February 27 2020

What am I listening to?

Some of you are possibly wondering what is all that talking you hear coming from my car when I pull into the parking lot at work. Well, sometimes it is an audio book, but lately it has more likely been a podcast. If you are asking yourself what a podcast is and why you would want to listen to it, you’ve come to the right place. I will do my best to explain just that.

A podcast is like a radio show that is recorded and can be listened to on your computer or smart phone at YOUR convenience. If you find one you want to listen to on your computer, chances are there is a way to listen already built into your browser, so bookmark the site and keep track of which episodes you have already listened to and have at it.

If you want to listed without being tied to your computer, never fear! There IS an app or twelve for that. You DO have a smart phone, right? If not, what rock have you been hiding under? Go back to the last paragraph and see how to listen on a computer.

So, if you are reading this, you most probably have a smart phone, and are at least willing to give listening to podcasts a try.

I know there are many different apps for listening to podcasts, but I only know about the one I use, Stitcher. This is a free app and I like it because it allows me to save a few episodes to my phone while I am at home with access to WiFi and then listen to them while I am driving to and from work without using up cellular data. So to get the app on your phone, or computer just visit the website linked above or click on the picture below and then click Get The App and choose the platform you want to listen on. You can easily search for podcasts by topic or name.

When you find something that sounds good, save the podcast to a playlist such as favorites by clicking the blue + (see example below)

Then you will see various playlist choices or be able to create new ones. For now, just put the ones you want to try in favorites and give them a listen. This is one I didn’t know existed and now I want to try it out.

When I try a podcast, I like to start back at the very beginning and listen to all the episodes in order. I usually listen to an episode or two and if I decide I want to listen to the entire podcast, I usually create a tracker in my bullet journal because I like to track my progress on things. The first one I started listening to and tracking was Success Insider in 2017.

 

The in 2018, I began listening to the InvestED: The Rule #1 Investing Podcast by Phil and Danielle Town. I was late finding this podcast and had a lot of episodes to catch up on so I have tracked it across three years of bullet journals so far and because I have finally caught up with the back episodes, the grid is much smaller in this year’s BuJo:

Note, you can also watch this podcast: InvestED: The Rule #1 Podcast

As you can see I only got through the first 90 episodes in 2018, so I made a note and started the new grid from there.

This year, I guessed how many spaces to allow on the grid based on the fact that the podcast is a weekly show, then added a few just in case.I then discovered the Retire Inspired podcast that was later rebranded to The Chris Hogan Show. You can see above that I was close to caught up at the beginning of this year so it too has a smaller grid.

Note, you can also watch this podcast: The Chris Hogan Show

Knowing I was pretty well caught up with InvestED and The Chris Hogan Show, I added a new one this year based on Danielle Town’s suggestion. She recommended HerMoney with Jean Chatzky and I am only about 30 episodes into it right now, and loving it. Jean is constantly interviewing various authors and podcasters on the show so I am adding a lot of books to my want to read someday list on GoodReads. Here is my grid for HerMoney. You can visit Jean Chatzky’s Website to learn more about her and the show.

As you can see there are many episodes to listen to. I wrote out what was in the list including some called Bonus Mailbag where she answers listener questions. I figure if I catch up then I will need to add another grid on a new page in this year’s BuJo. No big deal, that is the beauty of bullet journaling.

If you like Mike Rowe, you may want to give his podcast, The Way I Heard It, a try. His are fun to listen to and usually only 10 minutes or less.

So, now that you know what I listen to, please share your favorite podcasts in the comments so we can all give them a listen.

Category: Bullet Journal, Goals, Money Saving, Review | Comments Off on What am I listening to?
February 20 2020

Nod and Smile

When you have someone that just keeps talking when you are trying to focus, you have a couple of options on how to handle it without offending that person.

Nod and Smile

One of my favorites is the treatment I often get when speaking to someone who likely knows very little English. Often, when speaking to someone, they will just nod and smile then go on about their business. This is my signal that they either don’t understand what I am saying or are possibly pretending they don’t understand me. I often get the feeling in this case that they really do understand and for whatever reason just don’t want to engage. If the person is an employee who is obviously working, this might be their way of not getting in trouble with their boss for chatting on the clock. I find myself doing the same thing these days when either I don’t understand what they are saying because they are using another language or are speaking with a very heavy accent. Sometimes, I just plain don’t hear them and I really get tired of asking nice people to repeat themselves just because I am getting older and do hear as well as I used to.

