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Finding More Time for Reading in a Ridiculously Busy Day!

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Quote About Reading by Dr. Seuss

Quote About Reading by Dr. Seuss

Okay, maybe instead of titling this one something like “Finding time to read,” I should have said “Making time to read..” because that’s exactly what has to happen, isn’t it? We always have to MAKE time because we certainly aren’t going to FIND extra time lying around somewhere.

If only!

The world has become such a fast-paced machine these days and people aren’t just busy, they’re crazy busy, so I’m going to begin taking that more into consideration on the self help blog. I will try to confine my articles and posts to a reasonable, “read at one sitting” style and break content up with lists and graphics.

If you’re like me, you made your resolutions and goals for 2023 and are, by now, finding things that work and didn’t work in making these goals and resolutions a reality. One of my resolutions that I kind of had to grapple with was “Read more.”

You have to set aside time when it comes to reading – I mean, you don’t want noise or distractions when you’re trying to spend a little time with a great book. Problem is, when your day is pretty full to begin with, there’s very little time to simply set aside.

Below are a few suggestions that have worked for me and I hope at least one of them is helpful to you as well:

  1. It’s pretty obvious, but getting up a little earlier than usual can be the secret.  When it came to having enough time for Bible reading and Bible study (something that absolutely calls for as few distractions as possible.. especially the Old Testament and Revelation!), I decided to set my iPhone alarm app for 30 minutes earlier. Worked like an absolute charm. I now have 30 whole minutes that I’ve “found” to devote entirely to Bible reading and study. The quite, still house is the perfect setting and I look forward to it each and every day.
  2. If you have several books you’re reading at once, keep them in different locations. I am always, always, always reading more than one book at any given time. I read a LOT of old Hollywood biographies (for enjoyment and for information for my old Hollywood blog and old Hollywood Twitter page) and am always in the beginning, middle, or end of at least 3. On top of these, I am always reading at least one Inspirational book from one of my favorite authors. I don’t keep the books I’m currently reading in one spot but, rather, keep one or two throughout the house – this way, if I find myself sitting in the den for 15 minutes, for example – the book beside my favorite chair is always waiting for me. I always keep one in the kitchen, as well, to “knock out” a chapter while keeping an eye on what’s cooking.
  3. Don’t squander time! Another one that’s painfully simple but, quite frankly, can prove useful. I had a simple little game on my phone that I was all but addicted to. It was sort of a little puzzle game and was apparently designed with the goal of getting its visitors completely hooked! It occurred to me one day that I had spent over 30 minutes on that app that day alone… and it was only 2:00 in the afternoon. I replaced the time that I would normally, mindlessly, devote to this game with reading and finished two books in one week. WITH SOMETHING TO SHOW FOR IT.. unlike playing a mindless little game.
  4. This could probably fall under the category above, but think about the time you spend on social media, reading about this person’s opinion on that, that person’s opinion on this… what this person had for lunch.. where that person went on vacation… and goodness knows we have to read every detail about Gary’s keto journey. How could we not?!  Like a silly little game, this time absolutely adds up and could easily be, at the very least, cut in half and replaced with reading. One easy way to cut back on time is this, how many social media accounts do you have? Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest… if you have one of each, maybe ask yourself is that’s absolutely necessary?! I mean, I only have Twitter and Instagram and yet I know they take more of my time than I should be willing to let them have. Cutting back at least a little can open up a lot more time for reading or anything else that will actually benefit your health – mental, Spiritual, and physical.

Finding more time for reading is actually a work in progress for me, so when I find other tricks or tips that work for me, I’ll scamper back here and add them!

Make each moment count double! ~ Joi (“Joy”)

How to Get More Done in the Morning!

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Morning Cat and Coffee

What My Mornings Look Like: Cats and Coffee!

About two years ago… after months of looking for more time in the day and being unable to uncover any… I decided to simply start getting up 30 minutes earlier. After a few months of seeing that, not only was getting up before 6:30 am not fatal, it was downright productive.

I was blown away by what the humble little 30 minutes added to my day. It suddenly seemed as though the day wasn’t sneaking up on me as much as I was sneaking up on it. 30 minutes may not seem like much at all, but when you uncover extra time to be used as you choose, it’s a gift.

Guess what. I got greedy.

I saw that this extra 30 minutes meant I could ease my way into my morning and, when ready to get busy, I was more of a mind to do so. Over the course of a few months, I thought of other things that could be accomplished by another 30 minutes. Greedy… yes… but also ingenious because it has meant the world to my morning routine and daily routine.

I get up at 5:30 each morning and ease my way into the day. Having extra time to sit, drink my coffee, talk about sports with my husband, and do my morning devotions and Bible reading starts the day off on a beautiful note instead of a sour note. Bonus to a better morning and better day…. you’ll sleep better at night!

