Oh, and when you're doing hot sweaty work make sure you stay hydrated. Heat exhaustion will ruin your entire day.
1:00--Lunchtime.
This is the point where a lot of people wonder "where has my day gone?" However, from a practical perspective I'd only been awake five hours and look how much I'd gotten done. I still had nine hours of my day left! Those afternoon hours tend to crawl by. There's a lot of them and people are generally at their most alert and effective. It's a good time to get a lot done.
1:30--Lifeguard the kids while they swim.
Humans don't multitask. Not really. Human consciousness can't focus on multiple things at once. The conscious mind is truly one-track. This means that when we are multitasking one part needs to run on the unconscious line and a lot of tasks are too complex for this line. So, to compensate for this we run two (or more) tasks in the conscious mind by switching back and forth between them. This causes us to do both tasks more slowly and generally not as well. Imagine driving one train forward a small distance, removing it from the track, putting a second train on the track, running it forward, removing it, replacing the first train...both trains will get to the destinations eventually after much more time and effort. Still, there are times when this is acceptable. Finding those times and using them well maximizes a Saturday. For example, while my children swam I could have sat there to prevent them drowning and done nothing else. Instead, I chose to read a book. I couldn't disappear into my book the same way I usually do. I had to stop reading every minute or so to check on the kids, but this didn't prevent me from enjoying the reading. Neither did the children drown. This is point five: If you have two tasks that won't suffer from switching rapidly between them, do them simultaneously. The tricky part is recognizing which tasks are appropriate for this simultaneous. Driving should never be one of these tasks. Just saying.
2:15--Shower (finally!).
2:30--Birthday Shopping with the children.
Honestly, shopping would have been faster without the kids, but it also allowed me to spend time with my children. Plus, getting the children out of the house allowed Trina more time to be productive or relax. This in turn creates less for me to do. If you want to know about Trina's birthday check out her blog. I'm sure she will talk about it in a few days.
4:30--Video Games.
Why? Because it is one of the fun things I wanted to do on Saturday. This wasn't just wasting time because I lacked something else to do. This was purposeful sitting down to play video games. More importantly, I had the time! Being proactive about my day meant little wasted time and more time to do what I wanted.
6:00--Dinner.
7:30--Movie/Wrap Presents.
I can't emphasize this enough: I love movies! Movies at home are also a great way to waste time. However, they can be used for not wasting time as well. I watch movies while I stretch, do kata, clean (especially old favorites I don't need to pay attention to!), fold laundry, etc. Movies (especially old favorites) fall neatly into the category of tasks that won't suffer much from doing them simultaneously with other tasks.
9:30--Relax, Get Ready for Bed.
10:30--Go to Bed.
What stands out to me is I had more I could have done in the evening but the chores were done. The work was finished. I spent my evening relaxing before bed with more reading. Left free I could read all day.
One of the other things that helped was minimizing wasteful time spend on the Internet. Several years ago I read "The Tyranny of E-mail" by John Freeman (thank you Goodreads for helping me remember the title) that included a list for making your e-mail use more efficient. I don't remember the entire list, but I do remember the basics. I try to apply them to texting, Facebooking, e-mailing, etc. When I stick to it the amount of time I waste online is greatly diminished. A check-in that lasts no longer than a minute isn't a big deal, but too many of those and you find your day disappearing. Scheduling time for the Internet (once in the morning, and once in the afternoon) is a good way to make your day more efficient.
So that was my Saturday...now if I can only remember those points for future Saturdays.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
What am I Blogging About?...and Apocalypse Now
When I originally created this blog I intended to talk about my writing projects; I named it Raven's Writings (I have a penchant for ravens). However, it never worked out well. I would blog about my current projects for a short time, but then writing flagged and so did the blog. Besides, in a given week I might only add a scant 4,000 words. That is insufficient to blog about. Predictably updates became fewer and farther between until the blog was forgotten. I attempted to revive it on a couple of occasions to the same disastrous results. This leads me to an uncomfortable question: Can I feasibly devote an entire blog to just writing?
No, no I can't. Not yet.
But if I'm not going to focus on writing, what am I going to focus on? The answer is obvious: nothing. I won't focus on anything, but I will talk about everything. Writing is one-dimension of my life and, to be honest, a small one. I am also a gamer, a martial artist, a teacher, a father, a husband, an entertainer, a dreamer, a cynic. I am many things and the blog should encompass all of them. That should give me plenty to blog about each week.