No need to be negative, if you can’t hear or don’t have anything nice to say, zip your lips, nod and smile.

Wear headphones

If others are being noisy around you and you really need to focus on the task at hand, try wearing headphones. They need not be fancy or noise-cancelling or anything to help block the distractions. You don’t even have to use the headphones to listen to music or an audio book or anything at all. Sometimes just having your headphones on or in lets those around you know you are not waiting for someone to engage you in conversation. I have different playlists on my phone that I choose depending on the need at the time. If I am reading or writing, I don’t want to hear words when I listen to music, they distract me. I am also more than a little afraid I will burst into song and embarrass myself in front of others by singing along with the music. I keep a playlist of wordless songs to listen to when I write. I keep another playlist of up-beat and energetic songs with words to exercise, clean house, or long-distance drive to as they will keep me awake and engaged with the songs when something without words might well put me to sleep.

I can also admit to those of you who are reading this that I have, on occasion, been guilty of turning my music off and hearing the things those around me are saying while oblivious to the fact that I may be listening in. This I learned from my kids when they were teens. Adults are way too willing to believe kids these days are being rude and tuning them out with their music and earbuds. But sometimes they too are just listening in to hear what we might be saying about them.

So, the moral of this story, is always have music of some sort as an option on your phone or laptop. Always carry some sort of headphones with you or keep them in your desk at work. Also remember to keep these tools charged so they won’t let you down in your time of need.

 

Category: Learning, Planning, The Joys of Aging | Comments Off on Nod and Smile
February 13 2020

Attention to Detail Matters

It has come to my attention recently that details absolutely make a difference. They matter when it comes to things like spelling names correctly. An example that happened to Hubby and I, is our license plates. Our last name is spelled with an EI and mine plates were registered with our last name spelled correctly, so I had to renew them by February 15th. Hubby’s registration was spelled incorrectly with IE reversed and so his plates weren’t due to be renewed until February 28th each year. Not sure how it happened to begin with but it did. It also matters when people take the time to spell your names correctly. It shows a little more respect for you and that the person doing the spelling actually care enough to make sure to get it right. I will admit, even after being married for over 33 years, I still have to spell my last name in my head every time I write or sign my name.

When creating file names it is important because you may one day have to search for that file, or someone else may need to and it would be easier to find if it was spelled the way it should be.

When matching one thing to another, like I found myself doing at work recently, it really makes you understand how important the little details are. I usually try to head mistakes off at the pass by copy and pasting as much as I can, especially where formatting or spelling really matter. A co-worker has the job of scanning and saving files into the proper location. Then I come in and pull up the file by searching for it and must compare the scanned version to the electronic version. Often the scanned version is filled out by hand and does not match what someone typed in to the computer in the official electronic version of the application. Before one says it cannot be found, one must really try to find the file by spelling the name correctly. One should not have to guess how the person saving the file might have spelled it incorrectly or where they may have left an extra space in the file name. I can’t tell you how much longer my job in this system takes when the entry in the spread sheet doesn’t match the online file or the actual name of the scanned file. Perhaps you somehow habitually leave the l out of the word “family” making it “famiy”. Or maybe for some reason your brain spells the word charity by first spelling the word “chair” then adding the “ty” because you know those are the other two letters needed to finish the word. It looks like this, chairty. You might read right over it and never even hesitate, because it has all the right letters just not quite in the right order. I am trying to re-train my brain to spell charity instead of chairty.

Proper caps shows you care. You are most likely not the poet e.e. cummings, so all lower case should be off limits. In the early years of using the internet and email we were told that typing anything in all CAPS is the equivalent to yelling. Using Proper case just plain tells your co-workers that you care about your job and keeping it, or in the case of a temp employee that you care enough to do the job right and hope to actually be hired on permanently.

Saving files where others can find them is another place where details matter. If you are supposed to be saving files such as supporting documents in a particular location on a shared drive with a particular naming convention, it is really a good idea to show the person that asked this little thing of you that you respect their authority and know how to follow instructions by actually doing what they have asked.

