Working Two Jobs

When i graduated from Grad school, i expected to be stress free and careless. After all, i didn't have any papers hanging over my head. No more constant judgement of grades. (Though no more instant gratification of good grades either. Yeah, i'm bragging now.) Also, I would have the time and the education to get a great full time job, so i would be able to easily support myself. Of course finding a decent job in Michigan is becoming as difficult as finding a stand of palm trees. Did it really snow today?

I got one job, but it wasn't enough money, so i got another part time job. Between balancing two jobs, trying to grow a small business, and working on a burgeoning writing career, i have even less time than i did before. So i put together a few little time management rules to make the most of my very little spare time.


1.) Watching TV, is time you can use to complete mundane chores. Also at http://www.abc.com/ you can watch your favorite shows on your OWN time. For free! I love them especially since i work every Thursday night and wouldn't be able to keep up with my Grey's Anatomy otherwise. I've read in some organizing books that you should fold laundry RIGHT AWAY and never ever let them sit out. I completely dissagree. Folding laundry is a mindless chore you can do infront of the TV and i save them for it.

2.) Pedicures. I trim my toe nails and paint them while infront of the TV all the time. Of course i use a wastepaper basket and i try not to do it when other people are around. I'd feel pretty terrible if i blinded my boyfriend in one eye with a stray toe nail. That and it'd be nice if at the end of the day he was still attracted to me. For some reason, i have the feeling sitting next to your significant other on the couch and grooming your feet is something better left until after a legally binding commitment. I amy be a little uptight on this one tho.

3.) Fixing websites, answering friend's emails, doing needed online shopping. I write a list of things I need to do w/my laptop and complete them during a show. Also, if you have a task that could be extended indefinetly this gives you a specific time frame to complete the task. Once the show's over, you're DONE. (More than once, I've found myself up at 3 in the morning finding just the right color for my home page)

4.) Call people on your cell phone while you're doing an activity like grocery shopping or walking somewhere (even for exercise). This is great for people who you know could run on forever, because at some point you have to get in line and get off the phone. I've found that people (for instance my parents) are pretty happy to keep me company at the store. And who cares about what other people think? Are you really going to run into them again? Probably not. Although i would not talk about that weird rash you have. You might just run into them.

I do not, I REPEAT, do not advocate cell phone use while driving. It's illegal in this state. And if i did, Kharma would reward me with a nice little cell-phone-induced, 12 car pile up on my way to Ikea. I like my fender where it is, thank you. Unless maybe you have a headset, but seriously pay attention to the road.

5.) Sit ups infront of the TV. Butt crunches at work. (All you have to do is clench your butt cheeks and release as much as you can.) I read somewhere that people who are fidgety burn a thrid more calories than calmer folks. I can't remember where i read it, but i will try to find that for you.

Yesterday I read the October issue of the home magazine Domino. http://www.dominomag.com/ It’s a trendy, young professional kind of publication. There are periodic organizational articles and the one this month is on creating an organization space around your bed. They created a beautiful custom made shelving set that created two towers on either side with a box shelf above. The side shelves are curtained with beautiful dark fabric and natural fiber Roman blinds hide the clutter on the overhead shelf. It’s an amazing set up, which cost the owner $6,000. Also, custom projects are difficult to move when you move around annually as I seem to do at this point. Since I don’t have the money or the stability, but I love the concept, so I designed an alternative. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will soon.

Get a pair of cheap book shelves.
Like these:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1757088

or these, I like this size better:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=11317&langId=-1&categoryId=17066&chosenPartNumber=00045560

Then take some fabric and tac it to the front or around 3 of the sides so that the fabric drapes a little like curtains. Next, take a large board, probably 2 feet wide and lay the thing on the top of the two shelves. You can paint it any color, though I would recommend waiting on the color until after finding a fabric you love. That will be the more difficult and more expensive of the two tasks. The next thing I would do would be to get a string of cute little lantern lights and string them up behind the top shelf. You can run the switch down the side to have a little soft light over your bed. I would also recommend pretty boxes and baskets for the little things that go on the top shelf to cut down on the clutter.

All in all, Domino did not have that much about organization, but it was a good mag to hang out with for 20 minutes. They had some interesting punchout color charts, and I’m not a huge fan of keeping parts of magazines b/c they rarely get used again. These had little hole in them for you to put in a little binder. I guess if you’re going to be a pack rat, this is a little bit of an organized way to do it.

http://www.researchandorganization.com

Welcome to my blog. I am a professional archivist, personal organizer, historical researcher, and genealogist. Recently, I started a small business www.researchandorganization.com providing services like these to the greater Detroit and Ann Arbor area.

The blog below is a resource for information on home and office organization, genealogical research, and historical research. I will review magazine articles, books, and resources and provide tips on organization and research.

Also, this blog is to document my own efforts at personal organization and my struggles starting a small business.