The infographic below gives a lot of wonderful tips for making your mornings more productive. Starting the day off with less stress means you have less stress to carry around with you throughout the day.

Ingenious.

Stay well, stay safe… stay happy!

~ Joi

Productive Morning Routine
Source: 15 Tips to Help You Structure a Productive Morning Routine

 

13 Things to Stop Doing Today to Be More Productive (According to Science): Infographic

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The tips below for being more productive are all great – outstanding, even. My favorite one, oddly enough is one that might seem counterproductive – tip number 1: Stop skipping breaks! This is also possibly the hardest one to remember or reconcile yourself to do.

You know what it makes me think of? The necessity of getting ENOUGH calories when you’re trying to lose weight.  When someone tells you that you aren’t losing weight because you aren’t eating enough, you tend to look at them like they’re telling a bad joke and using your backside as the punchline!

Hmmmm, maybe that’s where butt of the joke came from? No? Oh, okay.

However, it’s absolute scientific fact – you have to take in enough calories to be able to lose weight.

It’s also scientifically proven that you have to take periodic breaks to be more productive. Doing so keeps you sharp, motivated, and at your best.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful infographic below as much as I did. ~ Joi

Courtesy of: QuickQuid

Are You Trying to Do too much?!

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Quote About Trying to do Too Much

If you’re a parent, you know where I’m coming from when I say that, as a mom, I give out a great deal of advice.  If you’re a parent, you also know where I’m coming from when I half-jokingly say, “Sometimes they even listen to me!”  A recent conversation with one of these young people left me thinking about this question, “If I had one piece of UNCOMMON advice that I could give someone, what would it be?”  By UNCOMMON, I mean advice other than my “somewhat expected” mini-sermons like:

  • choose your life partner carefully (because 95% of your future happiness will ride on this choice)
  • spend time with your loved ones and tell them you love them every chance you get
  • don’t nit-pick!
  • develop a close relationship with God and keep it that way
  • eat healthy foods
  • get plenty of rest
  • do the things that make you the happiest
  • never ask someone to do something for you that you’re fully capable of doing yourself

And on and on.

I tired to think outside of the traditional advice box (or off of the traditional platform) and see what I could come up with. The answer came almost immediately and, given the fact that we live in a world that says, “Do this!… do that!… do everything!” AND given the fact that those of us who write about self help are often the ones with these very words on our lips… the advice I came up with may seem contradictory.

My number one piece of UNCOMMON advice:  “For crying out loud, don’t try to do everything!”

Have you ever fallen in the trap of trying to do too many different things? Or have you ever tried to put on too many different proverbial hats? It’s exhausting, at best, and unhealthy, at worst. Trying to have a hand in too many soup pots and a foot in too many doors leaves you:

a. looking like a perfect fool

b. too busy to truly enjoy life

Ironically, it’s also woefully unproductive.

We’re all only human – we can only give our undivided attention (where the good stuff is conceived) to so many tasks.

The more things we try to do, oversee, or take care of – the more diluted our attention becomes. Diluted attention is the place where mistakes and half-assed results are conceived.  It kind of reminds me of a big batch of freshly-squeezed lemonade I made this summer. The first day, it was out of this world. It tasted like summer and it was just crazy delicious. In an attempt to extend its life, I added more water to the pitcher a few times. Each time, the great flavor was diluted or literally “watered down.”  That’s what we do, in effect, when we have too many things going on.

We take something that could be awesome and add to it until the awesomeness is threadbare.

It’s common sense, really. The fewer things on your “to do” list, the more time you have to devote to each.  When we try to do too many things, we spread ourselves too thin and aren’t able to give our best to anything.  We become watery lemonade without a lot of flavor or oomph.

Many people simply try to do too much and, whether they realize it at the time or not, they aren’t getting the most out of themselves by doing so. These are the same people who search for magic answers on Google  – “how can I manage my time better?” and “time management tips” are frequently searched because TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH is a popular way to go through life. Not effective, but popular.

And people wonder why they’re so stressed!

It actually isn’t even a time management issue, when you think about it.  We’d all do well to remember that we’re given the same number of hours in our days and days in our weeks that were allotted to Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King, Jr, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson…   As Chinese author and teacher Lin Yutang said, “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone… The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials,” possibly the difference is these people knew what to eliminate and what to keep.   They had a beautiful clarity and singleness of mind which allowed them to..

  1. get things done
  2. live fully in the moment
  3. change the world

I think we’ve covered #1 and I’m not going to even pretend to know the secrets for #3 – but you KNOW I have to spend a few minutes with the second one.  You know me, I’m way to feely-feely not to want to shine a spotlight on this one, right?  I couldn’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve seen the following scenario play out:  I’ll find myself in an especially remarkable place (the mountains of eastern Kentucky, downtown Nashville, the banks of a gorgeous lake, a Julia Roberts movie….) and as I’m soaking the experience up with my every pore, I’ll notice people all around me looking down at their phones, iPods, notebooks, games, or devices I couldn’t possibly identify without either a cheat sheet.

