Tracee Lydia
Garner published her first book at the age of twenty-three after winning the
BET First Time Writer’s Contest. She’s been publishing ever since. She’s also a
social worker and public speaker dealing with the issues that concern people
with disabilities and the physical and attitudinal barriers they face. Learn
more about Tracee and her books at her website/blog.
Time management: 5 Tips to
do More with Your Time and Do It More Efficiently
At some point I learned a few tricks to get
more done with less. We all have the same amount of time, but man, are some
people using it better than the rest of us! Despite feeling pretty confident
about my own ability to manage my time better, I’ve discovered there’s always
more to learn. Here are some tidbits and a few new discoveries I’ve employed to
make time work for me.
Take your own pictures for your Blog or other social media. We
all have some sort of newsletter either as a writer or contributor or side
hustle we enjoy. I was looking for pictures of words the other day for an
exercise I give my students. I teach
How to Write a Novel at the local college. When I couldn’t
find something I liked and wanted that was free and clear (copyrights), I took
my own. You can take your own pictures. You can even make extra money selling
them to photo sites. Do your homework if you decide to do this.
DVR everything - I'm sorry I just can't
do it anymore - sit through commercials or watch things in real time. I can’t
believe I’ve had a DVR for about 7 years and really only recently started using
it more purposefully. Now of course I’m getting spoiled, I can’t seem to watch
anything that hasn’t been “recorded”. Can I also say that I’ve been cutting off
the TV and when using the DVR you are especially “running” through the
commercials? Doing that alone seems to have given me less of an opportunity to
be wooed (coerced) by advertisers into buying something I just don’t need,
which could really and truly affect your bottom line.
Note that with the DVR, if it’s something I
really want to see and chat with friends/coworkers about the next day, then I
just start the program 15-30 minutes into the show. You can still save time
shaving off some minutes and finish at the same time as everyone else.
Make a Master List of all the foods you buy on a regular basis. Copy
it (save it on your computer) but make a few copies of it and have it on your
fridge or a drawer in the kitchen. You and your family can highlight or circle
items, and then you’re ready to go.
Label it properly, put it away, and leave out
the master to-do list - To cut down on clutter, which also reduces mental clutter and feeling
overwhelmed, I’ve put away stacks and stacks of paper into folders that are
properly labeled and then filed them away, thus freeing my desk up for space
and comfort. Just keep a running list of things to do, front and center, put
the rest away and only pull it out when you’re ready to work on that particular
item. A timer can also help with this and a simple timer is available on your
phone or computer.
Compose anything using talk to text My all-time-favorite and Newest
Better Time Management Discovery is depressing that tiny little microphone
picture to talk my lists, parts of my book, e-mails and other kinds of output.
Part of this blog post was written using talk to text at 4:00 in the a.m. when
insomnia sets in. I make lists and mostly write about 300 - 1000 words for my
story with this little gizmo. It’s available on almost every phone, no matter
your carrier or brand. Look for the little microphone button, just try it. Open
an e-mail and speak, even tone and normal like conversing with a friend, that’s
a friend with perfect hearing. There’s no reason to yell or enunciate your
words (unless you have a thick accent) for the talking to texting feature on
your phone, and you can spell out names if it doesn’t recognize some of the
unusual ones.
There you go. Just a few things you might not
have thought about. I can’t wait to see what new time management practices I’ll
adopt in the year to come. Want more productivity and time management advice? I
explore this topic in depth through a four-part series that appeared on my
blog.
Anchored
Hearts
Despite her
prestigious professional role, Allontis Baxter’s private life is in shambles.
She’s just broken up with her no-good boyfriend, her adopted mother figure is dying
in the hospital and now she’s been turned down in an attempt to adopt a child
of her own. Plus, Allontis’s old flame Cole Parker has returned to their
hometown from New York City, causing her dilemmas to multiply as old feelings
are rekindled. What’s a successful and motivated nonprofit career woman to do?
When a
series of chance encounters at work fling her into the middle of a mysterious
scandal, Allontis realizes she’s caught up in a dangerous game that could send
her chaotic life up in flames. Struggling to keep the pieces of her own life
together while protecting those she loves, Allontis is forced to confront the
true meaning of family and to face some demons of her own.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the list. I can always use these helpful tips!
You're welcome Angela. Thanks for visiting.
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