Blessings and Curses of Owning the Time Clock

One of my greatest pleasures—and pains—is ordering my own workday.
I love making my own schedule, and breaking it, too. But I must admit, the consequences are a bit harder to take when you’re your own boss. Who do you blame for mismanagement?
I, of course, blame my dog. If it wasn’t for those untimely bathroom breaks, I could get a lot more done.

Molly at 7 weeks (she just turned 2 on Sept 3rd

Don’t buy it? Neither does my puppy.

But today, I have focus! I’ve started on a new book and it’s going very well. The idea came to me Saturday evening after an unsuccessful week of trying to make myself stay glued to my chair to edit a dark, complex story that I really love. Apparently, the beginning of Autumn encourages my ADD tendencies and an intricate plot is not in my immediate future.

Yes, this is one of those times when I would much rather ‘have written’ than ‘be writing.’ Try explaining that one to my supervisor in charge of productivity. {that would be me, again}

So, on Saturday, I started a new project, all shiny bright, and straight forward.
Did you catch the day I began this project? Saturday? The weekend? I’m also writing today, Labor Day, an official holiday.

If you see my boss, be sure to mention my dedication as shown by working weekends, okay?

BTW, I need a name for the ex-husband in this story. Suggestions?

Tags: discipline, new story, productivity
Posted in Distractions, Schedules | 13 Comments »

Discipline

Sunset from my Backyard

If you’re like me, that word instantly has me grinding my back teeth and digging in my heels, braced to rebel.   I think most of us have our rebellious sides, don’t we?  {Go ahead.  In the recesses of your cubbies, you can agree with me.}  The problem/solution is that those of us who have escaped the corporate cube farms have gloried in the winds of freedom and have a darned hard time getting down to work when we don’t wanna.

After a long, hot summer that would melt off your eyebrows, we’ve had several beautifully moderate days in a row.   Long walks, poking at the dried-up weeds in my wilted flower beds and daydreams about hammocks have seriously cut into my work hours.

The manuscript that I am so excited about glares at me from the corner of my desk, nagging that I should get at least a few pages edited.  Websites awaiting enhancements send messages via email that they are ready to be updated.  Bank accounts cry out for more, more, more more when all I want to do is less, less, less.

Discipline.  That word brings visions of black-robed nuns with hard plastic rulers to mind.  (Yes, I have felt the bite in my younger days.)  Surely, there’s a compromise somewhere.

Maybe I’ll figure it out while I take my nap.  If I only had a hammock…..

Tags: beautiful weather, discipline
Posted in Distractions, Schedules | 6 Comments »

…and then the phone rings

Am I the only one that ‘goes into a trance’ when I’m working?

I’ll get deeply involved in the story I’m writing or in the website I’m building and my world closes down until there’s nothing but me and the project.  Even time, ticking past me, ceases to exist.

I’m thinking this is a good thing.    I have my best ideas and get a lot done when I’m entrenched like that.

Then the phone rings.

And I feel like I’ve been awakened in the middle of a good dream.   All those threads of thought tangle and then vanish back into the ether from which they came.   My euphoric mood goes with them and I’m left with a frustrating mess.

Early on, I told family and friends that calling me during ‘normal’ work hours was off limits.  Mostly, they respect that.

But the telemarketers are another issue.

Yes,  I’m on the Do Not Call list.  But what do you do about those pre-recorded calls?  I’ve even listened all the way through, waiting for the opt-out message.  No luck.   Some messages don’t have them.  Others that do have the opt-out option, I’m suspicious about.  Did they just use my response to verify that a real person is at the other end of the line so they can sell my number to an illicit call list service?  And then, there are the calls, pre-recorded or live, that try to get you to answer yes or no.  Have you heard about the scam where they record your voice and use it later to “prove” that you’ve agreed, via phone, to order something?  This one goes along with credit card scams.

So I’ve started a list of phone numbers to block and I’ll gladly share that list with you.  Send me the phone numbers of those that SPAM call you and I’ll check them out and add them to the list.

Tags: telephones
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