Time Management: Stop Procrastinating - Part 3

By mid-term, the school work becomes overwhelming. Each professor thinks that his / her course should be the prime focus of your academic life. You will have fast approaching due dates for assignments and the scheduled tests creep closer and closer. You are stressed - and even with the best intentions, you find that you are procrastinating. And, every day that you are putting off the work, the hole that you are digging becomes deeper and deeper.

Molly Ivins’ stated a rule. Her “first rule of holes: when you are in one, stop digging.”

Here are three ways to manage your time - as well as deal with your stress and procrastination.

1. Don’t look at the mountain of work that you have to do. Honestly, it is not going to be done in one night or one weekend, no matter how much caffeine assist you have. Break up the task / tasks into small manageable bits. Be honest with yourself. The key is ‘manageable bits’. Do not set unrealistic goals for yourself. That is only setting yourself up for failure. It is better to do something than to do nothing. (Please see Ms Ivins’ rule of holes.)

2. Manage your stress - both physical and emotional. You might want to go for a walk before you start working. Do something physical so you can sit down, focus and do some work.

Stop the negative self talk. Don’t say that you can’t do this. Don’t tell yourself that you are an idiot for leaving it for so long. - The self condemnation does no good whatsoever. It does not put you in a frame of mind to focus and work. It will lower your self esteem and increase your depression. Set yourself up to work. (Please see Ms Ivins’ rule of holes.) Tell yourself that it is bit by bit - step by step.

3. Start - simply start. Don’t make bargains with yourself that you will not keep. Do not say, for example, that you will start after the next television show. Do not say that you will start after you reach the next level in the video game. Do not say that you will start after you have a snack. Those are example of bargains that you know you are not going to keep. And then you will berate yourself after you have wasted more hours. (Please see Ms Ivins’ rule of holes.) Just start - and doing the work will not be as bad as you imagined.

Your time is your most precious resource during a fleeting academic year. If you follow these three steps, you will find that you are doing something. And it will add up over the days. Trust yourself - you can do it and climb out of that hole.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

[tags]time management, stress, molly ivins, procrastination, self talk[/tags]

Time Management: Stop Procrastinating - Part 3

By mid-term, the school work becomes overwhelming. Each professor thinks that his / her course should be the prime focus of your academic life. You will have fast approaching due dates for assignments and the scheduled tests creep closer and closer. You are stressed - and even with the best intentions, you find that you are procrastinating. And, every day that you are putting off the work, the hole that you are digging becomes deeper and deeper.

Molly Ivins’ has a rule. Her “first rule of holes: when you are in one, stop digging.”

Here are three ways to manage your time - as well as deal with your stress and procrastination.

1. Don’t look at the mountain of work that you have to do. Honestly, it is not going to be done in one night or one weekend, no matter how much caffeine assist you have. Break up the task / tasks into small manageable bits. Be honest with yourself. The key is ‘manageable bits’. Do not set unrealistic goals for yourself. That is only setting yourself up for failure. It is better to do something than to do nothing. (Please see Ms Ivins’ rule of holes.)

2. Manage your stress - both physical and emotional. You might want to go for a walk before you start working. Do something physical so you can sit down, focus and do some work.

Stop the negative self talk. Don’t say that you can’t do this. Don’t tell yourself that you are an idiot for leaving it for so long. - The self condemnation does no good whatsoever. It does not put you in a frame of mind to focus and work. It will lower your self esteem and increase your depression. Set yourself up to work. (Please see Ms Ivins’ rule of holes.) Tell yourself that it is bit by bit - step by step.

3. Start - simply start. Don’t make bargains with yourself that you will not keep. Do not say, for example, that you will start after the next television show. Do not say that you will start after you reach the next level in the video game. Do not say that you will start after you have a snack. Those are example of bargains that you know you are not going to keep. And then you will berate yourself after you have wasted more hours. (Please see Ms Ivins’ rule of holes.) Just start - and doing the work will not be as bad as you imagined.

Your time is your most precious resource during a fleeting academic year. If you follow these three steps, you will find that you are doing something. And it will add up over the days. Trust yourself - you can do it and climb out of that hole.

Catherine

Google Privacy Channel

Google now has a privacy channel on YouTube:

link: Google/Privacy/YouTube

This is Google doing its public relations work on YouTube. The main focus is reassuring the public that privacy is not a concern. As you might expect, Google presents its side of the issue in a convincing manner. It remains to be seen if government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission agree with Google’s reassurances on issues of privacy and security.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]google, privacy, security, youtube, federal trade commission[/tags]

A Roger Maris Quote

“I think the most privacy I had was when the game was going on.”

Roger Maris

[tags]roger maris, quote, privacy[/tags]

A Method to Give Medication to the Dog

Some dogs hate to take a pill. You can place the pill far back in the dog’s mouth but, with a ‘dog cough’ and a shake of the head, the pill will fall to the floor. Therefore, with some dogs, it is necessary to be sneaky about this pill-giving.

One way to do this is to hide the pill in food. The food I prefer to use is cheese. The cheese is soft and it is easy to hide the pill in a small piece of cheese. The cheese also has a smell that masks the scent of the medication. Here is the method that I have found to be successful with most dogs who dislike pills.