A few years ago I was in the habitat of sending out lengthy e-mails to my family and a few select friends. These e-mails, two or three times each year, summarized current developments in the several aspects of my life. Time has gone by and those e-mails have stopped, but the premise behind them is still good. This blog will replace those e-mails. However, instead of sending them out to the people who I think will want to hear about them I will just place them so that they are available for anyone who wants to look at them. Consequently, I've renamed the blog "Brendan's Blog" until I can think of something that captures my personality without sounding too pretentious. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.
Still, writing will be a major focus of the blog and I've created several static pages that will be updated much more slowly than the weekly posts. They reflect my WIP and include histories, summaries, progress, goals, and an excerpt. I'll add static pages for non-writing material as I find the need. Also, I hope to create a menu bar that will link you to posts sorted by subject. Even so, I am fairly excited about the current look of the blog. It feels more functional than the old blog and it looks modern. The original blog seemed to herald from the days when everyone was making websites on Angelfire and similar sites (I did that too!). Keep an eye out for future changes to improve functionality.
So what can you exactly expect on this blog?
Apocalypse Now I often spend long hours at my desk. Much of this time is spent grading student papers, answering e-mails, keeping up-to-date, etc. However, I generally take a break during lunch to eat without worrying about work. I often watch a movie during this time. It's a good way to relax between class sessions. The college has a small movie collection that I've been sampling from, but this weekend I decided to start sampling in a more organized fashion. My goal: watch all the fiction movies the library owns. Given that they generally add two or three each month this will be a long, long, long term goal. I started this weekend with the A's. Technically, numbers come first but they only had "12 Angry Men" in that category and I've seen it. So instead, I started with "Apocalypse Now".
The best part for me was finally understanding what Apocalypse Now was about. I have a tendency to maintain a willful ignorance on a lot of subjects. One of these areas is the subject matter of movies and books. I am often acquainted with the title without a real understanding about the plot. Apocalypse Now was one of these. It also opened my eyes to how little I know about the Vietnam War and makes me interested to find out more. War movies are not my typical fare, but I enjoyed Apocalypse Now.
Added bonus: I will now understand things that allude to, parody, etc., this movie.
No, no I can't. Not yet.
But if I'm not going to focus on writing, what am I going to focus on? The answer is obvious: nothing. I won't focus on anything, but I will talk about everything. Writing is one-dimension of my life and, to be honest, a small one. I am also a gamer, a martial artist, a teacher, a father, a husband, an entertainer, a dreamer, a cynic. I am many things and the blog should encompass all of them. That should give me plenty to blog about each week.
A few years ago I was in the habitat of sending out lengthy e-mails to my family and a few select friends. These e-mails, two or three times each year, summarized current developments in the several aspects of my life. Time has gone by and those e-mails have stopped, but the premise behind them is still good. This blog will replace those e-mails. However, instead of sending them out to the people who I think will want to hear about them I will just place them so that they are available for anyone who wants to look at them. Consequently, I've renamed the blog "Brendan's Blog" until I can think of something that captures my personality without sounding too pretentious. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.
Still, writing will be a major focus of the blog and I've created several static pages that will be updated much more slowly than the weekly posts. They reflect my WIP and include histories, summaries, progress, goals, and an excerpt. I'll add static pages for non-writing material as I find the need. Also, I hope to create a menu bar that will link you to posts sorted by subject. Even so, I am fairly excited about the current look of the blog. It feels more functional than the old blog and it looks modern. The original blog seemed to herald from the days when everyone was making websites on Angelfire and similar sites (I did that too!). Keep an eye out for future changes to improve functionality.
So what can you exactly expect on this blog?
- Health updates. What am I doing to stay in shape? Is it working?
- Karate. What kata have I learned? Did I pass my kyu test? Pictures of injuries I've given/received.
- Gaming. How is preparations going for next season? What happened in the most recent gaming session? What new board game do I love/hate?
- Improv. Am I still doing it? Is Haphazard getting back together or coming together with an all new crew? Do I have any new characters I am working on?
- Food. Have I created a crazy recipe (I have a few in mind)? What have I barbecued recently?
