12.12.10

Three Time Management Secrets That Work

I often receive emails from bloggy friends and tweeps asking me how I manage it all. You know, the whole working from home thing, being a mom to two children under five and maintaining this blog as well as staying active in social media. Quite frankly, it’s a total juggling act every single day.

By nature, I am a very task-oriented and driven individual. I’m also very Type A when it comes to organization. However, you can be the most organized person but if many distractions interfere as you try to accomplish daily goals then you won’t end up being as productive.

We are all given the same amount of time every day so it’s how you choose to spend this time that makes all the difference. I had to take a step back and assess how I achieve daily tasks I set for myself and find ways to save time while cutting back in the process. I also live a life outside of this online world so time to myself and my family must also be infused into the equation.

When you work from home, sometimes this area is very muddy for we are always accessible. It’s a fine line that we walk which is why it’s essential that you decide when it’s the “right” time to work with the realization that you can integrate this into your daily routine in a healthy way.

I recently implemented a few rules that I developed for myself that actually work for me and in the process, I’ve been able to get rid of a lot wasted time. Furthermore, I have learned to lessen the noise in my life which has also helped me to become more productive. Here are my three secrets that can help you strike a balance as well:

1. Limit How Often You Check Your Email: Put the smart phone down for a moment and really think about how often you check your email. Actually, most emails are not of an urgent nature and can wait a few hours. I used to check my email 8-10 times a day. I was checking it during snack time, in between conference calls and basically any “free” moment I had. This was totally counter-productive because when I opened the emails, I didn’t have a true block of time at that moment to actually respond, so I ended up having to do it later in the day anyway! By forcing myself to ONLY check it a few times a day, I actually save myself time in the end. I know it will be really hard to do this at first but the rewards are plentiful.

2. Make Daily To-Do Lists to Stay on Task: I actually handwrite and prioritize what I need to do on each given day. The key to implementing the list effectively is whatever does not get done by the end of the day is the FIRST thing to be placed on the new list for the next day. It’s also important to note that the list should be prioritized with all tasks that must be completed by the end of the day toward the top of the list. It takes me roughly ten minutes to create the list each day (which I recommend drafting the night before so you anticipate the next day’s activities and schedule) and it’s the most organized, productive and well spent ten minutes. I highly recommend it.

3. Write Uninterrupted and Without Distractions: I sit in a quiet space with my computer and write when I have a decent chunk of uninterrupted time. I can’t sit down to write an effective blog post in between snack time, nap time and one million interruptions. So I write early in the morning while my kids are still asleep or late in the evening after I put them to bed. Not only is this therapeutic (doing something I love to do in peace and quiet) but since I don’t have to move off task every three seconds, I end up saving myself a whole lot of time. This also means that I write without distractions, though. I make sure I am not on Twitter, Facebook or the internet that may detract me from the goal of finishing a piece. Honestly, this is another trick that has saved me tons of time in the end.

Those are my three time management and “lessening the noise” secrets which help me to strike some sort of daily balance. What are some of the things that work for you?

{ 37 Comments }
12.10.10

Featured TMC Blogger: With Just a Bit of Magic

TMC welcomes Jackie, author of the blog With Just a Bit of Magic. Jackie is a fairly new blogger and like so many others, she started blogging as a way to document the happenings in her life and share it with close family and friends. But it wasn’t long before she realized this whole bloggy world existed including a fabulous community like TMC and she has loved every minute of it! Here is how she describes her blog in her own words:

“My name is Jackie and I’m the voice behind With Just a Bit of Magic. I started my blog this year and it’s grown much faster than I had expected. But I love it and wouldn’t change it! I started blogging as a way to document the happenings in my life and that of my family and to hopefully share them with family near and far. 

I have four wonderful children that are everything in the world to me and more. The oldest is my daughter Caitlin who is 15. She’s smart, snarky, and full of potential and dreams for her future. Natalie is next and she’s 11 but you wouldn’t guess that by looking at her. She’s almost as tall as I am! Natalie was always a quiet child who was content to play alone and color or draw at the table but as she’s gotten older she’s also gotten louder and much more outgoing. She’s just as smart & snarky as her older sister. Lauren is my little girly girl and at 8 years old she still lets me pick out cute dresses for her and she happily wears them. I love it! The youngest of all is Andrew at 10 months. He’s a very busy baby! He’s all boy and I swear if I had him first I would never have had another child!

I’m still working on finding my voice on my blog and I’ve met so many wonderful, helpful, and amazing people as I make my way through the blogging world and I don’t know what I’d do without all of them! I’ve learned a great deal and continue to do so daily.

