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Get It In Gear—National Time Management Month
Nice to see you again! Join in the discussion!Just perhaps when we need it most, when commitments to New Year’s resolutions are beginning to wane, welcome to February, National Time Management Month.
The best way I’ve found to manage my time is to lay out what I need to do. I can’t plan my day unless I can see my deadlines and timed tasks. For organizing, I use ToodleDo.
ToodleDo helps me lay out my short-term and long-term goals in a series of next-action steps. Major goals are more obtainable when broken down into baby steps. This has been the single best step I’ve ever taken to help me reach my goals.
There’s another side of time management that maybe we all need a reminder—setting boundaries.
Your time is invaluable. Don’t let anyone waste your time. Take your off time and use it. Do not take work calls when you’re off. Your boss does not have claim on time that is yours. Likewise, the friend that taps you for endless favors has to see the line in the sand. Reclaim your time. That is the best gift you can give yourself.
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Know Your Rights–American Residential Law Group
It’s inevitable if you write mysteries. Law and law enforcement become topics of interest. After all, you’re writing about the most serious of crimes.
A topic that often comes up is a discussion. It is important to know what your rights are in any case, whether it be criminal or not. It’s often an area that writers spend a great deal of time researching.
We all like to know that the everyday man, the average Joe will prevail over injustice. It’s good to know that attorneys like Joel S. Jacobi, founder of the American Residential Law Group are seeing the our rights are not violated. This is especially important as American Residential Law Group Says Foreclosures Could Hit 3 Million in 2010. American Residential Law Group was recently featured in Yahoo News.
Perhaps that’s the greatest joy that we can find in writing that we may not always find in our real lives. The good guy wins, and there is justice.
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February 4—USO Day
Today is the day to celebrate an unsung hero, the United Service Organizations (USO). These men and women have entertained and comforted our soldiers since 1941.
The people in our military deserve our support. Regardless of where you stand on any of the issues, the people fighting for our freedom are doing their job, just you and I do every day. Only they face challenges and risks that many of us may never know.
My father was a World War II vet. He was stationed overseas during the last months of the war. I cannot imagine the atrocities he may have witnessed. I can only be grateful that organizations like the USO supported him and other troops as they struggled through the war.
As luck would have it, my car which had previously belonged to my mother, was reaching its time. Rather than sell it, I donated it—to the USO. I hope in some small way that I too may be able to help the brave men and women serving our country. God bless you all.
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Tech Tip: Planning Blog Posts
Writing is difficult on its own, but having to come up with topics for blog posts can really take up some serious time. One way to avoid any loss to your productivity and writer’s block is to plan your blog posts.
I write and maintain several blogs. Keeping track of when I posted where can be confusing. In order to make it easier for myself, I’ve created a blogging calendar. It works like this.
In Thunderbird, I created a calendar for each of my blogs. I color-coded each one differently for easy viewing. Next, I add events for blog post ideas that I may have. I try to keep to a theme for each day I post, so a tech tip idea I’ll add for a Tuesday post.
I create the event as an all-day event, so it shows up on the top of my calendar, that is using the Lightning add-on. A quick glance at my calendar shows me what I’ve planned for the week. I pick up writing where I left off.
Of course, you have to build some flexibility into your blogging calendar. If a hot news story comes up or you just bought a new Blackberry, you may want to post about that instead. The point is is that my calendar gives me a fresh store of ideas. For me, that is half the battle.
How do you keep up with your blog posts?
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February is Library Lovers Month
February celebrates the institution that we as writers, have probably always have loved—libraries. Welcome to Library Lovers Month!
Libraries are such a valuable resource. They are a reservoir of knowledge and experience. They allow us to live the words of authors that have written before us, enjoying perhaps that same elation of the printed word and all its wisdom.
Libraries also contain the most sacred of resources, only available to academics and universities. Do not be deceived; some of their resources are only available at these churches of learning and not through a Google search.
If you haven’t been in a library for awhile, let this month’s celebration be a reminder to get in touch with your writing roots. Rediscover what made you decide to become a writer.
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Exploring Character Weaknesses
The crux of good writing depends on character development. Characters who always say the right thing and who never fail are frankly, quite boring. We all have times when we fall off the bandwagon or take a wrong turn. It’s human.
I’ve been exploring the possibility of including a character that has been through alcohol rehab. Unfortunately, I have witnessed alcoholism and the effects and trauma it causes loved ones.
Alcohol treatment and the healing make for a long journey. These emotions can fuel a character’s backstory with many interesting elements. Even if the character himself has not experienced it, his proximity to the issue is vital. The insight of the people around are just as valuable. It’s only a weakness if you cannot rise above it.
Whether it is private alcohol rehab or public, the experience has much to teach us about people and how they behave. This is the fodder for good writing–taking the time to understand people for both their virtues and their sins. As writers, it is our job to tell our stories with real people and their struggle with this thing we call life.
The issues is not an uncommon one as the statistics will bear out. We all have our main struggle in life. It’s up to us to find a way to prevail.
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Tech Tip: New Isn’t Always Better
It was bound to happen. I had to replace my Blackberry Curve 8330 when it stopped charging. It turns out the USB port was damaged. I could either dish out $119 to repair it or upgrade for $50 after a mail-in rebate. Guess which I chose?
Upgrading is always a hassle. Moving programs and data sucks. My move wasn’t horribly painful, but I encountered two glitches that made it unpleasant.
First, there was the operating system. I followed the OS updates regularly, wanting to take advantage of updates and new features. Well, the updates carry issues. My new 5.0 OS has this annoying tendency to switch to the Media app with no means of closing the application. A flaw that RIM is aware of, I’m told. Crap. It’s an extreme inconvenience with no upgrade in sight.
Then my Aerize Card Loader ceased to work. Lame excuses by the developer did nothing to soften the blow. I paid for an app that would save apps to a memory card rather than internal memory. Wasted money until the app is upgraded. No word on when that will happen. Word to the wise: don’t waste your money on this application until you can be sure the product will deliver what it promises. Duh!
It’s not a fault with the Curve 8530, I realize. Yet, the upgrade caused these frustrations. Maybe I can review this smartphone more objectively when everything works like it is supposed to do.
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