Staying Focused.

There are many times during my day when I have difficulty staying focused. Nothing so bad that I would consider is ADD (note my explicit lack of a medical license.) Perhaps I just have ADOLAB; short for Attention Deficit Oh Look A Bunny!

Ahem, anyway, I have to consciously think about staying on track just so I have a hope to stay focused. Here are a couple coping mechanisms I've developed:

1. Cell phone timer. It would look a little more than odd to have an egg timer sitting on my desk; and quite unsettling for others should it go off. So I set the timer app on my phone for 10-20 minute chunks if I'm having trouble with a task. 5 is too short, 30 too long. A quick little "beep" lets me know when I can take a quick mental break.

2. Coffee. This is kinda a no brainer. I do love a good cup o' joe. But Just like pizza and um, anyway, just like pizza, bad coffee is still mostly good coffee. And the institutional brand coffee our office supplies is good enough for me. I sometimes wonder how it would affect productivity if the company were to invest in some Starbucks just for Monday. I think the return on investment would be worth it!

3. Controlled distractions. This one can sometimes be a minefield. When i start to feel my brain slip beyond my control, I make a deal with myself. "Ok, you can read ONE, maybe two, articles on Jezebel or Apartment Therapy, then you're getting back to work!" This usually works, as long as I make sure not to do it more than once per hour. Gawker's impressively crappy & alienating redesign helps make sure I don't spend too much time on their sites anymore.

4. Lunch. It breaks up the day, gives me something to look forward to, and a benchmark by which I can measure my success. "I'll get this done by lunch!" actually helps.

5. Facebook. Who the hell am I kidding! If I get on facebook, I might not get back to work! Thank heavens I don't play Farmville!

6. Small projects. Hey, if I'm going to get off track with a larger project, might as well use that time to work on a couple smaller, easier projects. Sometimes it's a paper for school, a grocery list, organizing my desk, cleaning out a drawer.

7. Ooooo.....something shiny.....

8. Music. Turning on the radio, hooking up the ipod, logging onto Pandora. Music is great at providing just the right level of background distraction. It also serves as a time measure. I figure the average song is 4 minutes (I really have no idea is that's right) so I can say "I'll work on X for 2 songs" Or "I'll allow myself to be distracted just for this song"

How do you guys stay focused?

15 Ways to Get Out The Door in the Morning

Morning routine need a makeover? Always late because you have so much to do in the monring?
Someone smart said "An ounce of evening is worth a pound of morning." So true! I used to run around in the morning, trying to get everything ready. I had to pack lunches, make breakfast, get everyone showered & dressed, find all the missing objects (keys, shoes, homework...) I was going bananas before i even set foot in the office. It can still be a little hectic & rushed, but after some editing of my morning, everyone's a lot less stressed!

Here's some tips that helped me. Feel free to add any tips that help you!



Holiday cups? Already?


Pack lunches the night before. You might think this can be skipped because you fell you can make a lunch in 5 minutes before you leave. You'd be surprised how 5 minutes can turn into 15-20 when you're rushing around trying to bag lettuce and find ingredients. Just pack it and toss it in the fridge. Keep the non-perishable stuff on the counter beside the fridge so you don't forget to throw it in.

On especially early mornings, put little ones to bed in their clothes. This might not work with a high schooler, but for kids under 10, should be just fine.

Shoes by the door, everyday. We take our shoes off at the door anyway. We never have to wonder where they are, unless the cat stole one.

Keep nice shoes at the office, wear "everyday" shoes out the door. I have a collection of "office appropriate" shoes in a drawer at work. I can wear comfy flats out the door & after work to run errands, and slip on the purdy shoes when I clock in. Saves my knees & toes the extra effort too!

Keep a hairbrush & hair ties in the car. Brush during red lights (only if you can do it safely!), have your kid brush their own hair while you drive, brush before you get out of the car, etc.

Pre-bag baggies of cereal. You can do it while you pack lunch. So if you have to run out the door without time for a sit down breakfast, you'll be covered.

Do your make up at the office. You probably already touch-up once you get in; might as well combine both steps.

Shower the night before. Unless you're a sweaty sleeper, this will save you a lot of time in the morning. Getting hit with cold, after shower, air is a lot easier to take in the evening and not something most people look forward to when they wake up.

DON'T check facebook or emails. Unless you're expecting an important message (they should call you instead!) and there's something you can do about it before you reach the office. And why risk getting sucked into 20 minutes of checking your friends' overnight facebook status?

Make a To-Do list the night before. You won't have to pace around thinking of what is was you just HAD to do. You'll also be able to take a fresh look at your items and prioritize.

Keep all papers & kid's homework in one place. Your hall table or somewhere in the kitchen might be good places. If your kid has a backpack, make sure the homework makes it in there as soon as they're finished with it.

Do homework as soon as you get home. You don't want to get up 30-60 minutes early to help the kid with math. Fill out permission slips, too. Don't forget about YOUR homework!

Have two (or three!) alarm clocks. Snooze addict? 5 more minutes turned into 1 more hour? Try doubling up on the clocks, get a puzzle alarm, or one of those sunrise alarm clocks. If your current set up isn't working, try something new.

Coffee pot on a timer. Also serves as an alarm! You'll be more willing to get up & go once you smell some hot fresh joe. Keep your travel mug next to the maker so you can just pour & go. (also keep sweetener at work!)

Thursday Randomness

I'm sitting here, blogging on my lunch break. I somehow went accidental vegetarian today. Toast & an apple for breakfast. Chick'N patty & kale for lunch. Will have yogurt for mid day snack. Potato w/ fake bacon bits & more kale for pre-school snack. Maybe I have some meaty goodness in my fridge for my after-school pretend dinner snack.

I've tried the three square meals a day thing. It's soooo not for me. I have about 4 hours between breakfast and lunch. But then I have anywhere from 6-10 hours between lunch and dinner. After lunch I get hungry; really hungry. My blood sugar drops, and I go from sweet go getter to angry murderous dinosaur in no time.

That's supposed to be a butcher knife. Most people don't go on rampages with the number four.

So I usually have a small lunch and two lunch sized snacks before a small dinner. On school nights, I pretty much do nothing but snack. And I keep emergency anti-dinosaur food on hand, like apples, potatoes, granola bars, packs of instant oatmeal.

Some of my coworkers cautiously eye the random potato that usually sits on my desk. What they don't know is that lowly potato is sometimes the only thing in between them and the number four.

(Ok, that's a gross exaggeration. I really like all my coworkers, and my job, and would never think about hurting anyone with the number of the day. But I do get might cranky if I don't eat enough)