When Heather contacted me about being the featured blogger at Theta Mom I was super excited! There are so many great bloggers out there that are amazing people who have helped me along the way and if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be here. So to everyone who has ever helped me, thank you!”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter!

New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!

*In order to be considered as a future Featured TMC Blogger, you must be a member and leave a comment on the blog of the current Feature Blogger. Have a fantastic weekend ladies!

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12.7.10

The Truth About That Holiday Facebook Status

Especially since my last post was pretty heavy I thought I would keep things light today and add some humor…so let’s talk about the latest Facebook status updates that I’ve been reading lately which are kind of annoying. Alright, I take that back. They are kind of obnoxious. Really? Your marriage is that wonderful? And your kids? That perfect? And you, you are THAT happy?

Seriously.

Let’s get real.

Like you really enjoyed bringing your two year-old kid to see Santa today and the entire afternoon was absolutely picture perfect. Let’s take a moment to reflect on what really went down…

Basically, you stood in line for over an hour trying to keep your toddler entertained as your child pulled on the rope, cried out of boredom and asked 5,000 times if it was time to go yet. You also heard the words hungry and thirsty 127 times. THEN, once you got up to that magical moment your kid was either was too scared to sit on Santa’s lap or actually cried the moment the photo was snapped – and you? You were stuck paying $35 for a lame photo for Grandma and a key-chain you’ll never use. Oh, but yes, it was still SO awesome, right?

My other favorite is the portrait studio trip for the infamous holiday card. Anyone that tells you they fully enjoy bringing their children to get photos taken is a total liar. I seriously want to meet the very mothers who actually receive pure joy from this event.

I’ve been THAT mom sweating in the photo shoot juggling snacks, bottles and 9,000 other things {to again, keep the kids entertained throughout this all-day-no-end-in-sight-event} and after a long and grueling afternoon, my kids are done and so am I. They are cranky, tired and totally just want to go home but *I* have the pleasure of trying to control them with one eye as the other eye peers through nearly 100 lame proofs – all in the midst of doing this with 9 million other moms and their lovely kids on the same day in the same small studio.

Two words?

Fun times.

So my solution for the above situation is easy. We visit Santa on his “off” hours. Knowing his schedule in advance, we go early on a weekday morning so we end up only waiting about five minutes. Then when we get to that magical moment we snap 5,000 of our own photos and pass on the package that they offer. We always end up with better shots and then we don’t have to even think about that lame keychain. Total win-win and Grandma ends up happy, too.

As for the holiday cards? I refuse to go to a portrait studio again. My portrait days are over until my kids are like, twelve. Instead, I dress my kids up in the comfort of my own home and I snap away with my digital camera for about 15 minutes. I always end up with at least one good photo to use and then I use a company like Tiny Prints to make it look oh-so-spectacular. Easy peasy. No lines. No tantrums. No mess. And I end up with great cards.

So, while you are waiting in line to see Santa to spend a fortune on that awesome key chain or perhaps you are sweating it out at the portrait studio wrangling your kids who are literally pulling your hair out…

You’ll find me sipping some wine at home while listening to Christmas music, uploading the photo for our perfect holiday card and smiling – as I update my Facebook status.

{ 56 Comments }
12.5.10

I am THAT Mom and I Have No Regrets

It all started when my son was about 18 months-old. He was playing with a Nerf ball with my husband in the family room. Within moments of playing with the ball my son’s face began to swell and he had hives along his mouth and cheeks. Especially as first time parents, my husband and I were stricken with sheer panic because we had no idea what was happening to our son.

We rushed him to the doctor and after a blood test confirmed it, we found out our son had a severe allergy to nuts – every kind of nut. While hearing this news we were still really confused with the diagnosis because our son never ingested a nut.

We retraced our steps from that day and realized my husband was eating peanuts prior to playing with my son and holding that ball. So the oil from the peanuts (perhaps found its way onto the front of his shirt) and the residue on his hands (from touching the peanuts and then touching the ball – and then the ball touching my son’s face) was all it took. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if my son actually ate a peanut that day.

We weren’t equipped with Benadryl.

We didn’t have an Epi-Pen.

We had no idea this whole food allergy world existed until it reached our home which is why I wanted to publish this post.

I know there are many families out there that don’t truly understand the size and scope of this allergy. We are not talking about the kind of allergy that shows up as an irritating runny nose or a cough that lingers for weeks and doesn’t seem to go away.

We are talking about the kind of allergy that is the difference between LIFE and DEATH.

I know we don’t live in a bubble and I can’t protect my child from every aspect of this environment. But I am in total control of our reaction to what happens in this space and it is my job as a mother to be an advocate for my child.

