My five-year-old spotted her name at the top of my to-do list this week. She wanted to know what it meant, and I explained to her that it was there so I would make sure to play with her.

After she left the room, I had an earth-shaking “what is wrong with this picture” moment. My family should NOT be an item on my to-do list, ready to be checked off.

Putting family on list is not a good idea

After my initial awakening, the humor of the situation caught me. I could see my to-do list: Play with daughter, 15 minutes; Done. Talk to spouse about day, 5 minutes; Done. Pet cats two minutes per; Done. The thought of regimenting and fragmenting my time made me seem like a robot.

Luckily, my daughter is too young to understand the implications of her being on the list. If she were not on the list, would it mean she would be ignored? Not likely. But at the same time, there have been evenings when the amount of items on my to-do list has caused me to do proximity things: “color at your desk while mommy finishes this web update.”

The fact is, I don’t want my daughter’s memories of me to be tied to my computer.

Limiting my todo so that I have time

What I need to do is calibrate my to-do list so that I have free time just about every evening, that I can devote to strengthening my family relationships. Time to decompress, time to relax and enjoy the important people in my life.

I suspect that it will include some rough times as I wean myself off my computer in the evenings, but at the same time, it will pay back rewards many times over.

Is your family on your to-do list?

Photo by Darwin Bell

I don’t know if it is just the way my mind works, but I suspect not. Fully engaged in a task, I will suddenly have a random thought pop into my head. For example, during one client presentation, I remembered I needed to refill the toilet paper in the downstairs bathroom. Then there was the time that I was up to my elbows in bread dough, and I remembered I needed to call the project manager for client X and let him know about a possible project opportunity.
The worst part is that if I don’t write these thoughts [...] Continue Reading…

Google Desktop is a desktop search replacement tool. It provides a full-text search that covers not only text files, but also emails, PDFs, music, chat, bookmarks and more.
Where To Get It: The download can be found at desktop.google.com
Cost: This tool is free.
How I Use It: I use this at work. It allows me to track down, through all of my hundreds of separate project notes, any piece of text or email that pertains to a key phrase. Since sometimes I am looking for something that is tangential to the main project, this allows me to search everything without having [...] Continue Reading…

This random simplicity bit comes from 30 Days to a Simpler Life (aff).
I laughed when I pulled this out out, for two reasons: first, I had just completed a review of a new “simple cooking book” for my sister blog over at LauraEarnest.com — Solutions for Working Moms (Click here to read the review). Second, because I am actually trying out these recipes this week, with success.
Pulling this topic made me think about my struggle with fixing meals. I have been disillusioned with my old system. I have several criteria for what I want out of a meal system:

Easy [...] Continue Reading…

The last few weeks, since I started using my weekly template (see Experiment: Week-At-A-Glance) have been a productivity powerhouse. I was blasting through my lists, making progress like I haven’t in months…
And then allergy season hit. Four days of migraine with sinus problems. Needless to say, not much got done. I looked at my weekly list with dismay. There was no way I was going to catch up. Then I saw the article about Schedule Calibration that got me thinking. My to-do lists were too heavy, and overwhelmed me when I missed a few days.
The thing I like [...] Continue Reading…

I’ve been living a double life. At the same time that I reformulated this blog, I started another blog. At the time, it was to expound on inner peace and simplicity, but as time wore on I realized that what I really had to say pertained to working parents.
It’s been getting confusing to write under the two personas. So I’m stepping forward to introduce you to the second blog: Laura Earnest.com — Solutions for Working Moms.
I won’t be doing any cross-posting, but you might see different takes on the same articles from both the working mom and the productivity [...] Continue Reading…

Templates are documents whose base contents are presented for your modification. Most people think of templates like forms…but templates can be extended to include both layout and initial text.
If you find yourself doing the same type of documents time and again, it is time to consider a template. Some examples of documents that can benefit from turning into templates: form letters, routine correspondence, newsletters, and shopping lists.
How To Make A Template In Word 2003
There are two steps to make a template in word: set up the document, then save it as a template.
Setting up the document means putting everything [...] Continue Reading…

Summary
WorkRave, by Rob Caelers & Raymond Penners, is an application that will reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury (RSI).
Overview
Manufacturer: Rob Caelers & Raymond PennersPlatform: WindowsCurrent Version: Windows: 1.8.5
Pros and Cons
Pros

Forces me to take breaks
Gives two types of breaks: short and long
Gives exercises on-screen to help prevent RSI
Hard to ignore
Can limit the total time you spend on the computer

Cons

Timing is difficult to get right
Mini breaks blink too long before you can dismiss them.

Why Did I Download This?
As a writer and programmer, not to mention a musician, I am at high risk for RSI. I mouse with alternate hands at [...] Continue Reading…