- School. Funny moments in class that I can safely share. Insights on teaching. Memorable moments from student papers.
- Movies. I enjoy nitpicking them, thinking about them, etc. See thoughts on current movies, classic movies, and whatever I happened to stumble upon via Netflix.
- Stuff. You know, just stuff. Those things that you want to put on Facebook, but the idea is too long and you don't really want to ramble on. That kind of stuff. I think a lot of stuff.
Apocalypse Now I often spend long hours at my desk. Much of this time is spent grading student papers, answering e-mails, keeping up-to-date, etc. However, I generally take a break during lunch to eat without worrying about work. I often watch a movie during this time. It's a good way to relax between class sessions. The college has a small movie collection that I've been sampling from, but this weekend I decided to start sampling in a more organized fashion. My goal: watch all the fiction movies the library owns. Given that they generally add two or three each month this will be a long, long, long term goal. I started this weekend with the A's. Technically, numbers come first but they only had "12 Angry Men" in that category and I've seen it. So instead, I started with "Apocalypse Now".
The best part for me was finally understanding what Apocalypse Now was about. I have a tendency to maintain a willful ignorance on a lot of subjects. One of these areas is the subject matter of movies and books. I am often acquainted with the title without a real understanding about the plot. Apocalypse Now was one of these. It also opened my eyes to how little I know about the Vietnam War and makes me interested to find out more. War movies are not my typical fare, but I enjoyed Apocalypse Now.
Added bonus: I will now understand things that allude to, parody, etc., this movie.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
The Plan
I find that despite my beginning of the year resolutions I have been bad about writing. To be fair, I have been getting a lot of writing done, but it has been erratic and sporadic. I have taken on a lot of projects; little writing on many projects mean that little progress is made. The feeling that I'm not progressing causes discouragement. That in turn leads me to write less. To counteract discouragement and distractions I have created "The Plan":
1. Blog weekly. I don't have it in me to blog more than that, but I feel that one blog a week is a commitment I can keep. It will also give me plenty of time to write a blog post and edit it before I post it. I might as well practice revision while I blog. I think the best day for this post to appear would be Monday. That allows me Sunday to write the blog and Monday evening to look over the blog before posting.
--1.a Revamp the blog. Make it prettier, functional, etc. Anyone know someone who is good at that?
2. Gain an audience. Blogging to improve my writing does little good if I don't have an audience who is waiting for the next update (or at least pretending to). They can also provide feedback and encouragement. Some of you are here because of my efforts on this step. Please, feel free to pass on the blog to anyone you think might be interested.
3. Define my works in progress (WIP) and set goals for the progression of said WIPs.
4. Write everyday on something even if it is not one of my WIP. The blog counts. Letters to friends count. Facebook statuses do not count. Neither do work e-mails.
5. Strengthen my writing network. I have several friends who are writers and I need to reconnect with them and remind them that I'm a writer too. With their permission I will post links to their blogs and websites here.
Hmmm...I am sure there is more to do. Look for the first post of my rejuvenated blog on Monday highlighting my WIP. In the meantime, I am open to suggestions of steps to add to my plan. Thanks in advance.
1. Blog weekly. I don't have it in me to blog more than that, but I feel that one blog a week is a commitment I can keep. It will also give me plenty of time to write a blog post and edit it before I post it. I might as well practice revision while I blog. I think the best day for this post to appear would be Monday. That allows me Sunday to write the blog and Monday evening to look over the blog before posting.
--1.a Revamp the blog. Make it prettier, functional, etc. Anyone know someone who is good at that?
2. Gain an audience. Blogging to improve my writing does little good if I don't have an audience who is waiting for the next update (or at least pretending to). They can also provide feedback and encouragement. Some of you are here because of my efforts on this step. Please, feel free to pass on the blog to anyone you think might be interested.
3. Define my works in progress (WIP) and set goals for the progression of said WIPs.
4. Write everyday on something even if it is not one of my WIP. The blog counts. Letters to friends count. Facebook statuses do not count. Neither do work e-mails.
5. Strengthen my writing network. I have several friends who are writers and I need to reconnect with them and remind them that I'm a writer too. With their permission I will post links to their blogs and websites here.
