Greetings!
Ann commented Saturday on a big issue for most women, and certainly for me: Time management. What to do, when, and how to do it all?
I'm preoccupied with goals and goal setting right now, as I'm due to give a mini-talk on that subject at my RWA chapter meeting later this month. I'm not great at it--I admit it. I'm a deadline person (as in, I don't do anything before I have to). LOL
But I'm also a list-maker, which is a way of goal setting. Last week, I had line edits due, I had to get a picture (yikes) and bio in to eHarlequin and to a website I just joined as an author, and I needed to get info to my web person for my newsletter to be properly set up (oops-missed that one). Reminders had to go out to the goal group I moderate (which is why I was asked to do the mini-talk) and to the critique group I moderate. As you'll notice, there's nothing personal on this list, such as laundry, cooking dinner, running errands for my mom, seeing a movie with my kids (a real priority--we saw I Am Legend), taking down the tree, etc. So I put the essentials on my list, with due dates or goal dates if no one else cares when they get done.
And I didn't do too badly. Of course, the edits had top priority and got completed (3 a.m. counts, right?) and I got the pic and bio in on time to eHarlequin. I saw the movie and ordered pizza, which is sort of like making dinner. The tree came down and my mom's errands got run. Sure, I have a few leftover items for this week, and more will be added, like plotting the next book, but I feel a real sense of accomplishment.
Do you set goals? Are you good at it? Maybe you have a tip or two I can use in my talk. I'd love to hear them.
Till next time,
Megan Kelly
www.megankellybooks.com
Monday, January 07, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Where does the time go?
Is it already January 2008? By my calculations, it should still be summer of last year. The holidays and the months leading up to them passed in a blur. But nobody asked me, and alas it really is January.
It’s a funny (not really!) thing—the busier you get, the faster time passes. When I was a child time seemed to crawl. I remember waiting and waiting and waiting to turn six, which I thought was the magical age when I’d know more and be so much more knowledgeable and skilled than I was as a mere five-year-old. Of course I soon learned that six was nothing special. When you turned ten, then you knew it all. At ten, the magical age became thirteen. And so on. But that’s a discussion for another time.
There’s that word again: time. Supposedly time is infinite. When we’re all dead and gone time will continue to march on. (This is a good place to mention global warming and how our days may not march by, after-all, at least not as we know them now. But I’ll leave that lecture to someone else.) Here’s the question that plagues me: if time is infinite, why aren’t there enough hours in the day to get everything done? Why is it then when I finally have an hour to spare, it passes in a blink?
Stuff fills in the time. It always has and always will. For me, the only way to make sure I get things done is to make that list Trish mentioned back in December. And I do, almost every night before bed. If not then, first thing in the morning. Somehow, when it’s written down and I can see it, it gets done. Amazingly, I often have time to do even more than I planned.
Whether you use lists or not, I’m curious. How do you accomplish it all in twenty-four hours? How do you make the best use of your time?
Until later,
Ann
www.annroth.net
The Pilot’s Wife, March 2008
It’s a funny (not really!) thing—the busier you get, the faster time passes. When I was a child time seemed to crawl. I remember waiting and waiting and waiting to turn six, which I thought was the magical age when I’d know more and be so much more knowledgeable and skilled than I was as a mere five-year-old. Of course I soon learned that six was nothing special. When you turned ten, then you knew it all. At ten, the magical age became thirteen. And so on. But that’s a discussion for another time.
There’s that word again: time. Supposedly time is infinite. When we’re all dead and gone time will continue to march on. (This is a good place to mention global warming and how our days may not march by, after-all, at least not as we know them now. But I’ll leave that lecture to someone else.) Here’s the question that plagues me: if time is infinite, why aren’t there enough hours in the day to get everything done? Why is it then when I finally have an hour to spare, it passes in a blink?
Stuff fills in the time. It always has and always will. For me, the only way to make sure I get things done is to make that list Trish mentioned back in December. And I do, almost every night before bed. If not then, first thing in the morning. Somehow, when it’s written down and I can see it, it gets done. Amazingly, I often have time to do even more than I planned.