If you write emails for work or school, consider the importance of reviewing your correspondence from different points of view. When we speak to people face to face, or even on the phone we have tone of voice and inflection to help us interpret what is being said. Emails and texts can cause problems because what you say might be interpreted differently depending on the experiences you bring with you. If possible, reread the email out loud to yourself so you can hear how it sounds and find any words you left out accidentally. You also might want to read it again to yourself, not necessarily out loud, as though you are the intended recipient, to see how what you said might be interpreted.

All these examples are just to tell you that details DO matter and they can cause others to judge you in an unflattering light. So, be careful and pay attention to the details because, as Mom always said, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right. She also said if you don’t have time to do it right the first time, you sure don’t have time to do it over. Avoid do overs, and remember that attention to details matters.

Tell us in the comments an example of when details mattered.

Category: Learning | Comments Off on Attention to Detail Matters
February 6 2020

My Word of the Year

It is something I begin thinking about when fall shows up for a good long stay, but sometime the  new year begins without me having chosen a word. In 2017 I chose a word of the year for the first time. That year, I chose the word FEARLESS to lead me through the year. That was a good word, the pressure was on to pick another good one. So in 2018 I chose the word CONFIDENCE to guide me. In 2019 I decided to not choose a word since nothing was presenting itself, and decided to have a depth year instead. So this year, I decided I needed a word to guide me again and began giving it serious thought. I considered the word SLEEP, or maybe even FINISH, but neither of those felt quite right.

My friend Theresa has a cool business making words into wall art called Wall to Wall Words. She gave us each the words Merry Christmas in white vinyl and the the word Believe in red vinyl as a gift. I wanted to place the red word Believe on the door to my upper cabinet at word where I had displayed my NaNoWriMo word count last November, but my theory is that as soon as I decide to stick it on there, the powers that be will decide I need to move to another desk and I wouldn’t be able to take the word with me. I am still toying with the idea of sticking it to something else that I could display and move more easily.

I had been thinking about what my word for 2020 would be when I got the gift from my friend and thought I wanted Believe to be my word but wanted more of a sign that this was the word for me. Then I found this on January 12th as we drove home from St. Louis. This was taken on one of the main streets in Casey, Illinois. No it isn’t a great photo. There was no way to take a great photo of it given the circumstances. The store was closed and I was losing the light. But it was a sign and I needed a photo of this “sign” of a sign in the store window to remind me that I need to learn to BELIEVE.

I have read the book One Perfect Word by Debbie Macomber a few times and she tells us that the word will often present itself to you. Ok, you don’t have to hit me upside the head with it. I believe. If you want to get your own copy of the book, and click on either the link or the picture of the book, these are affiliate links and I might earn a penny or two at no additional cost to you.

At the beginning of 2019, after I decided not to choose a word, I found out about My Intent bracelets. I liked the idea, but since I still wasn’t permanently employed at that point I didn’t want to spring for the bracelets. I wanted to get all three of my words of the year on the little washers and then make the three of them into something wearable, like a necklace maybe. I did make something but never completely finished it and never wore it. If I can find it I will take a picture of it for you. I knew better this year, so I did better. I ordered the bracelet which normally sells for $20, but used a discount code I got from Mel Robbins (MEL) to save 30%, so it only cost me $14. Well worth the investment if wearing it helps me to remember to BELIEVE in God, to BELIEVE in myself, and to BELIEVE that I can do anything, with God, if I make up my mind to do it. You can see it on my wrist in the photo below. I chose the one I could get with a purple cord, but that probably doesn’t really surprise you.

I have already decided that I believe in myself enough to commit to another three years of writing the blog you are reading this on. I hope you will join me by subscribing using the link at the top or the right and enter your email address so you can be notified when I post something new.

Have you ever chosen a word of the year? What word did you pick and how did it work out for you?