Hmmm...I am sure there is more to do. Look for the first post of my rejuvenated blog on Monday highlighting my WIP. In the meantime, I am open to suggestions of steps to add to my plan. Thanks in advance.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Back in the habit
Life. Who knew? The Beatles I guess. So almost two years ago I lost my job as an adjunct writing instructor. It wasn't that they were dissatisfied with my performance, but that they had run out of work for me to do. I was forced to find a new job. I was fortunate and found one a few months later and found myself moving in August 2010.
I immediately stepped into orientation for my job as a full-time instructor at a community college. One of the deans of the college cited his plan from decades ago when he got hired: work as a teacher and do his artwork on the side. However, he soon began spending so much time on work that he never found time for his art, and he said that he never regretted it. At the time I thought that I would not become him. I would maintain my writing in spite of the pressures and demands of the job. I would be published! It was even encouraging to find that someone in my department had recently published a novel. I could find support for my goal. I would still be a writer.
Now here it is almost three years since my last blog post and my writing habit has gone down the drain. I am determined to reverse this trend. This was motivated by several factors. The first was the roleplaying campaign my group was playing. I spent some time writing the summary that I thought I would novelize it. The first few chapters were well received by my gaming group and that gave me support to continue.
The second motivation came while preparing for courses. This semester I decided to fall back on a technique from my adjunct days. The assignment guide. I used an old assignment guide as a format for the new ones I was preparing. In the process I came across this old assignment.
"DAILY WRITING
Due Monday, June 14th (Bring to Class)
100 points
To become better writers it is necessary that you write every day. For this class you are required to write a minimum of 200 new words every day, Monday-Saturday (including holidays)."
I still believe that. If you want to succeed as a writer you must write every day (or as close to every day as is feasible). I believe it, but I haven't been doing it. I am going to change that and get back in the habit of daily writing. It shouldn't be too difficult: there is a lot of writing to do.
The third motivation was New Years. It's a time to make a fresh start and I made a resolution to finish a novel this year and revise one. That's a stiff order if I don't spend time daily working on it. However, I believe it is possible and this blog is going to help me get there.
I immediately stepped into orientation for my job as a full-time instructor at a community college. One of the deans of the college cited his plan from decades ago when he got hired: work as a teacher and do his artwork on the side. However, he soon began spending so much time on work that he never found time for his art, and he said that he never regretted it. At the time I thought that I would not become him. I would maintain my writing in spite of the pressures and demands of the job. I would be published! It was even encouraging to find that someone in my department had recently published a novel. I could find support for my goal. I would still be a writer.
Now here it is almost three years since my last blog post and my writing habit has gone down the drain. I am determined to reverse this trend. This was motivated by several factors. The first was the roleplaying campaign my group was playing. I spent some time writing the summary that I thought I would novelize it. The first few chapters were well received by my gaming group and that gave me support to continue.
The second motivation came while preparing for courses. This semester I decided to fall back on a technique from my adjunct days. The assignment guide. I used an old assignment guide as a format for the new ones I was preparing. In the process I came across this old assignment.
"DAILY WRITING
Due Monday, June 14th (Bring to Class)
100 points
To become better writers it is necessary that you write every day. For this class you are required to write a minimum of 200 new words every day, Monday-Saturday (including holidays)."
I still believe that. If you want to succeed as a writer you must write every day (or as close to every day as is feasible). I believe it, but I haven't been doing it. I am going to change that and get back in the habit of daily writing. It shouldn't be too difficult: there is a lot of writing to do.
The third motivation was New Years. It's a time to make a fresh start and I made a resolution to finish a novel this year and revise one. That's a stiff order if I don't spend time daily working on it. However, I believe it is possible and this blog is going to help me get there.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Moving On, Not Giving Up
A little over a week ago I got my second rejection for "A Reason for Evil." I truly believe the agent gave my novel as much consideration as any other project she receives. Her reply was probably a form letter she sends to everyone she rejects (I know that's how I would do it. I hate having to think up a good way to say something bad). Still, there was something in the letter that really made me consider. She said, "I'm just not enthusiastic enough about the premise of your story...." After reding this I realized that I wasn't enthusiastic about the premise of my story either. I was sending the novel out to agents to get practiced in doing so, but I didn't really expect the novel to get published. I don't really love the story. While the experience is good, and there is a chance the book could get picked up I've decided to stop sending the book out to agents. Why would I want them to publish something of mine that I don't love? It would be a waste of everyone's time. My first novel did a wonderful thing for me: It showed me I could write. It has served its purpose. Now it is time for it to be put into the file drawer while I work on more exciting tales. I'm not giving up on it. I'm just moving on to something better.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Losing Your Computer Hurts
So, I was regaining my writing habit (though I have yet to be as dedicated as I was at the beginning of 2009), when my laptop broke. It was nothing major, a loose jack, but the end result was that when the battery ran out it couldn't be recharged. So we sent it away for repair (free of charge do to blessed warranties). This effectively killed my writing habit. I had hoped to write while at work, but that time was dedicated to actually working, so that didn't happen (which I am sure makes the people who cut me checks happy).
