Most Organized = Most Productive? Well...
I dragged myself to work last Friday, probably before I should have, for a couple of reasons. First of all, I am out of official sick time. Second, it was a non-therapy day where I could hole up in my office and work, and third, I needed to straighten my office area so an intern applicant could fit, stretch out legs, and engage in an interview.
It took me all day to work on my office space, what with in between fatigue episodes and other tasks that popped up, but my office looks pretty good right now (well, compared to how it looked before!).
I have faced a fact in my life that is pretty much part of everything. I am not a "neat" person. Another fact about is that I like stuff, and I want that stuff near me for when I need it. At the same time, though, I crave minimalism and fantasize about white walls and labelled drawers and cabinets. It's an interesting dichotomy to me and one that I'm not able to achieve because, well, stuff.
(Did I mention how much I like stuff?)
I am currently in the midst of one of my busiest weeks of the year. The Online Conference for Music Therapy is this weekend, and I am coordinating registration, conference access, and continuing music therapy education while getting ready to facilitate the conference itself. It is amazing how many people seem to think that I should be available to them whenever they want information, and I just cannot be connected to all things OCMT when I have to be at my full-time job, my part-time job, and my other life. I get my jobs done, but only before and after work. That doesn't always coordinate with the timelines of participants.
I also remembered that I have a newsletter scheduled to come out on Wednesday. I also have two intern auditions and a full week of therapy. The tax man wants to meet, and I really need a haircut! Lots of things going on right now.
This is typically the week that I am the most productive as well as the most organized and the most stressed. All of those things tend to go hand-in-hand for me. Productivity, organization, and stress - all parts of the same process. Last year also included a bunch of drama, and it's no wonder that I often end up sick during this time of the year as well.
Yesterday, I was getting my list ready to grocery shop. I planned out what I wanted to get, and organized my coupons. I left for my part-time job and worked at that job. At some point during the first sermon (I know, I should have been listening, but I always here it twice, so...), I thought "MJ? Why are you stressing yourself out by insisting that you make food for the week? Why not do the whole 'meals for one' thing this week and see what happens?" Whoosh. A whole level of stress disappeared, and I was able to think about other things.
I bought quiches (my absolute favorite treat of all time), pot pies, and pasta meals. I have oranges and apples, and I bought treats. Meal planning is no longer a chore on my list for this week. I'll just get home, take out something, heat it up, and eat. I can do most of those chores while uploading things to our YouTube channel and converting audio into video files. As I am working on my computer tasks, I can also run a load of dishes. While I am waiting for files to convert, I can organize my paperclips. Then, I will be able to cross tasks off my list and go to rest before the next morning when I can start the process over again.
The dishes REALLY need to be done. I'm running out of clean forks.
For me, being organized is the way that I can get to more productivity. It is easier to focus on tasks at hand when there isn't that stray piece of paper sticking out of the stack. It is difficult to complete a project when components of that project are in different places. It is so much easier to do any and all tasks when I am organized.
Time to get things arranged for this weekend's conference. I will need a list of presentations, a list of attendees, a big cup of water, some snacks, a good microphone, earphones, and some VERY comfy clothing. In addition, I need to untangle the ethernet cord so it will reach to the comfortable sofa rather than having to be stuck on the less comfortable stool all day.
I can do those types of chores while the dishes are washing, while I am waiting for my convenient meals to heat up, and while I am adding things to my to-do list.
I am also going to start my not-to-do list. I will not let the mindless questions of others bother me as much this year. I will not be frustrated by specific people and their actions (mainly because they are not present this year!!). I will not stress out about cooking. I will not place undue expectations upon myself. I will not allow my woulda/coulda/shoulda goblins to take over. I will not read every single Facebook message that is produced over this weekend. Ooh, that list is filling up very quickly...
Oh, and it is a full moon on Wednesday as well. That probably has something to do with my energy level as well...
Off to be productive and get some applicants interviewed for internship positions in my (relatively) neat office. At least you can see most of the floor!
Happy Monday, all!
It took me all day to work on my office space, what with in between fatigue episodes and other tasks that popped up, but my office looks pretty good right now (well, compared to how it looked before!).
I have faced a fact in my life that is pretty much part of everything. I am not a "neat" person. Another fact about is that I like stuff, and I want that stuff near me for when I need it. At the same time, though, I crave minimalism and fantasize about white walls and labelled drawers and cabinets. It's an interesting dichotomy to me and one that I'm not able to achieve because, well, stuff.
(Did I mention how much I like stuff?)
I am currently in the midst of one of my busiest weeks of the year. The Online Conference for Music Therapy is this weekend, and I am coordinating registration, conference access, and continuing music therapy education while getting ready to facilitate the conference itself. It is amazing how many people seem to think that I should be available to them whenever they want information, and I just cannot be connected to all things OCMT when I have to be at my full-time job, my part-time job, and my other life. I get my jobs done, but only before and after work. That doesn't always coordinate with the timelines of participants.
I also remembered that I have a newsletter scheduled to come out on Wednesday. I also have two intern auditions and a full week of therapy. The tax man wants to meet, and I really need a haircut! Lots of things going on right now.
This is typically the week that I am the most productive as well as the most organized and the most stressed. All of those things tend to go hand-in-hand for me. Productivity, organization, and stress - all parts of the same process. Last year also included a bunch of drama, and it's no wonder that I often end up sick during this time of the year as well.
Yesterday, I was getting my list ready to grocery shop. I planned out what I wanted to get, and organized my coupons. I left for my part-time job and worked at that job. At some point during the first sermon (I know, I should have been listening, but I always here it twice, so...), I thought "MJ? Why are you stressing yourself out by insisting that you make food for the week? Why not do the whole 'meals for one' thing this week and see what happens?" Whoosh. A whole level of stress disappeared, and I was able to think about other things.
Work smarter, not harder.
I bought quiches (my absolute favorite treat of all time), pot pies, and pasta meals. I have oranges and apples, and I bought treats. Meal planning is no longer a chore on my list for this week. I'll just get home, take out something, heat it up, and eat. I can do most of those chores while uploading things to our YouTube channel and converting audio into video files. As I am working on my computer tasks, I can also run a load of dishes. While I am waiting for files to convert, I can organize my paperclips. Then, I will be able to cross tasks off my list and go to rest before the next morning when I can start the process over again.
The dishes REALLY need to be done. I'm running out of clean forks.
For me, being organized is the way that I can get to more productivity. It is easier to focus on tasks at hand when there isn't that stray piece of paper sticking out of the stack. It is difficult to complete a project when components of that project are in different places. It is so much easier to do any and all tasks when I am organized.
Time to get things arranged for this weekend's conference. I will need a list of presentations, a list of attendees, a big cup of water, some snacks, a good microphone, earphones, and some VERY comfy clothing. In addition, I need to untangle the ethernet cord so it will reach to the comfortable sofa rather than having to be stuck on the less comfortable stool all day.
I can do those types of chores while the dishes are washing, while I am waiting for my convenient meals to heat up, and while I am adding things to my to-do list.
I am also going to start my not-to-do list. I will not let the mindless questions of others bother me as much this year. I will not be frustrated by specific people and their actions (mainly because they are not present this year!!). I will not stress out about cooking. I will not place undue expectations upon myself. I will not allow my woulda/coulda/shoulda goblins to take over. I will not read every single Facebook message that is produced over this weekend. Ooh, that list is filling up very quickly...
Oh, and it is a full moon on Wednesday as well. That probably has something to do with my energy level as well...
Off to be productive and get some applicants interviewed for internship positions in my (relatively) neat office. At least you can see most of the floor!
Happy Monday, all!
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