 

Category: Believe, Confidence, Depth Year, Fearless | Comments Off on My Word of the Year
December 19 2019

Reflection & Anticipation

The frantic pace of November and writing 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo comes to a close. Then the frantic pace of gearing up for the holidays replaces it. I find myself pondering what I want to accomplish in the new year. It seems odd to me that I don’t even consider what I might yet accomplish THIS year, but instead turn my thoughts to the bright shiny new year and pin my hopes on it instead. Now to be fair, part of that is due to this being our busy season at work because it is also giving season and I find it difficult to consider adding even one more small thing to my overly full plate in the last month of the year. I am already working fifty, sixty or even more hours each week trying to get all the work done before year end.

The hours I am putting in this month mirror, in a magnified way, the hours I put in last month while writing. It is a different kind of busy and tired. The company I keep, the crazy pace I am keeping and the end goal has changed, but it is also similar in a way. Misery, and I hesitate to actually call it that because I have chosen these tasks, loves company. Company is what makes what otherwise might indeed be a miserable task, seem less so. I dare say the company I keep is what drives me on to do these seemingly crazy things and what helps me to actually continue doing them to completion. Many hands make light work fits in this case because at work we have a team of temp workers to share the load and make the burden more bearable for the rest of us. The load for November cannot actually be shared as each of us must write our own 50,000 words to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge, but this task is made easier because we know we are not alone in this madness we chose to take part in.

So, why do I put myself through this madness, you ask? Well, because I CAN, I suppose. Because I enjoy challenging myself to achieve what others say I cannot, dare not, should not. It is kind of like a double dog dare as we called them when we were kids. I find the work enjoyable for the most part and while not exactly fun when I am doing it, it gives a sense of accomplishment knowing it has been done, once it HAS been done. In the case of work, I feel like I am making a difference. I am helping to process the grants that others have made possible through their generosity. It gives me a sense of wonder when I become discouraged with the negativity and bad things that happen in this world. It gives me hope to see that there are so many truly generous people giving to the causes they hold dear. The causes are many, they are varied in scope and the donations are anywhere from fifty dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars being given to help charities fulfill their missions. A few will close for one reason or another, but new charities will open too. There are so many people being helped because I put in the time along with my coworkers so that the accounts can be opened and the money can be donated and the charities can be supported. It isn’t all work. This year their is a committee trying their best to help us enjoy ourselves a little and take short breaks from the constant onslaught of work. This is not a time of dread that the work is piling up, instead it is a chance to get to know some new friends and appreciate all that we have learned over the past year. It is a chance to learn new skills and help with different tasks. No dull monotony to be found here. Each charity we vet and the due diligence we do is slightly different. It may be similar to something we did an hour ago or a week ago, but it is slightly different which keeps us on our toes and keeps the work from getting dull and monotonous.

One of the coolest things I have found about the company I work for is their willingness to listen to us if we have an idea for how we could do a task faster or more efficiently. Any idea that might shave off a few seconds is tested and many are implemented to save us all time or share an easier way of doing something. With each new temporary employee comes a new set of experiences to draw from and we learn from each one whatever they can teach us. Our jobs are ever changing and evolving and this too keeps things from getting dull and boring.

So as I get closer to the end of this year and the beginning of the next I am thinking constantly of what goals I might want to set or what tasks I’d like to accomplish next year. Do I want to continue using my bullet journal? Do I want to try more of a prefab way of keeping track of things? If so, what should that look like? Do you do an end of month or end of year review to go over what worked and what didn’t? I have been considering this and would love any recommendations or suggestions you can share.

Right now, I am just trying to work as many hours as I can and not get completely overwhelmed by the preparations for the upcoming holidays. I can work the crazy hours this week knowing there will be days to rest next week. In another few weeks, the busy season will have slowed and most of our new temporary helpers will have moved on to other opportunities. For now though, I intend to enjoy their presence and get to know them. Hopefully, a few will get to stay and get hired on.

How do you prepare for the year to come? How do you keep it all together this time or year. Do you have an organizing tip to share with us? Don’t keep it all to yourself, share it with us, teach us what you have learned so we won’t need to repeat any mistakes you made along the way. While we are at it, is there a topic you’d like me to address here? Do tell. What do you find useful, what would you like to see less of? I won’t promise to take your suggestions, but I can promise to read and consider all of them before deciding on any changes in the new year.

Happy Holidays!

Category: Blogging, Goals, Organizing, Planning | Comments Off on Reflection & Anticipation