The moments pass them right by because their next “Status Update” was too important or because they just HAD to know what so-and-so had to say about such-and-such.   And it’s not just kids, either. You’ll see people of all ages looking down when they really, really, really should be looking around. Live in the moment, see what there is to see… THEN tell everyone about it or THEN see what everyone else is up to.

Eliminate the nonessentials.

Rachael Ray is another name that comes to mind when I think about singleness of mind.  This fantastic cook and cookbook author will be the first to tell you that she is a lousy baker. She doesn’t make desserts, she buys them. Why? She has chosen what she considers to be essential and has eliminated the nonessentials.  How do you suppose that’s working for her?

The main reason people don’t get things DONE is because they’re trying to fit too MUCH into 24 hours. 

Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew and, other times, someone throws more onto our plate than we have the time or inclination to handle. What happens more times than not when our plate is too full? We walk away because we either aren’t sure where to start or we feel so overwhelmed that get a headache!

So what do you do when there’s simply too many things for one person to deal with?  Repeat after me, Something’s gotta give!  Oftentimes a good, honest, realistic assessment of everything you’re trying to do will show you the things that can easily be removed… things you’ll never even miss.

Just be careful not to try to pull something into the vacancy a few days down the road.

We could all take a “Lin Yutang” Approach:  Get a piece of paper and a pen. Make one column that says ESSENTIALS and one column that says NONESSENTIALS.  Beneath each, list 5 things that fall under that particular category.  But don’t miss the whole idea and leave out time for things you enjoy under the essentials.  Things that bring you relaxation and bliss are possibly the most essential things of all.

One final thought.  I firmly believe that age is mostly in the mind.  And if someone says, “You’re only as old as you feel,” I quickly nod in agreement. However, let’s  be completely honest and open for a minute.  As we grow older (and each year we all grow older… whether it’s in our 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or beyond) – we’d do well to realize that we need to approach life a little differently.  We may need more sleep than we once did – or we may even require less. There will be some things we can do better than ever and there’ll be some things we simply can’t even think about any more.

The way I look at it is this: When you pass 40, you’re in an especially beautiful place. It’s a place where you can set your own pace.  Where some people drop the ball is they try to suddenly UP the pace.  They seem to think they have to do all they did when they were younger and then some.

Again…. and people wonder why they’re stressed.

“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone… The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.”  Take an honest look at your essentials and nonessentials, you may find that a lot more time, energy, and enjoyment suddenly open up.

~ Joi

More Wisdom from Lin Yutang:

Find wonderful Books by Lin Yutang on Amazon.

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Ten Minutes to Better Time Management

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I’ve been a fan of the Ten Minute Trick for many, many, many years.  T.M.T. and I have washed dishes, written articles, done yoga, walked on the treadmill, read Shakespeare, done homework (I told you it’s been many, many, many years), dusted, ironed, built websites, cleaned closets, swept floors, gardened, lifted weights…. Okay, okay. I got carried away. I have never lifted weights.

It works like this:  Whatever task you have at hand, you commit a mere 10 minutes to it’s execution.  The GOOD thing is you can get a lot accomplished in 10 minutes. The GREAT thing is, once you’ve begun, you inevitably will complete the task – even after the 10 minutes are up.  In fact, I can’t  remember many times when I abandoned an uncompleted enterprise simply because 10 minutes had passed.  Algebra homework would be an exception – what can I say, when the brain’s fried, the brain’s fried.

Next time you have a task looming in front of you, taunting you, don’t take the easy route (“I’ll get to it tomorrow.”)  Instead, take a look at the clock and commit 10 minutes to the task. You’ll either finish the task within 10 minutes, decide to stick with the momentum and finish it even if it takes an hour or more, or you’ll put a dent in it, saving the rest for another time.  Even if you don’t complete the task at once, you’ve made the work easier (and shorter) for your return.

My favorite time to call the Ten Minute Trick into play is with the treadmill. It can seem like such a commitment to tie myself to huffing, puffing, sweating, and chugging water, but when I approach the whole experience with the mindset of “knocking out ten minutes,” I lace up my shoes, throw my hair up, and grab my ipod. Then we’re off!

The funny thing is – not once… not once have I ever stopped after 10 minutes.   In fact, I did the same thing earlier today. I got my playlist all ready to go (the Oak Ridge Boys’ “The Boys Are Back” is a girl’s best friend on the treadmill), thinking that I’d walk for ten minutes.

35 minutes later, I’d gotten an excellent workout.

Try the 10 minute trick. You’re going to love it.