Cut up six / seven small pieces of cheese. In one, hide the pill. Make sure that the cheese completely surrounds the pill. Now, use a command with the dog like “sit”. When the dog does sit, praise sincerely and give a piece of cheese. This will be one of the non-pill pieces. Release the dog and complete that command. Show the dog all the cheese that you are holding. This will be visual confirmation to the dog. Its nose already is telling the dog that you have wonderful things in your hands. Again, ask the dog to sit. Praise, reward with cheese and release the dog. A third time, ask the dog to sit. Praise, reward with the pill-cheese, reward again with a non pill piece of cheese and release the dog.

You want to give the pill-cheese, followed by another piece of cheese. This is so that the dog keeps eating and swallowing. By the time the cheese is all gone, the pill should have been swallowed by the dog. The dog knows that you have slipped it a pill. Your dog is not that easily duped. Besides, the dog has a great nose.

The dog is willing to do this for the food reward. In order to protect this method, let there be times when you do give little bits of cheese for the dog as a reward. It is just cheese; there is no pill involved. The dog will appreciate this and your canine pal will be much more willing to play along and humour you, when you try to be sneaky with pills.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]dogs, pills, food, scent[/tags]

A Method to Give Medication to the Dog

Some dogs hate to take a pill. You can place the pill far back in the dog’s mouth but, with a ‘dog cough’ and a shake of the head, the pill will fall to the floor. Therefore, with some dogs, it is necessary to be sneaky about this pill-giving.

One way to do this is to hide the pill in food. The food I prefer to use is cheese. The cheese is soft and it is easy to hide the pill in a small piece of cheese. The cheese also has a smell that masks the scent of the medication. Here is the method that I have found to be successful with most dogs who dislike pills.

Cut up six / seven small pieces of cheese. In one, hide the pill. Make sure that the cheese completely surrounds the pill. Now, use a command with the dog like “sit”. When the dog does sit, praise sincerely and give a piece of cheese. This will be one of the non-pill pieces. Release the dog and complete that command. Show the dog all the cheese that you are holding. This will be visual confirmation to the dog. Its nose already is telling the dog that you have wonderful things in your hands. Again, ask the dog to sit. Praise, reward with cheese and release the dog. A third time, ask the dog to sit. Praise, reward with the pill-cheese, reward again with a non pill piece of cheese and release the dog.

You want to give the pill-cheese, followed by another piece of cheese. This is so that the dog keeps eating and swallowing. By the time the cheese is all gone, the pill should have been swallowed by the dog. The dog knows that you have slipped it a pill. Your dog is not that easily duped. Besides, the dog has a great nose.

The dog is willing to do this for the food reward. In order to protect this method, let there be times when you do give little bits of cheese for the dog as a reward. It is just cheese; there is no pill involved. The dog will appreciate this and your canine pal will be much more willing to play along and humour you, when you try to be sneaky with pills.

Catherine

A Roger Maris Quote

“I think the most privacy I had was when the game was going on.”

Roger Maris

Fans in Los Angeles Boo Kobe Bryant

No, it was not a Halloween ‘boo’… it was a boo from Lakers fans who have had enough of Kobe Bryant. The boos started at the beginning of the game, when the players were introduced. Has Kobe Bryant ever had such a negative reaction from his home court fans? Probably never.

This was the home town fans booing a franchise player - a superstar who has brought them championships. Imagine if Derek Jeter was booed in Yankee Stadium. Imagine Tom Brady being scorned by a New England home town crowd. That is the depth to which the Kobe / Lakers situation has sunk.

The Lakers lost in their opening game of the 2007 - 2008 NBA season. The Los Angeles Times has changed its Kobe Bryant Advisory System. It is presently at “elevated”. The next level is “high”. Perhaps the fans in Los Angeles know that Kobe Bryant has left, months ago…

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]nba, l.a. lakers, kobe bryant, fans, los angeles times[/tags]

Fans in Los Angeles Boo Kobe Bryant

No, it was not a Halloween ‘boo’… it was a boo from Lakers fans who have had enough of Kobe Bryant. The boos started at the beginning of the game, when the players were introduced. Has Kobe Bryant ever had such a negative reaction from his home court fans? Probably never.

This was the home town fans booing a franchise player - a superstar who has brought them championships. Imagine if Derek Jeter was booed in Yankee Stadium. Imagine Tom Brady being scorned by a New England home town crowd. That is the depth to which the Kobe / Lakers situation has sunk.

The Lakers lost in their opening game of the 2007 - 2008 NBA season. The Los Angeles Times has changed its Kobe Bryant Advisory System. It is presently at “elevated”. The next level is “high”. Perhaps the fans in Los Angeles know that Kobe Bryant has left, months ago…

Catherine

Five Points for FEMA to Consider to Avoid Gross Stupidity

It seems that, in light of the fiasco with the faked news conference, FEMA is examining its procedures with regard to how it deals with the press. In order to save FEMA months of internal review and a huge expenditure of human resources, here are five simple points to implement and to remember:

1. Fake news conferences are not a good idea.

2. Real reporters ask the questions.

3. FEMA answers the real reporters’ questions truthfully.

4. FEMA undertakes to learn the role of an unfettered press corps in a democracy.

5. If there should be any doubt, FEMA should consider consultation with a high school civics teacher - post haste.

It is a five point policy that is easy to set as a non negotiable operational procedure. High school civics teachers are easy to find. No doubt they are listed presently in some secret government data base.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

[tags]fema, reporters, press conferences, high school civics, data base[/tags]