I didn’t tell you about the time I witnessed my own son’s lip and face blowing up because a friend’s dog licked him (we later found out the dog food that the dog ate that morning contained traces of nuts).

I didn’t tell you about the time we were in Disney World about to watch a show when a boy who happened to sit down next to my son whipped out some peanut butter crackers. This forced us to immediately get up and move our seats and as we were packing up our things THOSE parents mumbled under their breath that we “over-reacted.” Maybe we should have continued to sit next to them and then they could have watched in horror as our son went into ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK.

I actually have shared the time my son put his lips to a Blue Bunny Ice-Cream cone and the time he mysteriously broke out in hives at Rockefeller Center. But somehow, it’s still hard for me to come up with the right words to explain to those that don’t deal with this daily how serious this allergy truly is.

Yes, I was THAT mom on the second day of school calling the Principal and requesting another reminder that we are now a nut-free school. A nut-free school means that you don’t send your child in with a peanut butter sandwich.

I actually liked it better last year when the school was nut-friendly because everyone was extremely cognizant of children who suffer from this allergy. Teachers diligently made sure children washed their hands after every meal and my son sat with other “allergy kids” at a completely separate table. Since food containing nuts were being allowed in school, this actually gave me peace of mind that teachers, parents and administrators were on top of the situation at every waking moment because they had to be. However, now that we are a nut-free school there is a sense of complacency and it makes me worry because teachers and administrators are assuming that parents are following this nut-free rule but the peanut butter sandwiches keep rolling in.

I know I can’t expect every parent to be as diligent as we are since other parents are not obsessing over labels like we have to but I know damn well if it was YOUR kid, you would want ME to think twice before sending my kid in with a peanut butter sandwich.

So you think I obsess over food labels and I continue to be THAT mom?

You’re damn right I am.

If there’s anything you take away from this post, let it be this; please have a little more compassion, empathy and understanding for moms like me, moms who are just trying to ensure that their child is safe. If it was YOUR child, you would be doing the EXACT same thing.

So the next time you see me on the ball field, in your child’s classroom or in the parking lot at school, cut me some slack. I’m just doing the best I can as a mother to protect my child who suffers from a life threatening allergy – because it’s a matter of LIFE and DEATH. Period.

{ 83 Comments }
12.3.10

Featured TMC Blogger: Little Bit Quirky

TMC welcomes Cheryl, author of the blog Little Bit Quirky. Cheryl has been an avid Theta Mom supporter and has found some wonderful bloggy friends through this community. She blogs mostly about her triumphs and struggles through motherhood while raising a daughter with Asperger’s. Cheryl is very active in the autism community who also is a wonderful resource as she has so much valuable experiences to share. She’ll be the first to tell you that blogging is at times very therapeutic for her. Cheryl sort of “fell into” blogging and hasn’t stopped since. She’s a wonderful blogger that you need to get to know! Here is how she describes her blog in her own words:

“I am the mother of a beautiful six-year old girl with Asperger’s. While she has her challenging moments, she’s also incredibly brilliant and fun. I started the blog as a way to celebrate the quirks of these marvelous kids! I’m not always successful at keeping the tone of the blog upbeat. However, I do think I succeed most of the time! We’ve been truly blessed in that my daughter has been doing so well. She’s been doing well both academically and socially at school. While she will always have her challenges–particularly when things do not go her way–she’s been doing better at learning to cope when she gets frustrated.

Initially, I didn’t even intend to blog. I wanted to start a website where people could share the positive aspects of their children with autism. I was also hoping to have people share the service providers that they liked. My husband suggested that I also include a blog with this site. My reaction to this was, “Blech! I hate writing!” I quickly found that I wasn’t very adept at getting a forum site going. I had also seen the movie “Julie and Julia” and really loved the way Julie blogged about her cooking and life experiences. It really motivated me to start the blogging aspect of my site. This was back in February and I’m still only blogging. I’ve never pursued the rest of the website I had envisioned. I ended up loving to blog! I find it fun and therapeutic.

One of the biggest surprises to me was how social blogging was because of communities like Theta Mom! I thought bloggers were in their own little world, typing away. But a big part of blogging is reading and commenting on other people’s blogs. I’ve made a lot of friends in the blogging community that I hope to meet in the real world–such as at conferences–soon! Enjoy reading the blog and learning about our journey!”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter! New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!

*In order to be considered as a future Featured TMC Blogger, you must be a member and leave a comment on the blog of the current Feature Blogger. Have a fantastic weekend ladies!

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