#schmeeko

[gamerchick02]

schmeeko reblogged your photo and added: “100 Days of Productivity (3/100) Work essentials. I use a multi-pen...”

I looked up a bullet journal last night. Honestly,...

Hey, whatever works for you!  I’m using this because I’ve stuck with it.  So many of the productivity things I’ve tried either didn’t work out because they were:

Too structured (many planners and “systems” that are sold at Staples and Office Max; Franklin Planner, etc)

Not structured enough (GTD)

Had too many steps and were too confusing (GTD)

Were completely digital and therefore I’d ignore it (Wunderlist, Todoist, any other app that syncs with “the cloud” and all your devices)

Now I’m using the bullet journal as a mind dump and GTD collection device.  If everything doesn’t get into it, that’s fine.  I’ve simplified the GTD philosophy to things that I will probably forget to do and things I need to get out of my head.  I’m also using it for random bits of knowledge that float through my brain and I want to record (my ace ring size, my fave vape ejuices by company, what I want as gifts, what I want to give as gifts, etc).  I have an index so I can find things pretty well.

I guess if you wanted to try a bullet journal, get a cheap notebook and give it a go and see if it works for your tracking and list purposes.  But your chart and lists sounds really awesome.  You do you.  :)

[gamerchick02]

List 15 things that make you happy (I was tagged by kellyakabilly).

A clean and organized workspace.  Seriously, I have some serious issues working in chaos.

A sunny and cold winter morning.  The sun streams in and warms my apartment but it's cold out and my breath makes clouds as it comes out of my nose.  Perfect.

Finding the perfect gift for a friend or family member.  I love to find awesome things that people will love.  Usually I ask what they might like, but sometimes I find something completely out of the ordinary and it works out for the best.

My apartment.  It is my sanctuary.  I come home from work (which can be chaotic) and I have my own space to do with what I want... I can put the art I like on the walls, listen to what music I like, and watch what I want on the TV.

Nile.  I love this organization.  I was stressed out about things that possibly could happen tomorrow night but I think it will go well.  Three more meetings while I'm Queen!

A good book.  I'm currently reading "Will Grayson Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan and I'm loving it so far.  It has the galloping pace of Green's writing that I love.  I'm alternating with "Quiet: The Power of Introverts" by Susan Cain.  This one I love because I am an introvert and I want to improve the way I work with others.  Also it's interesting to read about how introverts can be great leaders.  It's inspiring, but sometimes discouraging when I see the people who are promoted.

This is going to sound silly, but oranges.  We get a box from my grandma every year and this year they have been especially lovely.  Grapefruits would be in the same vein... I love those with my breakfast.

Speaking of, breakfast!  I don't get to take a leisurely breakfast at home unless I'm here on a weekend, but I love getting Tim's with my Sunday newspaper and reading the newspaper while I drink the coffee.  Or I like making pancakes and having juice while watching the morning news early on a Saturday morning.

Art.  I like many types... modern seems to be my art du jour lately.  I have a cool print from the groovy 60s in my office that totally brightens the space.  I like colorful stuff.

Music.  Music from many eras and on many types of media (records, tapes, CDs, digital).

A good movie.  Either a classic that I love (*cough* Casablanca *cough*) or a new film that I want to see.

Cozy pajamas.  I'm wearing my fuzzy ninja turtle pants and a t-shirt tonight.

Podcasts.  They keep my sanity at work (I've revamped my podcast list and I should do another writeup of the ones I've added).

This is going to sound dumb, but my playstation 3.  It plays DVDs and blu-rays, plays games, and can even stream.  I prefer my roku for streaming but the PS3 will work in a pinch.

NPR and PBS.  If it weren't for these media outlets, I wouldn't be informed or entertained.  I even listen to NPR podcasts!

I'm tagging schmeeko, pensivepblossom, vintagestyledheart, evelyngorfram, discombobulateddavidduchovny, and wentdog.

[gamerchick02]

Questions!

Rule one: Always post the rules

Rule two: answer the questions the person who tagged you asked and write 11 new ones some new

Rule three: tag 11 people and link them to the post

Rule four: actually tell them you tagged them.

Questions for me, from pensivepblossom!

1: Would you rather live in a large mansion, or a small cottage?

The cottage for sure!  I prefer a smaller place to live in.

2: Would you rather have a pet bird or a pet snake?

I'm not a huge fan of snakes so yes to birds.

3: What song is in your head right now?

"These Boots are Made for Walkin" by Nancy Sinatra.

4. What is your favorite thing to do at an amusement park?

Bumper cars.  I don't like roller coasters.

5: Do you enjoy reading Shakespeare’s writings?

Depends on which ones. I do not like Romeo and Juliet, but I do like the sonnets.

6: What are your preferred pizza toppings?

Pepperoni, onion, mushroom, green pepper, banana pepper.

7. Do you prefer windy weather, or snowy weather?

Snowy!  Usually the power doesn't go out with the snow.  Also, as long as the snow isn't getting too deep like it did this year (holy wow)!!

8. What is your favorite game to play?

Hrm.  Right now it's Guacamelee but I'm sure it will change.  If we're talking about a tabletop game, then probably Fluxx or Ticket to Ride.

9. If you could turn on the radio and hear anything you wanted to, what would you listen to?

40s classics (Sinatra, Bing, etc).

10: If someone offered you the opportunity of outer space travel, would you take it?

Uh, I'd have to say no,  I like being here on earth... as cool as space travel is, I know how involved it is.

11: What fad of the past should never come back into popularity?

There are so many. Probably neon 80s stuff.  So loud.

And now questions for everyone else:

What is your favorite TV show of all time?

Do you prefer cake or ice cream?

iOS or Android?  Why?

If you could go one place in all the world, where would that be?

What do you look for in a partner, romantic or otherwise (could be dance, could be school, could be anything)?

Do you prefer the morning or the evening?

What is the genre you've been listening to on your preferred listening device the most recently (radio, ipod, spotify, pandora, etc)?

Beach or forest?

Coffee, tea, or something else?

What time period would you want to return to if you had a time machine?

Pick a book.  Favorite book, nearest book, book on your tablet or ereader, whatever.  Turn to page 15.  What does the second paragraph down say?

[gamerchick02]

Yeah, that's what I find. I don't find too many nice clothing options in thrift stores. A ton of clothes can be found, but those of quality are few and far between. I actually find better stuff at garage sales.

That's cool.  I don't find a ton of stuff at garage sales because a lot of it is... junk.  Ahem.  And kiddy clothes.  That's fine if you have kids but not for me.  Also I don't have a ton of time to go to garage sales and subsequently go through the items they have on the tables and stuff.

I'm at a point now where I can afford some of these mid-priced clothes so I'm going to buy the stuff I'll wear on sale.  :)  I love the outlet malls for that... although some of the outlet malls are not "outlet" at all and have full priced stuff there or stuff made specifically made for them so you have to watch and do price compares.

[whateverphile]

Topic Markers

Heard a professor say to another student, "This is me, but I really need a topic marker.  ...Can you tell me what it is you want to impart to the rest of the class."  Which is the nicest, most teacherly way of saying "Why are you telling us this involved, boring story with seemingly no point--how does it relate it what we're actually talking about?"

[whateverphile]

Um, how?

So today I passed up a 6-week summer job teaching in China, as I have to stay and fulfill my department's requirement of two terms of a non-Indo European language.  So I can graduate.  Yes, the reason I can't graduate in spring and go teach in China and immerse myself in daily life and take Chinese lessons there... is because I have to take my language classes in a classroom setting here first.  Yeah, okay.