Whether you use lists or not, I’m curious. How do you accomplish it all in twenty-four hours? How do you make the best use of your time?
Until later,
Ann
www.annroth.net
The Pilot’s Wife, March 2008
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Pie, Anyone?
I’ve had my share of pie-making mishaps through the years. I’ve produced soggy crust, cardboard crust, and just plain terrible crusts under the fillings. And as for the fillings-well, I’ve had mistakes there, too. Burnt custard. Strawberry pie filling that would never get firm. Stuff that was just plain bad.
When I was making a Ritz cracker pie in fifth grade, the end of my hair got caught in the beaters of the electric mixer. In two seconds flat, a big chunk of hair was wound up in two meringue-coated beaters-with them still going! That little experience earned me a haircut and whole lot of teasing from my older sister.
When we lived in Colorado, I miscalculated the amount of butter needed in a buttermilk pie and, well, set fire to the oven. I’m still thankful to my mom-in-law who bought me one of those fire blankets for under the kitchen sink. My kids, who were preschoolers back then, still talk about the time Mom almost burned down the house.
Even though I’ve had plenty of, well-let’s just call them catastrophes- over the years, I have to admit I’ve made some great pies, too. My mother let me cook a lot when I was growing up, and that freedom has given me far more successes than failures in the kitchen. No, I still haven’t mastered my mother’s pecan pie or lemon meringue, but I can certainly bake pretty well. Except for one kind…for years one pie has evaded me…no matter how many recipes I tried, I just wasn’t happy with the results.
That all changed on Monday. Yes, on New Year’s Eve, I finally made a great coconut cream pie. Well, actually, my daughter and I made it.
Baking is one of the things we do together-it’s actually one of the few things my daughter and I do together. But once we get into the rhythm of rolling out pie crust, measuring ingredients, and carefully spooning in the filling, things just seem to go well. The years roll away and we only concentrate on the task at hand, not curfews and boyfriends and English grades. Obviously, I’d cook with her all the time if we could.
Back to that pie. When we brought it to the table after dinner, we beamed with pride. The meringue was lightly browned and dotted with toasted coconut. The filling was creamy and devoid of lumps, and the crust was crunchy and perfect. The boys in our family said it was good, ate a few bites, then went back to watch football. But Lesley and I savored every bite. We knew we’d done something special.
So, even though it’s a new year and we’re not supposed to be thinking about desserts…anyone have a favorite pie? Or does anyone feel like sharing a cooking mishap? Oh-and just in case you’re wondering, our coconut crème pie recipe came from The Taste of Home cookbook. I would whole-heartedly recommend it.
Happy New Year!
Shelley
When I was making a Ritz cracker pie in fifth grade, the end of my hair got caught in the beaters of the electric mixer. In two seconds flat, a big chunk of hair was wound up in two meringue-coated beaters-with them still going! That little experience earned me a haircut and whole lot of teasing from my older sister.
When we lived in Colorado, I miscalculated the amount of butter needed in a buttermilk pie and, well, set fire to the oven. I’m still thankful to my mom-in-law who bought me one of those fire blankets for under the kitchen sink. My kids, who were preschoolers back then, still talk about the time Mom almost burned down the house.
Even though I’ve had plenty of, well-let’s just call them catastrophes- over the years, I have to admit I’ve made some great pies, too. My mother let me cook a lot when I was growing up, and that freedom has given me far more successes than failures in the kitchen. No, I still haven’t mastered my mother’s pecan pie or lemon meringue, but I can certainly bake pretty well. Except for one kind…for years one pie has evaded me…no matter how many recipes I tried, I just wasn’t happy with the results.
That all changed on Monday. Yes, on New Year’s Eve, I finally made a great coconut cream pie. Well, actually, my daughter and I made it.
Baking is one of the things we do together-it’s actually one of the few things my daughter and I do together. But once we get into the rhythm of rolling out pie crust, measuring ingredients, and carefully spooning in the filling, things just seem to go well. The years roll away and we only concentrate on the task at hand, not curfews and boyfriends and English grades. Obviously, I’d cook with her all the time if we could.
