If you’re anything like me, your schedule can be either be one of the greatest aids in your day, or one of the biggest detriments in my day.
If we’re not careful our schedule can easily keep us away from the things that really matter to us.
But before we continue, take a moment and consider what really matters to you.
No, really!
Stop reading this blog post and make a list of 4 or 5 things that matter most to you.
Continue reading Declutter your schedule
Sorry my posts have lacked in originality as of late… getting moved and unpacked has taken up much of my focus and inspiration as of late.
The whole moving process reminds me that I still have a LOT of stuff — and a lot more decluttering needs to be done. It’s amazing to realize how our things can have such a tight grip on us.
I was talking with a friend last night about our homes and how they’ve changed over the last 50 years.
We were saying how amazing it is that our grandparents had homes half the size of ours (or maybe even smaller) and had plenty of room for their stuff and the entire family.
And if they were to put our sectional in their living room, it would fill up more than half the space. You’d be challenged to get from one room to the other.
So not only do we seem to have more stuff — but it’s gotten bigger to boot!
Yet we continue to pile more and more stuff on top of the things we already have.
Continue reading Enjoying the moments
You know, I really hate editing — especially when it relates to someone else’s work.
Each week Thomas and I do our podcast and I always make a point to never shorten or cut the interviews we do with folks. After all, our goal is to share their story with folks and hopefully they’re something the listeners walk away from and talk about with their friends.
Along with the interviews, Thomas and I normally chat about the interviews/stories at the end of the show. I always enjoy the chats and wish time permitted us to really delve into these stories like we might do if we were sitting in a living room together. I think almost all of our podcasts could lead to a discussion that lasts over several hours.
However, due to the space-time-continuum, bandwidth and our listeners available time, I do my best to be sure our podcasts only last an hour in length. Which means that if we do a 30 min interview we have roughly 22-25 minutes to introduce the show and then to discuss the interview at the end (our musical clips take up 5-8 minutes usually). If we do a 45 min interview we end up with maybe 10 minutes to do all that.
Here in lies my frustration. I have trouble picking which part of the discussion might be more beneficial than others. If we really are “Free Range Christians” or “Open Source Christians” I hate the idea that I might be limiting the discussion when I go back and edit our discussions.
There are so many great points that Thomas brings up but I end up having to cut much of our discussion due to the “self-imposed time crunch.”
I also run into similar issues when leading a community group.
Everyone has a story to share. And I love hearing those stories. I love people sharing their stories (hence the podcast). Many people have examples in their life that relate to the discussion — but I also have to consider the time constraints other people in the group may have. That time constraint comes into greater play if its an early morning and people have to head to work — or a week night when folks have to head home so they can get to bed.
So what to do? I dunno. But I do hate editing — and thought you should know.
Read an interesting stat today. Most Americans watch an average of 3 hours of television per day. Over a year, that’s more than 45 days of television watching! Crazy!
So turning off the television instantly would instantly give you an extra 45 days a year to do other things you enjoy – like reading, playing softball, frisbee or just spending time with your family.
Of course there are other ways to consider this stat – if you having trouble finding time for things you want to do – realize that by spending just 3 hours a day working on it – you’d gain 45 days a year to focus on that one thing.
Want to learn a new language? 45 days a year would probably make a huge difference? Want to spend more time reading? 45 days would be a huge improvement.
What will you change to gain 45 days of your life back? Or what will you spend 45 days of your life doing this year?
From Lifehacker:
A recent “Cyber Stress” study shows that 65% of Americans spend more time on their computers than with their spouses. The study also found:
The average consumer has experienced computer troubles eight times – about every four months – over the last three years.
The average American is wasting 12 hours per month – the equivalent of half a weekend – due to problems with their home computer.And my personal favorite:
A majority of Americans (52%) describe their most recent experience with a computer problem as one of anger, sadness or alienation.
Oh, and don’t let this poll make you late to dinner with your wife/hubby. — Gina Trapani