Time managment

I listened to a webinar at work a few weeks ago on time management. That is the aspect of my job that I struggle with the most. Well, actually, public speaking is the hardest for me. But time management is second on the list. The webinar gave me a lot to think about. Procrastination is a big enemy in my life, and not just at work. There are many reasons for procrastination, and all of the ones the presenter mentioned affect me at one time or another: fear, boredom, perfectionism, feeling overwhelmed, poor planning. Procrastination results in stress, sloppy work, and is a waste of time and energy. It makes me feel unproductive and bad about myself. I'm also learning to recognize time wasters in my work day. Facebook is the biggest culprit. We are only supposed to check Facebook on our work computers during breaks or before 8 am. But of course I have Facebook on my phone. I also have other distractions on my phone, like Scramble, or Words with Friends. And personal e-mail. And texting. I don't do any of this excessively. But a few minutes here or there add up, and also make it hard to re-focus on work. My inner ear disorder also complicates the situation; it can affect my concentration, energy level, focus, mood, and anxiety level. It can also cause headaches, dizziness, imbalance, and nausea. This was not mentioned in the webinar, but I think even the food I eat affects my work performance. Bread is known as a breakfast staple, but bread, especially the kind I prefer, breaks down into sugar in my body, and can contribute to fatigue and poor concentration. I'm trying to eat more protein in the morning - hard boiled eggs, cheese cubes, and vegetarian sausage. Finally, I'm going to try structuring my day according to my energy peaks and valleys. I tend to have a dip around 11 - noon most days, and during that time I plan to do something more physical and less mental. Something that would require moving around more - unpack boxes, shelve books, file periodicals, organize my cubicle. The presenter also stressed the importance of taking regularly scheduled breaks. I rarely take a scheduled break, because 1) I only work part time, and 2) I take a minute here and a minute there during my work day. Taking a scheduled break will help keep me on task and make me feel organized. We are allowed one fifteen minute break for every four hours of work, and I work five or more hours per day. The one piece of advice the presenter made that I excel at is to be a list maker! :) librarianintx

Productivity

I was amazingly productive yesterday, and it felt SO GOOD! Considering it was my first day back at work from a week's vacation, AND it was a Monday, you would think that everything went wrong yesterday, but it didn't. One new thing I did yesterday - I read during the trip to and from work. Unfortunately this resulted in mild bouts of carsickness, but I did it anyway. I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey on my nook in the morning, and read a bit more of that in the afternoon. I got to page 55, which is quite a feat for me. I'm not a faster reader, but somehow I am able to read more quickly on the nook, and with better comprehension. Then on the way home I continued reading Mennonite in a Black Dress, which I have been trying to finish for months and months. It felt great to read that much in one day. And I think because I didn't just sit in the car and do nothing, I got to work feeling more energized and ready to work. I had good focus during the work day, and was nicely productive. I finished the day with thirteen hash marks for requests completion, and a lot of work put toward a big request that I should be able to finish today. I also had time to journal a bit yesterday, type up a few brief reviews on Goodreads, and write a card to my younger cousin Katherine at camp. I unloaded the dishwasher, did my daily chores, watched the new episode of Push Girls, and was in bed by 11. Of course there were things I didn't do that I should have. I didn't do my breathing exercises. I didn't do any exercising. But let's focus on the positive. It was a good, successful day. I'm happy. And my drought-plagued city got rain for the second day in a row!!!! librarianintx