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Photo Courtesy of Amir K. (flickr)

I love to procrastinate whenever possible.  I find very creative ways to put off doing things I need to accomplish.  The funny thing is that I sometimes procrastinate on doing things I enjoy, as well as things I don’t.  My to-do list is always too long.  My time is always too limited.  My energy level is always too low.  My priorities are always too jumbled.  At least, these are the things I tell myself all the time, whether they are true or not.  Procrastination is a choice like anything else.  The trick is to realize when you are procrastinating and make some small changes to procrastinate more intelligently.  I’m not going to argue that you should eliminate procrastinating, because it can be very useful.  I actually believe that procrastination is a fine art and you should take the time to master it.  Sometimes you have to avoid procrastinating, and sometimes you’ll need to exploit it to your advantage.  Take a look at the ideas I’ve put together below and let me know what you think. (more…)

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Photo Courtesy of lastquest (flickr)

I am super type A.  Personality tests tell me to see a doctor.  My OCD is mild, but very apparent if you watch me work.  My wife catches me talking to myself constantly, but she has gotten used to it.  If you leave me alone in a room with a to-do list on a post-it note, I will build a spaceship out of toothpicks.  Maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I do put my quirks to good use.  I spend much of my time finding ways to create more time.  I focus a lot of my energy on productivity, effective habits, and useful ways to make my day more efficient.  If you’re anything like me, you’re busy.  Busy people need more time.  From my own experience, if I successfully create more time I usually fill it with more stuff instead of meaningful activity.  I don’t want you to take these strategies and simply make yourself busier.  Focus on making your life more meaningful by filling your time with activities that enlighten your mind, stimulate your senses, and simply make you feel more alive.  (more…)

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How to Create Time Outside of Work

Spiral Clock

Photo Courtesy of fdecomite (Flickr)

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Life offers just one thing, time, and it is up to you to make the most of it.  Benjamin Franklin once said there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.  Though he may be right in many respects, the reality is that we have an unknown amount of time in life and working a full-time job certainly uses quite a bit of it.  This reality leaves you with two choices, find a way to avoid ever working, or find a way to create time outside of work.

At the end of each day I always analyze what I was able to accomplish that day.  I question whether or not I used my time wisely and if there was more I could have achieved.  I’m careful not to take this too far because time in any given day is limited and there really is only so much you can do.  However, I have found ways to maximize the time that I have been given.  I’ve listed a few tricks and tips here and I hope there are as useful to you as I have found them to be.  Enjoy!

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
–Carl Sandburg

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Ruby Falls

Photo by Jeff Sanders

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It’s time to play Good Cop, Bad Cop.  When it comes to asking for a little time away from the office, you’ll have to learn when to be the nice guy, and when to turn on the heat.  I have worked a variety of jobs throughout my life and the culture in every work environment has been a little different.  Every boss has come with a quirky personality.  Every rule about vacations and time off have varied just enough that it’s hard to figure out what to say, and especially how to say it.  Here’s a few tips to get you by in those tricky scenarios you’re almost certain to face.

Top 5 Tips

1. Learn the Office Rules – Your office will have it’s own set of rules about how employees ask for time off work.  You’ll probably figure it out pretty quick, but you need to understand how your boss wants you to do it, and how the other employees actually do it. (more…)

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Basic Budgeting

Salad Dressing

Photo by Jeff Sanders

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Salad dressing is not necessary.  Grocery stores carry dozens of varieties of salad dressing and probably a thousand different flavor combinations within each variety.  Why do we eat salad dressing?  Simple.  Because eating dry green leaves off our plate is basically the same as eating it right off the plant.  Salad dressing is a buffer between people and nature, and we like it.  We like it because it soaks our taste buds with fats, salts, and sugars in extreme excess, far beyond what a boring dry plant can provide.  But the question remains, is salad dressing necessary?  I say no.  Like most things we buy, salad dressing is frivolous, yet we justify paying for it all the time. Most people would never consider salad dressing excessive or unnecessary, because it’s standard, it’s tradition.  However, when it comes to managing a tight budget, eating a dry plant may become your new tradition.

The Basics

It breaks down to one simple statement: live on less than you earn.  It can’t be an easier than that.  If you can’t afford to pay for it today, than you can’t afford it.  Now, some may (more…)

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Monopoly Money

Photo by Jeff Sanders

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Have you ever come home from work and realized that your entire house looks like a dirty high school cafeteria?  You know, dishes on the floor, muddy clothes on the couch, people you’ve never seen before laying on that couch while eating your food.  Well, maybe only part of that scenario fits you, but you know what I mean.  As you walk in the door and witness this catastrophe playing out in front of you, many thoughts run through your mind: How did I let this happen?  Who are these people?  Why didn’t my significant other clean this mess up?

Likewise, have you ever walked into the lobby of a 5 star hotel and noticed that the floor is so sparkling clean you could eat your dinner off the tile?  The lights are bright, the service is friendly, the experience is very relaxing.  You feel right at home.  Well, that’s assuming your home feels like the lobby of a 5 star hotel, and I’ll make the assumption that yours does not. (more…)

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