During that time I did buy a brand new notebook. I have had a story in mind since about 2001. I tried to write in beginning in 2002 on several different occasions, but none of them panned out. I eventually gave it up to wait until I had written some other things. During this time I also re-conceptualized the book into a tv show and a movie, fleshing it out a little more, mostly in my mind. I decided that I would take the time without my laptop to rework this story even more, filling in the names of countries, people, religions. The new notebook is dedicated to this.
This is actually a change for me. I usually make stuff up as I go. However, having a reference guide for my world and having to invent nothing (or next to nothing) mid-writing is definitely appealing. I don't plan on starting this book anytime soon. I have received my laptop back and have too many other projects already started. However, it will be nice to know that when I am ready to write it, it will be ready to be written. Plus, by then, I'll have some more experience and it will be better than if I started writing it now.
During that time I did buy a brand new notebook. I have had a story in mind since about 2001. I tried to write in beginning in 2002 on several different occasions, but none of them panned out. I eventually gave it up to wait until I had written some other things. During this time I also re-conceptualized the book into a tv show and a movie, fleshing it out a little more, mostly in my mind. I decided that I would take the time without my laptop to rework this story even more, filling in the names of countries, people, religions. The new notebook is dedicated to this.
This is actually a change for me. I usually make stuff up as I go. However, having a reference guide for my world and having to invent nothing (or next to nothing) mid-writing is definitely appealing. I don't plan on starting this book anytime soon. I have received my laptop back and have too many other projects already started. However, it will be nice to know that when I am ready to write it, it will be ready to be written. Plus, by then, I'll have some more experience and it will be better than if I started writing it now.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Finding Ideas
For a while now I've been longing for an idea book, a place to write down my wonderful ideas. I've had notebooks, notepads, spare scraps of paper, and a whole lot more for the past ten years. Notebooks and pads always seemed to be used for whatever I need them for. They're also inconvenient to carry with me all the time which means I won't have them when I want them, and I'll have to hope I still remember my idea later when I get back to my notebook.
The problems with scraps of paper is obvious.
so, I needed an idea book and I finally got one! It's a leather bound book that is no larger than my hand. The inside pages are grid paper, but that doesn't bother me. It has a ribbon book mark to keep my current place, and an elastic band to keep it closed. It fits nicely in my pocket and it is now one of three must have items when I leave the house, along with my keys and wallet.
The greatest feature of this little book is that it works! It write down ideas and I get more ideas. I'm usually not a fan of writing things down (it weakens the memory), but spending brain power remembering an idea for months (or years) until I can put it into effect is taxing. Now I write down the ideas as they occur to me and I have brain power to spare creating new ones.
It's almost like a dream journal. If you write down what you dream, you'll soon find it easier to remember your dreams. If I write down my ideas, I get more of them.
Maybe someday you'll see the results of the book.
The problems with scraps of paper is obvious.
so, I needed an idea book and I finally got one! It's a leather bound book that is no larger than my hand. The inside pages are grid paper, but that doesn't bother me. It has a ribbon book mark to keep my current place, and an elastic band to keep it closed. It fits nicely in my pocket and it is now one of three must have items when I leave the house, along with my keys and wallet.
The greatest feature of this little book is that it works! It write down ideas and I get more ideas. I'm usually not a fan of writing things down (it weakens the memory), but spending brain power remembering an idea for months (or years) until I can put it into effect is taxing. Now I write down the ideas as they occur to me and I have brain power to spare creating new ones.
It's almost like a dream journal. If you write down what you dream, you'll soon find it easier to remember your dreams. If I write down my ideas, I get more of them.
Maybe someday you'll see the results of the book.
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