I’m a bit of an organization junkie. Seriously, I have so many things I’m working on at any given point in time that I have separate to-do lists for each one to help me get through them all. (You all now officially know the secret to my success, by the way.)
In any given week, I’m usually working on no more than three lists at the same time. I take tasks from each list and add them to a master to-do list, which then becomes my focus for the week. It helps me work through projects to completion. It helps me think about the smaller details of a project so they don’t get overlooked.
It also has the added benefit of giving me options to work on when I either finish the list or (which happens more frequently) get bored with what I’m working on. When I need a change of pace, I simply go to one of the other lists and pull a quick task. I get one step closer on something, and it’s usually enough of a break to allow to get back to clearing out the week’s master list.
We all have our own way of keeping on top of what we want to work on. What’s yours?
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized at 7:36 AM EST
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To my great surprise, I was just named Teacher of the Year for 2006 at work.
I’ve been giggling (and hiding behind my hand) and blushing and saying, “Oh my god,” for over half an hour now. I can’t help it. It really was unexpected.
And it came on the heels of the directors telling everyone else to stop making my life hell. Which was also cool.
Eep! Oh my god! *giggles and blushes*
Posted by Rebecca as Personal development at 10:25 PM EST
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At work, I have a reputation for being a know-it-all, and not in the bad way. I have a similar reputation among my friends, my down time or work time often interrupted by those wanting to pick my brain. (Among my friends, it’s a weird feeling. They could just look it up on their computer. Instead, they leave their computer or IM me to ask me.)
So I have this reputation for knowing everything. I try to convince people that I don’t really know everything. Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot, but I also know how to look up what I don’t know. This in turn apparently confirms my status as very knowledgeable because I know where to look. (What are they teaching kids in school these days?)
Any protestations on my part are taken as modesty, even though I know I’m telling the truth.
I have much the same problem when responsibility gets dumped on my shoulders. I don’t have the time or energy, but because I’ve pulled off something (by asking or delegating) I get to be the trusted one.
There’s an old adage about keeping your mouth shut and letting people think you are a fool rather than proving them right. It really ought to apply to other areas of life as well, I suppose, but I can’t quite manage to keep myself from protesting my average person status.
Perhaps people think I’m being modest. Perhaps they think I’m setting them up for low expectations so I can dazzle them with whatever I happen to pull off (Don’t I wish!). Perhaps they think I’m the shy, nervous type.
While I am shy, nervous, and often underestimate myself, I’m not a terribly modest person. I just struggle with a roller coasting self-esteem. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.)
So, what advice can anyone give someone like me? Try this one:
If you’re walking onto a stage, the audience assumes that you know what the hell you’re doing. Play along with them. I don’t care if your audience is a new client or if it’s the biggest gallery owner in the city. Go with it. The whole world doesn’t need to know that you feel like you’re out of your league. Fake it til you make it. (Source)
Play along. It feels a bit misleading, but it’s so crazy it might just work!
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized at 8:16 AM EST
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Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. ~Chinese Proverb
Curt Rosengren shared this proverb recently, and it just really struck a chord with me. Honestly, it fits well with his belief that you should do what you’re passionate about, and it’s been my experience that your passions tend to uncover themselves in what you do when no one expects anything from you.
(In my case, this means I should somehow or other be deeply involved with animation, since that seems to take up quite a bit of my free time. Or perhaps I should find a way to get paid to sit around and read books or play video games. I do a lot of both of those as well.)
Actually, I think it was taking the time to relax that taught me what I loved doing. In college, I spent much of my free time volunteering in planetaria and museums. I led tours, taught classes, and then started helping develop shows and workshops. In fact, i spent a seven-year chunk of my life pursuing museum education from a volunteer perspective while I tried to get through grad school and into a paid museum education position.
Fate did not turn out to be with me. I left grad school too qualified for most museums to seriously entertain my resume. The problem was, I’d spent so much of my free time involved in museum education that I’ve been left wandering a bit lost since I left grad school. Now, I think I’m somewhat afraid to do anything in my free time for fear of going through this cycle all over again.
Somehow, I have to figure out what brings me the same kind of giddiness that museum education did.
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized at 8:26 AM EST
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My posting on the main blog may be a bit spotty for now. My newer laptop popped a resistor last week. I am finally up and running on my older laptop (refurbished to hopefully hang on until the other laptop is repaired).
In all the shifting back and forth between laptops, this blog may end up a bit neglected. I’ll work to keep the Niche blogs updated, though.
Who knew January would be so adventurous?
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized at 11:19 PM EST
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