Back to that pie. When we brought it to the table after dinner, we beamed with pride. The meringue was lightly browned and dotted with toasted coconut. The filling was creamy and devoid of lumps, and the crust was crunchy and perfect. The boys in our family said it was good, ate a few bites, then went back to watch football. But Lesley and I savored every bite. We knew we’d done something special.
So, even though it’s a new year and we’re not supposed to be thinking about desserts…anyone have a favorite pie? Or does anyone feel like sharing a cooking mishap? Oh-and just in case you’re wondering, our coconut crème pie recipe came from The Taste of Home cookbook. I would whole-heartedly recommend it.
Happy New Year!
Shelley
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
December Blog Winner
Happy New Year!
Congratulations to Jennifer Shirk--the winner of our December Blog Contest!!
To claim your prizes, Jennifer, please contact the following authors through their websites:
Lee McKenzie
Michele Dunaway
Victoria Chancellor
Ann Roth will be taking over the Contest duties for the blog so be on the lookout for Ann's post announcing the winner the 2nd of each month.
On behalf of all the American Authors...we've enjoyed your company and hope you will continue to stop by each day and share your thoughts and comments.
Happy Reading!
Marin
Congratulations to Jennifer Shirk--the winner of our December Blog Contest!!
To claim your prizes, Jennifer, please contact the following authors through their websites:
Lee McKenzie
Michele Dunaway
Victoria Chancellor
Ann Roth will be taking over the Contest duties for the blog so be on the lookout for Ann's post announcing the winner the 2nd of each month.
On behalf of all the American Authors...we've enjoyed your company and hope you will continue to stop by each day and share your thoughts and comments.
Happy Reading!
Marin
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Endings and beginnings
Our sons are home from college for the holidays. Older son overslept (“I turned off the four alarms I’d set and just lay down for a minute”) and missed his flight, but Southwest shoehorned him onto another that arrived only two hours later. Younger son arrived and blissfully turned his laundry over to me, leaving his wallet and keys in the pockets. You’d be amazed how well that stuff survives the washer and dryer.
In some ways, these are turning-point holidays. Older son graduates in May and will be moving on, either to graduate school or a job. We’re kind of hoping for the whole income-plus-medical-insurance thing, but either way, he’ll never be an undergraduate again.
We also said a sorrowful goodbye to our cat. Blue was a stray we adopted seven years ago, an affection gray-and-white striped tabby who developed a sore on his nose that wouldn’t heal. It turned out to be cancer. We let him enjoy his last days in the California sunshine, lasting longer than the vet had predicted, but then the disease picked up speed.
I’ve never been a fan of putting pets to sleep. Our last cat died peacefully at home. But when it became clear that Blue was miserable, we took the final drive with him meowing woefully in his carrier.
Goodbye, little fellow. Hope they have lots of catnip mice in kitty heaven.
These holidays also marked a meeting with our first grand-nephew. Hello to Frankie, a sturdy four-month-old who basks in the adoration of his parents and grandparents. His arrival marks the start of a new generation in my husband’s family.
And so, on this New Year’s Day, I wish you all many happy beginnings and a year full of love.
In some ways, these are turning-point holidays. Older son graduates in May and will be moving on, either to graduate school or a job. We’re kind of hoping for the whole income-plus-medical-insurance thing, but either way, he’ll never be an undergraduate again.
We also said a sorrowful goodbye to our cat. Blue was a stray we adopted seven years ago, an affection gray-and-white striped tabby who developed a sore on his nose that wouldn’t heal. It turned out to be cancer. We let him enjoy his last days in the California sunshine, lasting longer than the vet had predicted, but then the disease picked up speed.
I’ve never been a fan of putting pets to sleep. Our last cat died peacefully at home. But when it became clear that Blue was miserable, we took the final drive with him meowing woefully in his carrier.
Goodbye, little fellow. Hope they have lots of catnip mice in kitty heaven.
These holidays also marked a meeting with our first grand-nephew. Hello to Frankie, a sturdy four-month-old who basks in the adoration of his parents and grandparents. His arrival marks the start of a new generation in my husband’s family.
And so, on this New Year’s Day, I wish you all many happy beginnings and a year full of love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
