Quasi-Evil

Posts Tagged ‘productivity’

Organisation Rediscovered

I appear to have rediscovered my old organised, productive pre-Scarlett self. I didn’t want to say anything too soon in case I jinxed it but then when I was tagging all my old posts, I realised that far too many of them are filled with worry over my procrastinating ways and I thought it might do me good to focus on the positive. So I am:

1. University is going well. I’m currently acheiving a very solid First and though it’s early days, there’s not many other people managing it so it’s something to be proud of especially with the current workload. Of course, now I’ve got a website, an event budget, a presentation, a PR plan, market research pilot study, an outdoor event plan and an updated portfolio all due within the next two weeks. I’m on it.
2. Scarlett is still the best baby ever. She’s a little angel, everyone adores her, she’s super well-behaved, has progressed to talking in sentences (mostly “Where are you? I am here.” and “In the Night Garden.” and “Can I have milk….than-q.”) and I’ll stop now.
3. Conventions are mostly in line. I’ve got an online committee meeting for Discworld Con 2008 later today (and I haven’t been to bed yet, oh well), a whole lot of planning to do for LX 2009 (I don’t know why I don’t just stick it all in a Project Manager, for some reason I feel like I shouldn’t use project management software for SF cons and then it all takes three times as long as it should), a possible proposal to produce for a conference and a couple of bits for an as-yet-unannounced con in 2009.

So that’s me being positive. It feels good.

Things They Haven’t Made Yet

You know what should exist?

A portable handheld scanner that runs on batteries and can store scans on a flash drive. That way, I could take it to the library with me and scan the relevant bits rather than having to photocopy the page and then scan it in when I get home. That’d really help with the whole paperless workflow thing.

What do you wish they’d make?

Nothing Ventured

10:30pm at night is not a good time to take everything off your desk, chuck it on the sofa, move said desk to the other side of the room, likewise with the sofa…and then get bored.

I am midway through rearranging my lounge, my mother may well be coming over tomorrow evening, I’m at uni all day, and I really, really want to go to bed. Oops.

Making Things Pretty

Two posts in two days? Shock horror!

Of course, there can be only one reason for me suddenly getting my arse into gear and blogging: Procrastination. I have to hand in a group portfolio on Monday (for which I’m having to type up everybody else’s notes and make it look pretty) and our group has a presentation on Tuesday (for which I’ve made the presentation – although I didn’t have to, I just got inspired and sort of did it by accident – and am now creating the accompanying booklet, again with the writing and the making it look pretty).

I’ve had a week at home alone (Scarlett’s been with her Dad) and I have got a fair amount of stuff done for the above as well as some other university related things. I sacrificed my night out on Wednesday for Halloween in favour of watching 300 and getting some sleep but what I haven’t done all week is any tidying up whatsoever. And it’s bad. I have pretty much only today to finish the stuff for uni and make the place child-friendly again. I suppose procrastination was practically obligatory.

Resolutions Rebranded

I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. Too long ago I fell into the trap of breaking them within 48 hours and therefore being willing to ‘resolve’ myself to anything since I didn’t really intend to stick to it. I’d say I’d give up chocolate (or, on one Atkins-inspired occasion, bread), spend less time on the internet (or more time if I had fansites that I felt I was neglecting), learn Greek (or PHP) and once, stop talking to myself.

It’s never lasted. Not even when I’ve picked easy things. The temptation now is to resolve not to, for example, swim the English Channel or go base-jumping, which only further emphasises my point that NYRs are a waste of time.

It’s like saying you’ll start a diet on Monday. Why? Does your body know it’s Monday? Is the day when you return to work after the weekend, probably tired and facing however many things you didn’t finish on Friday, a sensible way to begin a long term eating plan? Not really, but we all do it. New week, new start.

Well, yesterday was Tuesday and I did make a start, although not on dieting, that’ll come later. For now, it’s all about getting organised.